title: From Menarche to Menopause: Understanding Multigenerational Reproductive Health Milestones.
abstract: Our study aims at understanding multigenerational communication among grandmothers, mothers, and daughters experiencing reproductive health transitions from menarche to menopause. Thirty women, 10 triads of grandmothers, mothers, and daughters, participated in narrative interviews to recount their menarche and menopause experiences. Analysis was read using a multilayered approach to interpret discourse positioned from self, reflexive others, and those stories informed by societal meanings. Four dialectical themes informed by generational discursive shifts in talk included (1) covert versus overt talk, (2) recollection of versus indifference to menarche, (3) bound to versus freedom from menstruation, and (4) controlling versus managing bodily changes. The theoretical significance of this piece indicates a slight, transformative change in how messages about menarche and menstruation are communicated or passed down from one generation to the next.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Communication , Berry College.
authors.forename: Kimberly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Field-Springer
authors.affiliation: b Department of Communication Studies , Ashland University.
authors.forename: Deleasa
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Randall-Griffiths
authors.affiliation: c College of Nursing and Health Sciences , Ashland University.
authors.forename: Carol
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Reece
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D058015:Health Communication; D006801:Humans; D016901:Intergenerational Relations; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008572:Menarche / Q000523:psychology*; D008593:Menopause / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D008598:Menstruation; D008875:Middle Aged; D060728:Reproductive Health; D055815:Young Adult