[Disturbance experiences and vaginal symptom self-management among menopausal women]

The purpose of this qualitative research was to explore subjective experiences related to vaginal symptom disturbance and self-management experience of menopausal women. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were used to collect data. Nineteen participants aged 49 to 68 were recruited. Data obtained from interview transcripts were analyzed using a constant comparative method. Two themes and six related categories emerged from interview data. Vaginal symptom disturbance experience fell into the three categories of sensation of vaginal symptoms; hesitation to share such with others and disturbance of daily life routines. Self-management of vaginal symptoms included unwillingness to visit physicians, self-seeking resources to deal with symptoms, and impacts and coping with sexual life. The impact of vaginal symptoms included distress on physical, mental and sexual life. Health providers should be more sensitive with regard to vaginal symptoms in menopausal women and take a more aggressive approach to provide health education to raise awareness and enhance self-management of vaginal symptoms among menopausal women. Hopefully, participant concerns/insights on vaginal disturbance will provide valuable references for application in teaching materials for health providers to improve menopausal care.