Korean urban women's experience of menopause: new life.

The purpose of this article is to share with nurses around the world the findings of a phenomenological study of the meaning of menopause as experienced by modern Korean women. Four rhythmical patterns of the process of menopause were found: from suffering to comfort, from oppression to freedom, from being a good wife and mother to becoming a woman, and from a productive life to a transformed life. This unique nursing perspective on women's experience of menopause can further nurses' understanding of this human health experience and contribute to their participation in the quality of women's lives.