Woman-centered information on menopause for health care providers: findings from the Midlife Women's Health Survey

Despite their growing numbers, midlife women continue to feel marginalized by a health care system that is unresponsive to their needs for current information about the perimenopausal experience and for egalitarian, woman-centered care. In this article, the authors call upon physicians, health educators, nurses, counselors, and other health providers to meet the consumer needs of this ever-growing clientele. To this end, they provide data-based information derived from the responses of more than 400 middle-aged women from across the United States to annual Midlife Women's Health Surveys from 1990 to 1993. The authors focus on enhancing the sensitivity of health care providers toward their midlife clients by offering data describing the normal menopausal transition and the feelings and concerns of this group.