Change-of-life anticipations, attitudes, and experiences among middle-aged Danish women

The meaning of the lay concept "the change of life" and the possible impact of the change of life on women's perceptions of health, aging, and sexuality in relation to this event was studied in a Danish general population. Longitudinal analyses were based on data from three cross-sectional studies carried out in 1976, 1981, and 1987 on a cohort of Danish women born in 1936. Of the original population of 621 women, 474 (76%) participated in all three studies. In a subsample (n = 336) consisting of women who assessed themselves as having experienced the change of life, the majority did not report loss of health, youth, or sexuality in relation to the climacterium. Social, cultural, and psychological factors unrelated to hormonal changes were of significant importance for the quality of health and sexuality during this period.