The hopeless age? A qualitative exploration of the experience of menopause in Arab women in Qatar.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was qualitatively to describe and examine the expectations and experiences of the midlife transition in Arab women living in Qatar.

METHOD: Six focus groups were conducted with Arab women living in Qatar: three groups of local Qatari women, and three groups of non-Qatari Arab women originating from neighboring countries. A purposive sample of 41 pre-, peri-, and postmenopausal women aged 40-60 years participated. The semi-structured group format encouraged discussion around knowledge about menopause; physical, emotional and social experiences related to menopause; and cultural differences that may exist related to menopause.

RESULTS: The majority of women considered menopause as a maturing experience, although the term 'menopause' was considered to have negative connotations. Postmenopausal women described menopausal symptoms consistent with general knowledge, but many premenopausal women were unaware of symptoms, even if they knew someone who had experienced menopause. Postmenopausal women were more socially active than before and were able to participate in religious activities that they previously could not attend during menses. How a woman experienced menopause depended on the husband's level of support, and some women believed that Western women did not have the appropriate support from husbands and families that Arab women have; they felt this lack of support could lead to negative outcomes such as being at an increased risk for suicide caused by depression during menopause.

CONCLUSION: Qatari and non-Qatari women had many similarities in how they perceived and experienced menopause, although they collectively believed that the experiences of Western women are different.