Denial of the climacteric -- a pilot study of a common clinical phenomenon.

Females visiting a gynecological practice with the assumption of being pregnant despite clear signs of commencing climacteric seem to be not uncommon. Despite a huge amount of research on the psychosocial aspects of menopause and the female climacteric, scientific reports on denial of the climacteric cannot be found. Based upon some case examples, a pilot study comparing females clearly denying the onset of the climacteric with women accepting the climacteric was performed. The patients were investigated with a personality inventory and questionnaires measuring the attitudes towards their own body, sexual attitudes, and perimenopausal complaints and beliefs. The study indicates that women who deny their climacteric are characterized by higher scores in neuroticism, a more negative experience of their body and more conservative sexual attitudes. In addition, the subgroup of the deniers was characterized by a lower educational and professional status. The results may serve to motivate further research on the issue and may help to sensitize gynecologists for the problem.