title: Sex, menopause and social context: a qualitative study with heterosexual women.
abstract: Most research on sex and menopause has been conducted within a biomedical framework describing how, for example, declining hormone levels result in reduced sexual desire. Little research has examined women's own perspectives. In this article we present an analysis of interview data from 12 British women experiencing natural menopause. Analysis identified the key role of interpersonal factors in sexual pleasure, alongside heterogeneity with regard to changes in sexual desire and orgasm. The findings complement existing psychological literature on the topic of women's sexual and reproductive health which foregrounds social context and emphasizes diversity of experience.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK. s.hinchliff@sheffield.ac.uk
authors.forename: Sharron
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hinchliff
authors.forename: Merryn
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gott
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ingleton
mesh_terms: D003142:Communication; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D007989:Libido; D008593:Menopause / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009948:Orgasm; D012649:Self Concept; D012725:Sexual Behavior