International Journal of Nursing

Women’s Menopause-Related Complaints and Coping Strategies: Manisa Sample
Saliha ÖZPINAR, Kıvan ÇEVİK

Abstract
The purpose of the study was to identify health problems suffered by menopausal women and alternative coping methods used by them. The study is a descriptive cross-sectional one. The population of the study comprised 45-59-year-old women enrolled in the third family health center in Manisa (n = 629). The minimum sample size was calculated using 50% of prevalence and 4% margin of error at the 95% confidence interval and was found to be 239.In the study, the Socio-Demographic Questionnaire, Coping with Menopausal Symptoms Questionnaire and Menopause Rating Scale were used. To analyze the data, descriptive statistics and the chi-square test were used. The women’s mean age was 51.7 ± 3.9. Of the participating women, 94.6% went through the menopause, 50.6% were knowledgeable about the menopausal period, 41.4% learned about menopause from friends or other people around and 72.8% never receive any menopause-related drug therapy. Alternative treatment methods used by women suffering menopause symptoms were as follows: having sage tea for hot flashes and sweating (35.6%), having herbal tea for nervousness (44.4%), eating almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, apricots and raisins for physical and mental fatigue (53.1%). It was found that menopausal women suffered a lot of physical and psychological problems and used several alternative methods for coping

Full Text: PDF     DOI: 10.15640/ijn.v3n2a10