@article{fb851745d1fa4042ae41013b2771900a,
title = "{"}it just makes me feel a little less alone{"}: A qualitative exploration of the podcast Menopause: Unmuted on women's perceptions of menopause",
abstract = "Objective:Menopause can negatively impact women's quality of life, with many women reporting inadequate information and support. Podcasts have grown in popularity in recent years and have been found to be accessible methods for increasing knowledge and challenging perceptions of stigmatized topics. The current research aimed to understand the impact of the podcast {"}menopause: unmuted{"} on women's menopause-related knowledge, understanding, and communication practices.Methods:A diverse sample of 30 women aged 40 to 60 years listened to the podcast series, which focused on menopause stories, before taking part in semistructured interviews to discuss the impact of the podcast on how they understood and communicated about menopause. The interviews were analyzed thematically.Results:Two overarching themes were identified in the data. A {"}journey of knowledge gain{"} explores participants' understanding of menopause before listening to the podcast and describes how this is deepened by hearing and connecting with women's stories. {"}Reframing menopause{"} describes the impact of the podcast, where women reflect on the value of communication amongst women, challenge and re-evaluate the stigmatization of menopause, and discuss ways to make positive behavioral changes in their lives.Conclusions:The podcast {"}menopause: unmuted{"} helped women to learn about the menopause experience, have a greater sense of belonging to a community of women, and feel empowered to make changes in their own lives. Sharing stories via podcasts has potential as an accessible and impactful medium to educate women and reduce the widespread stigma associated with menopause.",
keywords = "Aging, Menopause, Podcasts, Qualitative research, Women's Health",
author = "Edwards, {Amy L.} and Shaw, {Philippa A.} and Halton, {Candida C.} and Bailey, {Stacy C.} and Wolf, {Michael S.} and Andrews, {Emma N.} and Tina Cartwright",
note = "Funding Information: Financial disclosures/conflicts of interest: A.L.E. was remunerated for the current project through funding provided by Pfizer to the University of Westminster. A.L.E. is also a freelance researcher at Studio Health, which has received consultancy fees from Pfizer, Roche, Takeda, MSD, and AstraZeneca. P.A.S. was remunerated for the current project through funding provided by Pfizer to the University of Westminster. P.A.S. declares no other conflicts of interest. C.C.H. is a director at Studio Health which has received consultancy fees from Pfizer, Roche, Takeda, MSD, and AstraZeneca. S.C.B. reports that they she has received personal fees from the University of Westminster related to the conduct of this study. She also receives grants (via her institution) from Merck, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Eli Lilly, Pfizer, and Lundbeck. She has received personal fees from Sanofi, Pfizer, and Luto outside the submitted work. M.S.W. reports that he has received personal fees from the University of Westminster related to the conduct of this study. He also receives grants (via his institution) from Merck, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Eli Lilly, Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline, and Lundbeck. M.S.W. has received personal fees from Sanofi, Pfizer, and Luto outside the submitted work. E.N.A. receives salary and stock from Pfizer Inc., where she is an employee. T.C. reports that she has received research funding (via her institution) from Pfizer for this study. She has previously received research funding from Takeda. Funding Information: Funding/support: This research was funded by Pfizer Inc. Women's Health Team. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021 Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. All rights reserved.",
year = "2021",
month = dec,
day = "7",
doi = "10.1097/GME.0000000000001855",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "28",
pages = "1374--1384",
journal = "Menopause",
issn = "1072-3714",
publisher = "Lippincott Williams and Wilkins",
number = "12",
}