Is There a Generic Midlife Woman? The Health and Symptom Experience of Employed Midlife Women

Most studies of midlife women consist of samples between 40 and 60 years of age and describe their menopausal symptom experience as if it were one homogeneous group across two decades of life. Very little is known about the health and symptom experience of midlife women as They enter midlife or experience menopause. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to describe and contrast selected symptoms, health status, and health care utilization of midlife women by 5-year increments from the age of 40 to 60 years. The subsample of 266 women selected for this paper were participants in a health survey study of 760 employed nurses. Those who were taking hormones, regardless of age, experienced the greatest symptoms. Menstrual cycle irregularity, hot flashes, surgically induced menopause, and use of hormones was prevalent in the 40− to 45-year-old group. Symptoms of fatigue, depression, and sleep disturbance did not differ significantly by age group.