Alternative treatments for menopausal symptoms. Qualitative study of women's experiences.

OBJECTIVE: To describe women's experiences with alternative treatments for symptoms attributed to menopause.

DESIGN: Descriptive qualitative study.

SETTING: Personal interviews and focus groups were conducted in private rooms at the Toronto Hospital; telephone interviews were conducted at mutually convenient times.

PARTICIPANTS: Thirteen perimenopausal women with a mean age of 52.6 +/- 2.6 years who were experiencing symptoms attributed to menopause and were using alternative therapies participated in the study.

METHOD: Women using alternative therapies for menopausal symptoms were recruited via posted notices and were screened over the telephone. Data were collected during semistructured personal interviews, telephone interviews, and a focus group. All interviews were audiotaped, transcribed, and mailed to participants for verification. Recruitment continued until theme saturation was reached.

MAIN FINDINGS: Because of their "natural" origin, the women perceived alternative treatments to be safe and considered them somewhat effective. Factors influencing use of alternative therapies included personal control over health, confidence in advice from nonphysicians, perceived pressure from physicians to use hormone replacement therapy, and physicians' disinterest and frequently negative attitudes toward alternatives.

CONCLUSION: Personal control was a central issue. Helping women during their menopausal years feel they have some control over their health, including their informed choice of treatments, might help them to trust their physicians more and to feel more confident in their ultimate treatment decisions, which might include improvements in health behaviour.