| Historically, women have been omitted from major research studies. More recently efforts have been enacted to correct this disparity and conduct research studies that address specific health needs of women throughout the lifespan. As results from these studies became available, women often were faced with and troubled by decisions and choices that had long-term implications for health and quality of life. However, little attention was given to the decision-making processes that guide women in making critical choices.; The purpose of this descriptive quantitative study was to describe the decision-making processes used by midlife women as they make choices about how to manage and/or alleviate symptoms associated with menopause. The research questions for the study were: (1) What is the menopause status and symptom management (lifestyle modification, prescriptive hormone therapy, and “natural” hormone therapy) of midlife women? (2) What is the menopause symptom frequency and severity? (3) What is the relationship of frequency and severity of menopausal symptoms? (4) What are the characteristics of key elements of decision-making processes used by midlife women to manage menopausal symptoms?; A convenience sample of 100 women ages 45–52 who, by self-report, were experiencing symptoms and making decisions associated with onset of natural menopause participated in the study. Data were collected using three survey instruments: (1) Menopause Profile Checklist (MPC); (2) Menopause Symptom List (MSL) and (3) Decision-Making Processes Survey (DMPS). Results of the MPC suggest women shared similar demographic characteristics, with mean education of 14.5 years, working 37.5 hours, married and household income {dollar}64K. Fatigue was reported as the most frequent and severe symptom by this sample of women.; Using key elements of decision-making: time, knowledge, symptoms, experience, values and context decision-making processes were studied using scenarios based on management of symptoms by: lifestyle modification, prescriptive and “natural” hormone replacement. Results suggest process elements provide an effective method for addressing menopausal symptom management and promoting a multi-disciplinary approach to working with midlife women. |
