TY - JOUR
T1 - African American women's experiences of menopause
T2 - A focus group study
AU - Schrager, Sarina
AU - Williams, Makeba
AU - Ward, Earlise
AU - Henningfield, Mary F.
AU - Yuroff, Alice
AU - Johnson, Gale
AU - Sullivan-Wade, Lucretia
AU - Hawkins, Jennifer
AU - Turnquist, Alyssa
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 Elsevier B.V.
PY - 2024/9
Y1 - 2024/9
N2 - Objectives: This study aimed to characterize African American women's experiences of menopause and their interactions with the health care system related to menopausal symptoms. Study design: We conducted four focus groups with community-dwelling midlife African American women. Main outcomes measures: Women who consented to participate completed demographic surveys. Transcripts of the four focus groups (n = 26) were analyzed and themes were elucidated. Results: 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. Conclusion: 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.
AB - Objectives: This study aimed to characterize African American women's experiences of menopause and their interactions with the health care system related to menopausal symptoms. Study design: We conducted four focus groups with community-dwelling midlife African American women. Main outcomes measures: Women who consented to participate completed demographic surveys. Transcripts of the four focus groups (n = 26) were analyzed and themes were elucidated. Results: 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. Conclusion: 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.
KW - African American women
KW - Clinician discussions
KW - Menopause experiences
KW - Midlife women
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85196268512&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.maturitas.2024.108043
DO - 10.1016/j.maturitas.2024.108043
M3 - Article
C2 - 38905863
AN - SCOPUS:85196268512
SN - 0378-5122
VL - 187
JO - Maturitas
JF - Maturitas
M1 - 108043
ER -