[Menopause: social and practical representations].
OBJECTIVE: To characterize the meanings attributed to menopause, as a first approximation to the representational world of this event. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A qualitative study was conducted between September and October 1998, in twenty women aged 45-65 years, residents of Cuernavaca and Emiliano Zapata, municipalities of Morelos state, Mexico. Twenty in-depth interviews were conducted using a guide, to collect data on sociodemographic variables, diagnosis, feelings and emotions, changes in life style, and physiological changes. RESULTS: Findings show that menopause is represented as the end of fertility and the beginning of old age. Characterization of menopause is related to womanhood, body, and sexuality representations. CONCLUSIONS: This paper analyzes women's practices related to life experiences such as medical visits. Implications of these findings are discussed using the social construction of meanings framework.