Changing focus: women's perimenopausal journey.

In this article I revisit the results of research completed in the mid-1990s and recently reviewed with women's updated input. The basic social process named "changing focus" that women use as they negotiate the perimenopausal transition is discussed. This process consists of five parts: monitoring the voice of the woman within, listening to the voices of others, integrating the wisdom, nourishing the woman within, and becoming a wise woman. In view of continuing discoveries pertaining to the effects of symptom management treatments on perimenopausal women's health, this process continues to provide guidance for women and providers.