Özet:

This study with descriptive type which was implemented to determine the aspects and perceptions of men and women about menopause was conducted in the area of Osmangazi Şükrü Ergil Primary Health Unit between 30.03.2004 and 30.04.2004. The data were gathered with two different questionnaire form prepared for men and women by visiting the women (120) and men (100) above the age of 45 who accepted to participate in the study at home or in primary health unit. The mean age of women was 51.42±4.49, the mean age of men was 54±5.16. %75.5 of women do not menstruate. The most frequent physiological complaints of women in the period of menopause are hut flushes and extreme perspiration. % 56.7 of women and %63.0 of men percived menopause as ending of the bleeding. %88.3 of women and %88.0 of men aprraised menopause as a normal event of woman life. While the %35.0 of women considered that the woman in menopause lost her sexuality, %74.0 of men thought that sexuality did not disappear. Most of the women (%72.5) stated that menopause was not beneficial. It is remarkable that while %72.0 of men assumed that the women needed help and support in the period of menopause, the women in a similar rate (%71.7) implied to need help and support. Only %42.0 of women stated that they gathered information about this period from various sources. As a result, it can be suggested that health workers especially the nurses have to arrange informative meetings to society and serve as consultancies with the aim of percieving the period of menopause truely by both men and women.

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