The present study aimed at studying the social representations of the sexual life of climacteric women. Its theoretical-methodological referential was based on the Theory of Social Representations. Study participants were 40 women between 45 and 65 years of age, who were divided into two groups: perimenopause and postmenopause. Scenarios were two public units of health services for women in the municipality of Rio de Janeiro. Data were collected through the semistructured interview technique and treated according to the analysis of thematic content. Results indicated three representation fields. Two fields emerged in the perimenopause group: continuity of sensuality and sexuality, and representation of the negativity in climacteric leading to a sexual life without pleasure. The postmenopause group was organized into one representational field: sexual life based on the aging process. The authors concluded that the representations regarding sexual life in climacteric are being redesigned by some women despite many conceptions that still persist in association with traditional socio-historical-cultural values regarding women and the aging process.
Nursing; Women's health; Climateric; Sexuality
