To deepen the understanding of menopause and its role in womens lives was the general aim of this thesis. Between 1995 and 2003, all women in two Swedish primary health care districts received a postal questionnaire, when they were 45, 50, 55 or 60. A total of 1681 women responded. Twenty-four women were given research interviews. The effect of menopause on qualit of life (QoL) and number of symptoms were generally small, vasomotor symptoms being the only exception. Older women were more satified in these respects than younger women. Women with experience of hormone therapy (HT) reported...