Body image during the menopausal transition: a systematic scoping review

Abstract

This scoping review aimed to examine women's body image during the menopausal transition systematically. A systematic search strategy and exclusion criteria were applied to ensure that only relevant research was included in the review. A total of 15 studies in 17 papers were included highlighting an equivocal relationship between body image and the menopausal transition. The menopausal transition is complex and individual, and should not be examined as a simple positive or negative transition. There is a sense of confusion for women experiencing the menopausal transition due to contradicting medical advice and societal expectations of body image. Currently, the research consists of exploratory-based studies that highlight the importance of researching this field further to aid adaptive coping and self-management across this transition.

Keywords:

• menopause
• climacteric
• body image
• systematic review
• appearance

Supplemental data

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed here: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17437199.2013.848408

Notes

1. A hysterectomy without BSO does not result in a surgical menopause.

2. Two full texts could not be found and so for the purpose of explicitness were marked as potentially relevant to this review (Calandra, 2001; Donaldson, 1995).

3. n ≈ 2695, which includes a definite 2625 participants from articles plus ‘at least 70’ from Brayne's book (2011). The exact number could not be confirmed when the review team contacted the author.

4. A systematic review (Ayers et al., 2010) has also provided evidence that women with negative attitudes towards the menopause suffer more menopausal symptoms. However, this was not included in this review paper as it was not a primary empirical study and did not examine body image.

5. This judgement was made relative to the questionnaire-based studies being examined. Other studies, such as high-quality randomised control trials, would be judged with higher methodological rigour but none have been carried out on menopause and body image and therefore not in this review.

6. It is not clear here what the participant who quoted this means by strength (e.g., physical, psychological, emotional or a mixture).

7. However, we do acknowledge the usefulness of these types of measures to answer other research questions.

8. As one example, the menopausal transition is referred to as the M-word in Brayne's book (2011).