Navigating Uncharted Waters: A Meta-Ethnography Exploring General Practitioners and Women’s Experience of Perimenopause Consultations in General Practice

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dc.contributor.authorMcCarthy, Laura Jane
dc.contributor.authorO’Mahony, Aoife
dc.contributor.authorJennings, Aisling A.
dc.contributor.authorMcHugh, Sheena
dc.date.accessioned2026-09-30T12:29:01Z
dc.date.available2026-09-30T12:29:01Z
dc.date.issued2026-06-03
dc.description.abstractBackground: Perimenopause precedes menopause and can cause a wide range of symptoms for women. General Practitioners (GPs) are often the first point of contact for symptom management. Shifting societal attitudes to perimenopause have prompted more women to seek care within general practice, yet many report suboptimal support. Despite the increasing body of research on menopause care, the experiences of perimenopause consultations in general practice have yet to be conceptually synthesised. This qualitative evidence synthesis, therefore, aimed to explore the experiences and perceptions of women and General Practitioners regarding perimenopause consultations in general practice. Methods: We followed the methods of meta-ethnography as developed by Noblit and Hare and our reporting follows the eMERGE reporting guidance. Seven databases were systematically searched to identify studies detailing the experiences of women and GPs during perimenopause consultations. To evaluate confidence in the review findings, we employed the GRADE-CERQual approach. Results: Ten studies were included in the synthesis. Navigating uncharted waters was established as an overarching metaphor in a line of argument encompassing four main themes: (1) Adrift in the sea of perimenopause uncertainty, (2) Taking the helm: women’s advocacy, agency, and negotiated power in perimenopause care, (3) Gendered dynamics: women’s experiences and GP perspectives, (4) Navigating structural obstacles and fragmented care. Findings illustrate how pervasive both uncertainty and the ways in which power is negotiated within clinical encounters shape the quality, depth, and direction of perimenopause consultations. Findings highlight how imbalances in perceptions of knowledge and authority shape perimenopause consultations. Conclusion: This qualitative evidence synthesis highlights the tensions and challenges encountered by women and GPs as they navigate the uncertainties inherent in perimenopause care. The results underscore the importance of sensitive and empathetic communication, where normalisation is delivered with compassion, and uncertainty is acknowledged and conveyed transparently. Openly recognising these uncertainties helps manage expectations.en
dc.description.versionPublished Version
dc.format.extent16
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.articleid585874
dc.identifier.authororcidMcCarthy, Laura Jane
dc.identifier.authororcidO’Mahony, Aoife
dc.identifier.authororcidJennings, Aisling A.§0000-0002-9246-3955
dc.identifier.authororcidMcHugh, Sheena§0000-0002-6595-0491
dc.identifier.citationMcCarthy, L J, O’Mahony, A, Jennings, A A & McHugh, S 2026, 'Navigating Uncharted Waters: A Meta-Ethnography Exploring General Practitioners and Women’s Experience of Perimenopause Consultations in General Practice', International Journal of Women's Health, vol. 18, 585874, pp. 1-16. https://doi.org/10.2147/IJWH.S585874
dc.identifier.doi10.2147/IJWH.S585874
dc.identifier.endpage16
dc.identifier.issn1179-1411
dc.identifier.otherORCID: /0000-0002-9246-3955/work/228375171
dc.identifier.otherORCID: /0000-0002-6595-0491/work/228375357
dc.identifier.startpage1
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10468/19377
dc.identifier.volume18
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherDove Medical Press Ltd
dc.relation.urihttps://www.dovepress.com/navigating-uncharted-waters-a-meta-ethnography-exploring-general-pract-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-IJWH
dc.relation.urihttps://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105041605692
dc.rights© 2026, authors. This work is published and licensed by Dove Medical Press Limited. The full terms of this license are available at https://www.dovepress.com/terms. php and incorporate the Creative Commons Attribution – Non Commercial (unported, v4.0) License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). By accessing the work you hereby accept the Terms. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. For permission for commercial use of this work, please see paragraphs 4.2 and 5 of our Terms (https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php).
dc.rights.accessrightsopen access
dc.rights.licensenameAttribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
dc.statusPeer reviewed
dc.subjectgeneral practice
dc.subjectmeta-ethnography
dc.subjectperimenopause
dc.subjectqualitative evidence synthesis
dc.subject[Medicine]
dc.subject[PublicHealth]
dc.titleNavigating Uncharted Waters: A Meta-Ethnography Exploring General Practitioners and Women’s Experience of Perimenopause Consultations in General Practiceen
dc.typeReview
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