Lived experience of Thai women and their changing bodies in midlife

Noonil, Naiyana; Hendricks, Joyce; Aekwarangkoon, Saifon

doi:10.1111/j.1442-2018.2012.00710.x

Cited by 7 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…The findings of the present study on women's experiences of menopause in Sri Lanka show that menopause is perceived as a stage of the normal aging process. This finding is consistent with findings from other research studies on women mainly derived from collectivist cultures such as those of Jordan [22], Korea [23], and Thailand [24], and from Hilo women in Hawaii, for whom aging has a positive significance. The findings of this study could therefore be explained from a sociocultural perspective, where positive attitudes about menopause are not uncommon in cultures where aging comes with increased social status, thus risking a low rate of reported menopausal symptoms [7].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

“…The culture of Sri Lanka being family-centered, it is not surprisingly that the result emphasizes the importance of women being part of a small group that provides the security needed not only to discuss intimate and personal matters like menopausal health issues but also to receive support to help them face losses of close relatives. This finding corroborates the findings of Noonil et al (2012) and Mackey (2014), who highlighted the importance of women sharing their experiences to overcome any changes during the menopausal transition [28] and of support groups for middle-aged women to share their menopausal experiences to increase self-awareness in managing self-care measures and health care interventions [2]. Thus, enabling support groups for menopausal women could facilitate the menopausal transition as well as strengthen the individual.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

“…Noonil et al (2012), who studied the lived experience of Thai Buddhist women and their changing bodies in midlife[24]. The perception of menopause as a natural component of the life cycle may, however, contribute to ignoring menopausal health risks or delaying necessary treatment until too late a stage.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Menopause Is a Natural Stage of Aging: A Qualitative Study

Ilankoon

Samarasinghe

Elgán³

2020

Preprint

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Background Menopause is a biopsychosocial phenomenon encompassing the transition in a woman’s life from being fertile to becoming infertile. Although menopause may result in extremely unpleasant physical symptoms such as recurrent urinary tract infections, hot flushes and night sweats there is evidence of a low rate of reported menopausal symptoms among women in Asian cultures. Women’s experiences, views, and responses to menopause affect how women handle their menopausal symptoms varies between different societies and cultures. Consequently, also influencing women’s daily life and well-being.Methods We explore and describe menopausal experiences among women in Sri Lanka using a qualitative exploratory research approach. Individual interviews with a purposive sample of 20 women were conducted, and data analysis was done using conventional content analysis. This study aligns with the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) checklist.Results The results consist of one overriding theme, “Menopause is a natural stage of aging” and two categories “Entering a new stage” and “Remaining valuable.” The overriding theme, “Menopause is a natural stage of aging” elucidate that menopausal changes was perceived as a natural change in life, with health problems that are normal and these problems was handled with various self-care practices. The category “Entering a new stage” describes the women’s feelings of fear of being pregnant when the menstruation ceases and feelings of relief when realizing not being fertile anymore. It also involved becoming aware of and dealing with menopause related health risks. The category “Remaining valuable” describes women’s experiences of being competent and able to find their own remedies to ease the menopausal symptoms and by interacting with significant others, shifting focus to other people also was a way to deal with problems related to menopause.Conclusion Sri Lankan women manage menopausal problem on their own. Educational interventions with regard to menopausal issues and alternatives to ease menopausal symptoms need to be tailored according to the prevailing sociocultural context. By implementing community-based health centers led by nurses and/or midwives providing information about additional hormonal therapy and thereafter facilitate follow-up and evaluation would simplify Sri Lankan women’s transition into menopause.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

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Menopause Is a Natural Stage of Aging: A Qualitative Study

Ilankoon

Samarasinghe

Elgán³

2020

Preprint

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“…The ndings of the present study on women's experiences of menopause in Sri Lanka show that menopause was perceived as a stage of the normal aging process. This nding is consistent with ndings from other research studies on women mainly derived from collectivist cultures such as those of Vietnam [3], Iran [7] and Thailand [22] for whom aging has a positive signi cance. Researchers argue that physiological experiences with menopause become meaningful in the shifting relations between the experiencing self and the social world [23].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Menopause Is a Natural Stage of Aging: A Qualitative Study

Ilankoon¹,

Samarasinghe

Elgán³

2020

Preprint

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Background Menopause is a biopsychosocial phenomenon encompassing the transition in a woman’s life from being fertile to infertile. Although menopause may result in extremely unpleasant physical symptoms there is evidence of a low rate of reported menopausal symptoms amongst women in Asian cultures. Women’s experiences, views, and responses to menopause which influences women’s daily life and well-being, may vary between different societies and cultures. This study aimed to explore and describe menopausal experiences among women in Sri Lanka. Methods A qualitative exploratory research was conducted among postmenopausal women of 46-55 years of age in the western province of Sri Lanka. Individual interviews with a purposive sample of 20 women were conducted, and data analysis was done using manifest and latent content analysis. Results The results consist of an overall theme, “Menopause is a natural stage of aging” and three categories “Entering a new stage”, “Managing menopause” and “Not the end of life” which emerged from 34 codes. The overall theme highlights that changes in menopause were experienced as a natural change in life, with health problems that are normal for this change and handled with different self-care practices. The category “Entering a new stage” describes the women becoming aware of menopause and its bodily changes. The category “Managing menopause” describes women’s experiences of being able to find their own remedies to ease the menopausal symptoms and by engaging in religious activities and focusing on interaction with people. The category, “Not the end of life” describes women's views of themselves as still valuable because menopause was experienced as a natural part of their lives. Conclusion Women in Sri Lanka managed menopausal problem mainly on their own as they viewed the menopause as a natural stage of aging risking unnecessary suffering and failure to detect preventable complications. Enabling support groups for menopausal women and improving on their health-seeking behaviour by encouraging them to take part in screening for cervical and breast cancer would improve their condition. Further information on additional hormone therapy with a, subsequent follow-up and evaluation by community health nurses and/or midwives, would facilitate Sri Lankan women's transition to menopause.

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“…In this study, we examine actual experience from a social constructionist perspective that emphasizes the social processes by which people develop their social reality and knowledge about that reality in an ongoing way in interaction with others (Cohen, Duberley & Mallon, 2004). Recently lived experience research has been used in the nursing and health sciences of children with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (Manookian et al, 2014), changing bodies (Noonil et al, 2012), and congenital heart disease (Lee & Kim, 2012). Our study is one of the first to explore an inter-disciplinary relationship in a childcare centre through actual experience.…”

Section: Methods Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

Collaboration is key: The actual experience of disciplines working together in child care

Garvis

Kirkby

McMahon³

et al. 2016

Nursing & Health Sciences

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Promoting young children's academic and developmental outcomes can no longer be achieved by the single efforts of one profession, but requires professionals to work together in inter-professional teams to understand the complexity of young children's lives. Collaboration in early childhood programs involves health professionals, educators, and other professionals sharing information, validating each other's roles, and providing input around which strategies promote positive outcomes for all children. There are, however, limited studies available within early childhood education on inter-disciplinary relationships between nurses and teachers. This paper helps to fill this void by exploring the relationship of an early childhood teacher and maternal and child health nurse working alongside one another in an Australian kindergarten. Through a narrative approach, a number of characteristics of the relationship were identified as key elements to a productive relationship. Findings are important for health professionals working with early childhood educators. By understanding the complexity within and between disciplines, professionals can work effectively to support young children and their families.

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Lived experience of Thai women and their changing bodies in midlife

Cited by 7 publications

References 23 publications

Menopause Is a Natural Stage of Aging: A Qualitative Study

Menopause Is a Natural Stage of Aging: A Qualitative Study

Menopause Is a Natural Stage of Aging: A Qualitative Study

Collaboration is key: The actual experience of disciplines working together in child care

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