Date of Graduation

5-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Social Work (MSW)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

School of Social Work

Advisor/Mentor

Nolen, Erin

Committee Member

Stauss, Kim

Second Committee Member

Plassmeyer, Mark

Keywords

Menopause; Depression; Anxiety; Healthcare; Critical Feminist Theory

Abstract

Menopause is a universal biological transition, yet women’s lived experiences of its emotional, cognitive, relational, and healthcare dimensions remain comparatively underrepresented in research. Guided by critical feminist theory and feminist standpoint epistemology, this study examined how women in the r/Menopause online community described experiences of depression and anxiety during the menopausal transition, how they narrated healthcare encounters, and how they made sense of shifting identity and social value. By treating self-authored online narratives as situated forms of knowledge, the study aimed to illuminate how menopausal distress is interpreted and negotiated in everyday discourse. An inductive qualitative reflexive thematic analysis was conducted using 84 original Reddit posts collected through purposive sampling. Analysis followed Braun and Clarke’s reflexive thematic approach and was supported by audit trails, reflexive memoing, and iterative code refinement. Five themes were constructed. The overarching theme, Menopause Is Universal, but No One Prepared Us, captured the tension between biological inevitability and cultural silence. Emotions at Full Volume reflected amplified and unfamiliar emotional and cognitive changes. At a Crossroads: Navigating Self Concept described grief, reevaluation, and shifting identity. I Came Here to Make Sense of This positioned Reddit as a space of collective interpretation and social support. Trial and Error: Advocating to Be Heard and Treated highlighted dismissive healthcare encounters, fragmented care, and efforts to secure appropriate treatment. Findings position menopause as a biopsychosocial and interpretive transition shaped by gendered expectations, institutional gaps, and the uneven authority granted to women’s embodied knowledge. The study underscores the need for more responsive menopause-informed care and greater attention to menopause within social work, healthcare, and women’s health research.

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