Finding sense of coherence in the menopause transition - A qualitative interview study with menopausal women in Norway

Background Women express lack of knowledge about the menopause transition, finding it hard to understand and navigate symptoms. This period may negatively influence quality of life and level of functioning. Objectives To explore menopausal women’s experiences, perspectives and coping strategies to comprehend, manage and find meaning in the menopausal transition. Design Individual interviews of women with different backgrounds and menopausal experiences, recruited by hairdressers in Norway. Methods Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 11 women in 2024. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. The theory of Salutogenesis and Sense of Coherence developed by Antonovsky, was used as guiding theoretical lens. Results Three main themes were developed, incorporating the intercorrelated aspects of Sense of Coherence : Comprehensibility, Manageability and Meaningfulness. 1. A transition from the unknown to normalisation – without knowledge, understanding menopausal changes was challenged, but normalisation of menopause gave comprehension. 2. From distress and silence to empowerment – manageability increased with comprehension, discussions with other women and knowledge dissemination, but was challenged by inadequate health care. 3. Finding meaning in the change menopause brings – meaningfulness motivated to seek understanding and coping strategies, and gave acceptance and value to this transition, although often accompanied by an undesirable sense of aging. Conclusions This study shows the importance of enhancing knowledge among women, the public and general practitioners to understand and manage menopause, and to improve menopausal care and women’s quality of life.