Constructing Menopause on Sweden's Official Healthcare Platform: A Critical Discourse Analysis

Area of Science:

• Health communication
• Discourse analysis
• Gender studies

Background:

• Menopause affects half the population, yet knowledge gaps and unequal healthcare access persist in Sweden.
• Limited understanding of menopause undermines women's informed choices and delays care-seeking.
• Sweden's official digital health platform (1177.se) may not fully meet principles of accessible, evidence-based information.

Purpose of the Study:

• To critically analyze menopause representation on Sweden's 1177.se digital health platform.
• To explore how this communication impacts informed choice and health equity.

Main Methods:

• Critical Discourse Analysis (Fairclough's model) applied to 1177.se menopause texts.
• Analysis across text, discursive practice, and social practice levels.
• Ensured rigor through reflexive practice and theoretical triangulation.

Main Results:

• Identified six discourses: gendered minimization, gatekeeping, risk-framing, neoliberal individualism, heteronormativity, and intersectional exclusion.
• These discourses simplify menopause, favor select biomedical knowledge, and promote personal responsibility, reducing autonomy and health literacy.
• Findings conflict with the Swedish Patient Act and EU Gender Equality Strategy principles.

Conclusions:

• Menopause communication on 1177.se reveals a disconnect between governance ideals and actual discourse.
• To enhance equity and meet policy goals, digital health communication requires precise terminology, multilingual options, balanced risk communication, and inclusive perspectives.