Premature menopause: exploring the experience through online communication

The authors explored the experience of premature menopause by analyzing 1350 posted messages by 98 women, with unique usernames, to an online discussion board over a 90 day period between December 2005 and March 2006. Four particularly problematic aspects emerged that related to the following themes: legitimizing the symptoms, the impact of diagnosis ("losing me"), treatment ("regaining me"), and feeling alone. It appeared that premature menopause, regardless of the cause, was a largely negative experience, compounded by the often lengthy process of confirming a diagnosis based on ambiguous and often vague symptoms, the scarcity of suitable information about the condition, and the subjective lack of perceived support that the women received. Furthermore, a feeling of being different, through the lack of menstruation and fertility choices, often led to relationship problems and generally a loss of well-being. Women with premature menopause would benefit from the development of tailored information and support that addresses these problematic aspects of the condition.