Perimenopause and/or menopause help-seeking among women from ethnic minorities: a qualitative study of primary care practitioners’ experiences

Background Each woman’s experience of the perimenopause and/or menopause is individual and unique. Research shows women from ethnic minorities often have different experiences from their White peers, and these are not being considered in conversations about the menopause. Women from ethnic minorities already face barriers to help-seeking in primary care, and clinicians have expressed challenges in cross cultural communication including the risk that women from ethnic minorities’ perimenopause and/or menopause health needs are not being met. Aim To explore primary care practitioners’ experiences of perimenopause and/or menopause help-seeking among women from ethnic minorities. Design and setting A qualitative study of 46 primary care practitioners from 35 practices across 5 regions of England, with patient and public involvement (PPI) consultations with 14 women from three ethnic minority groups. Method Primary care practitioners were surveyed using an exploratory approach. Online and telephone interviews were conducted and the data were analysed thematically. The findings were presented to three groups of women from ethnic minorities to inform interpretation of the data. Results Practitioners described a lack of awareness of perimenopause and/or menopause among many women from ethnic minorities, which they felt impacted their help-seeking and communication of symptoms. Cultural expressions of embodied experiences could offer challenges to practitioners to ‘join the dots’ and interpret experiences through a holistic menopause care lens. Feedback from the women from ethnic minorities provided context to practitioner findings through examples from their individual experiences. Conclusion There is a need for increased awareness and trustworthy information resources to help women from ethnic minorities prepare for the menopause, and clinicians to recognise their experiences and offer support. This could improve women’s immediate quality of life and potentially reduce future disease risk.

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