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27 September 2004
Resilience Key To Coping With Menopause 
Researchers think they know why some women pass through menopause with barely a hot flush while others feel they are stuck on a hormonal roller coaster. "It's all about resilience, " says Professor Lily Stojanovska of Victoria University. Stojanovska set out to investigate how women experience the menopausal transition and whether specifically, menopause was a central factor or if there were other aspects of their life that contributed to their sense of health and wellbeing. She presented her findings last week at the Australasian Menopause Society Congress. "We really wanted to identify the mechanisms, or coping tools that made some women more resilient and able to positively adapt to a major life event such as menopause," said Stojanovska. Women who adapt and function more positively despite stressful situations or life changes were shown to utilise strategies and techniques that improved their resilience in these situations. The findings show that there were three significant themes in both peri-menopausal and post-menopausal women: Women who coped with life's adversities and challenges coped with the challenges of menopause. Women who displayed little or no resilience in life matters also displayed little or no resilience with the experience of menopause. Women who were searching for tools to cope with menopause were reflective, explorative and proactive in their search and experimentation with complementary medicines and philosophical approaches. "These findings are consistent with our previous studies and will form the basis of education guidelines about the most effective ways women approaching menopause and beyond can improve their resilience and make the transition a less bumpy ride," said Stojanovska.
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