African American women's experiences of menopause: A focus group study

•African American women identified unmet needs with regard to receiving menopause information.•Clinician discussions about menopause tended to be initiated by patients based on symptoms.•Some women felt ignored and/or dismissed by clinicians during discussions of menopause. This study aimed to chara...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Maturitas 2024-09, Vol.187, p.108043, Article 108043
Main Authors: Schrager, Sarina, Williams, Makeba, Ward, Earlise, Henningfield, Mary F., Yuroff, Alice, Johnson, Gale, Sullivan-Wade, Lucretia, Hawkins, Jennifer, Turnquist, Alyssa
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
African American women
Clinician discussions
Menopause experiences
Midlife women
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Summary:•African American women identified unmet needs with regard to receiving menopause information.•Clinician discussions about menopause tended to be initiated by patients based on symptoms.•Some women felt ignored and/or dismissed by clinicians during discussions of menopause. This study aimed to characterize African American women's experiences of menopause and their interactions with the health care system related to menopausal symptoms. We conducted four focus groups with community-dwelling midlife African American women. Women who consented to participate completed demographic surveys. Transcripts of the four focus groups (n = 26) were analyzed and themes were elucidated. In total, 26 midlife African American women participated in the four focus groups. Participants revealed unmet needs regarding obtaining menopause information from their clinicians. Clinician discussions about menopause tended to be initiated by patients based on their symptoms. Some women reported feeling ignored and/or dismissed by the clinician when they initiated discussions of menopause. Women wanted their clinicians to provide information on menopause, which included receiving information prior to the menopause transition to help them know what to expect. Women wanted their clinicians to initiate discussions of menopause rather than wait for women to mention symptoms. Prioritizing menopause training for clinicians taking care of midlife African American women may help to improve discussions of menopause.
ISSN:0378-5122
1873-4111
1873-4111
DOI:10.1016/j.maturitas.2024.108043