Uncertainty during perimenopause: perceptions of older first-time mothers

This article is a report of a study exploring older first-time mothers' perceptions of health during their transition to menopause.

Increasing numbers of women world-wide are delaying motherhood, yet little is known about the unique phenomenon created when midlife motherhood is closely followed by the transition to menopause. A literature search revealed that the effect of these overlapping life transitions on women's health was unknown.

A hermeneutic phenomenological approach utilizing Gadamer's philosophical underpinnings guided the study.

A purposive sample of thirteen women aged 45-56 years who were mothering children aged 12 years or younger and experiencing symptoms of perimenopause was recruited. Two in-depth interviews were conducted with each woman and meaning was mutually negotiated through participative dialogue with the women, ongoing construction and thematic analysis of data collected between 2004 and 2007.

The key theme 'Perimenopause as a State of Uncertainty' is an interpretation of older first-time mothers' perceptions of health during perimenopause and is the focus of this article. Hermeneutic interpretation culminated in the construct 'uncertainty' as theoretical embodiment of the women's lived experience. An uncertain temporality, projection of the lifespan and valuing health as precious enabled these women to transform uncertainty into opportunities for health promotion to 'be there' for their children.

Nurses, nurse practitioners and midwives will increasingly be caring for midlife mothers and need to understand the unique issues of older mothers to offer education and health promotion that support healthy transitions to menopause.