Professor Odette Best Gorreng Gorreng (Wakgun Clan) and a Boonthamurra woman
RN, PhD, CF, FACN, FAAN
University of Southern Queensland, Australia
Dr Aletha Ward
University of Southern Queensland, Australia
Perimenopause and Menopausal Experiences of Indigenous Women: An International Scoping Review 2014-2024
Best, O., Ward, A., Richards, C., Gilbey, K., Blackman, R., Nielsen, A-M., Bunda, T.
15-minute Oral Presentation
Wednesday 11 December, 2:50pm
Purpose: The experiences, perspectives and treatment preferences of Indigenous women and gender diverse individuals globally traversing perimenopause and menopause are not well understood as a normal transition in life. This scoping review aims to address this gap by examining existing literature to gain insights into the experiences, perceptions, and challenges faced by Indigenous women and gender diverse individuals during perimenopause and menopause. This research aimed to identify and summarise the state of research of perimenopause and menopause and Indigenous women internationally from 2014-2024.
​
Methods: Adopting the Arksey & O’Malley (2005) scoping review framework, a search was performed in PubMed, Scopus, CINHAL, Web of Sciences, Google Scholar, Indigenous Health Infonet and ProQuest, including studies published from 2014-2024.
​
Results: The search revealed very limited published research and grey literature on perimenopause and menopause among Indigenous women globally from 2014-2024. Ten papers were retained for data extraction from 6 countries.
​
Conclusions: This review highlights a need for further research to understand the perimenopause and menopause life stages amongst Indigenous women internationally. Worth noting is the dominant Western bio-medical paradigm that frames this natural transition and the lack of Indigenous knowledges in articulating these experiences.