[Knowledge and expectations of young women concerning menopause: results of an empirical study]

The primary objective of this survey was to obtain information about the knowledge and expectations young women have towards menopause. The second goal was to examine circumstances which might have an influence on those expectations, focussing on the impact of menopause on the mothers. 173 women aged 25 to 35 made up this non-clinical sample and filled in a questionnaire which was composed by the authors. The results show that young women have a fragmentary knowledge but hardly show any deeper understanding of the physiological or psychosomatic changes concomitant to menopause. The general expectation concerning menopause was more positive than described. The young women showed a slightly increased willingness to reorder their life and to overcome menopause on their own. In addition, they had a rather critical opinion towards medical help and especially towards hormonal replacement therapy. They also seem to have an opinion about menopause which is almost free from traditional taboos. Among factors that might influence those expectations, it was found that the estimation of the mother's menopause is important for the daughter's expectations. The more a mother's menopause was viewed as difficult, the more negative the expectations towards their own menopause were. No correlations were found between knowledge about menopause and the expectations concerning menopause. Neither different menstrual experiences not the experiences of gynaecological diseases reveal any influence on young women's expectations concerning their menopause.