Experiences of Menopause among Women with Learning Disabilities
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Experiences of Menopause: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis with Women with Learning Disabilities
IRAS ID
296332
Contact name
Katie Langer
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Plymouth
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Associated with physical, psychological and social changes, women can experience menopause in different ways, particularly regarding psychological experiences (Samouei & Valiani, 2017). Considering the increasing life expectancy among people with learning disabilities (LD) (Bittles, Patterson & Sullivan, 2002) and the tendency for women with LD to experience menopause earlier (Carr & Hollins, 1995), more women with LD are reaching menopausal age. However, there is a paucity of research on menopause in women with LD, and little is known about the psychological experiences of menopausal women with LD. It is therefore indicated that there is a need for more quality research in this area to enable more efficacious service provision for women within this intersectionality of the population.
This proposed study aims to explore the experiences of menopause among women with mild-moderate LD. I aim to recruit 6-8 women primarily from NHS LD services across Devon and Cornwall who have personally experienced menopause. Semi-structured interviews will be held at the home or day center of the participants with the aid of visual resources to offer participants the opportunity to express their experiences of menopause, with particular interest in psychological impacts. Participants will be given an accessible summary of the content of their interview to validate. Interviews will be audio recorded, transcribed and analysed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA; Smith & Osborn, 2008). The research will be written as a full report and submitted to a research journal. An easy-read version will be created for participants and people with LD. It is hoped that the results will inform clinical practice.
I recognise there are various terms that could be used to describe this population (e.g. intellectual disabilities). However, the term learning disability (LD) is the term preferred by the individuals I have met and worked with.
REC name
West Midlands - Coventry & Warwickshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
21/WM/0215
Date of REC Opinion
1 Oct 2021
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion