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Human Reproduction Update Advance Access published online on May 26, 2005
Human Reproduction Update, doi:10.1093/humupd/dmi018
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© The Author 2005. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oupjournals.org
Received December 10, 2004
Revised April 10, 2005
Accepted April 26, 2005

Review

Culture and symptom reporting at menopause

Melissa K. Melby 1, Margaret Lock 2*, and Patricia Kaufert 3

1 Department of Anthropology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA, Laboratory of Public Health Nutrition and Epidemiology, Tokyo University of Agriculture, Sakuragaoka 1-1-1, Setagaya, Tokyo, 156-8502, Japan
2 Department of Social Studies of Medicine, McGill University, 3647 Peel Street, Montreal, Quebec, H3A 1X1
3 Community Health Sciences, 2110E Med Serv Bldg, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
Margaret Lock, E-mail: margaret.lock{at}mcgill.ca


  Abstract

The purpose of the present paper is to review recent research on the relationship of culture and menopausal symptoms and propose a biocultural framework that makes use of both biological and cultural parameters in future research. Medline was searched for English-language articles published from 2000 to 2004 using the keyword ‘menopause’ in the journals--Menopause, Maturitas, Climacteric, Social Science and Medicine, Medical Anthropology Quarterly, Journal of Women's Health, Journal of the American Medical Association, American Journal of Epidemiology, Lancet and British Medical Journal, excluding articles concerning small clinical samples, surgical menopause or HRT. Additionally, references of retrieved articles and reviews were hand-searched. Although a large number of studies and publications exist, methodological differences limit attempts at comparison or systematic review. We outline a theoretical framework in which relevant biological and cultural variables can be operationalized and measured, making it possible for rigorous comparisons in the future. Several studies carried out in Japan, North America and Australia, using similar methodology but different culture/ethnic groups, indicate that differences in symptom reporting are real and highlight the importance of biocultural research. We suggest that both biological variation and cultural differences contribute to the menopausal transition, and that more rigorous data collection is required to elucidate how biology and culture interact in female ageing.

Keywords: culture; local biology; menopause; methodology; symptom reporting.
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