Attitude to the Menopause and Sex amongst Middle-Aged Women in a Family Medicine Clinic in Ibadan, Nigeria

Background. Menopause is the expected end of reproductive life. Having a positive attitude towards it has been shown to result in a positive experience, while a negative attitude is associated with negative experiences and symptoms. Traditionally, women often abstain from sex after menopause. The st...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Folasade Adenike Bello, Olufunmilola Olutosin Daramola
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2016-01-01
Series:Obstetrics and Gynecology International
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/2031056
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1832548683787272192
author Folasade Adenike Bello
Olufunmilola Olutosin Daramola
author_facet Folasade Adenike Bello
Olufunmilola Olutosin Daramola
author_sort Folasade Adenike Bello
collection DOAJ
description Background. Menopause is the expected end of reproductive life. Having a positive attitude towards it has been shown to result in a positive experience, while a negative attitude is associated with negative experiences and symptoms. Traditionally, women often abstain from sex after menopause. The study aimed to determine the level of awareness and perceptions about the menopause and sex in perimenopausal women attending a general outpatient clinic. Methods. Women over 40 years were recruited from the Family Medicine Department of University College Hospital, excluding those who were menopausal. Data analyses were done with chi-square test (p<0.05). Results. Most (302; 86.4%) of the 352 surveyed participants were aware of the menopause. Only 36.1% anticipated associated symptoms. About half (55.7%) were indifferent to menopause onset, while 23% had a positive attitude and 21.4% had a negative attitude, respectively. Younger women were less likely to have a positive attitude to the menopause (p=0.04). There were negative cultural beliefs towards sex. Sexual activity was low and declined with age (p<0.001). Many women would like treatment to improve their sexual activity. Conclusion. Most participants had a favourable disposition towards the menopause, though sexual relationships suffer. Counselling and treatment should be offered.
format Article
id doaj-art-818e05e00984465c93f457fa11270d95
institution Kabale University
issn 1687-9589
1687-9597
language English
publishDate 2016-01-01
publisher Wiley
record_format Article
series Obstetrics and Gynecology International
spelling doaj-art-818e05e00984465c93f457fa11270d952025-02-03T06:13:25ZengWileyObstetrics and Gynecology International1687-95891687-95972016-01-01201610.1155/2016/20310562031056Attitude to the Menopause and Sex amongst Middle-Aged Women in a Family Medicine Clinic in Ibadan, NigeriaFolasade Adenike Bello0Olufunmilola Olutosin Daramola1Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, NigeriaDepartment of Family Medicine, University College Hospital, Ibadan, NigeriaBackground. Menopause is the expected end of reproductive life. Having a positive attitude towards it has been shown to result in a positive experience, while a negative attitude is associated with negative experiences and symptoms. Traditionally, women often abstain from sex after menopause. The study aimed to determine the level of awareness and perceptions about the menopause and sex in perimenopausal women attending a general outpatient clinic. Methods. Women over 40 years were recruited from the Family Medicine Department of University College Hospital, excluding those who were menopausal. Data analyses were done with chi-square test (p<0.05). Results. Most (302; 86.4%) of the 352 surveyed participants were aware of the menopause. Only 36.1% anticipated associated symptoms. About half (55.7%) were indifferent to menopause onset, while 23% had a positive attitude and 21.4% had a negative attitude, respectively. Younger women were less likely to have a positive attitude to the menopause (p=0.04). There were negative cultural beliefs towards sex. Sexual activity was low and declined with age (p<0.001). Many women would like treatment to improve their sexual activity. Conclusion. Most participants had a favourable disposition towards the menopause, though sexual relationships suffer. Counselling and treatment should be offered.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/2031056
spellingShingle Folasade Adenike Bello
Olufunmilola Olutosin Daramola
Attitude to the Menopause and Sex amongst Middle-Aged Women in a Family Medicine Clinic in Ibadan, Nigeria
Obstetrics and Gynecology International
title Attitude to the Menopause and Sex amongst Middle-Aged Women in a Family Medicine Clinic in Ibadan, Nigeria
title_full Attitude to the Menopause and Sex amongst Middle-Aged Women in a Family Medicine Clinic in Ibadan, Nigeria
title_fullStr Attitude to the Menopause and Sex amongst Middle-Aged Women in a Family Medicine Clinic in Ibadan, Nigeria
title_full_unstemmed Attitude to the Menopause and Sex amongst Middle-Aged Women in a Family Medicine Clinic in Ibadan, Nigeria
title_short Attitude to the Menopause and Sex amongst Middle-Aged Women in a Family Medicine Clinic in Ibadan, Nigeria
title_sort attitude to the menopause and sex amongst middle aged women in a family medicine clinic in ibadan nigeria
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/2031056
work_keys_str_mv AT folasadeadenikebello attitudetothemenopauseandsexamongstmiddleagedwomeninafamilymedicineclinicinibadannigeria
AT olufunmilolaolutosindaramola attitudetothemenopauseandsexamongstmiddleagedwomeninafamilymedicineclinicinibadannigeria