Anthropological studies of the representations of menopause in a population of women invited to a mass screening for breast cancer in Bouches-du-Rhône and Charente]

This is an anthropological study of a target population (breast screening women) in the Bouches-du-Rhône and Charente regions of France. The occurrence of menopause is comparable in these two departments and depends on providing medical care which leads to breast screening. Menopause is natural for these women and is considered as a sign of ageing. Psychosomatic symptoms vary with sociocultural groups. Hormonal replacement therapy furthers breast screening. In the popular imagination, there is a deficit between nature (non-HRT) and culture (HRT). They take estrogen in the form of soy to offset this inadequacy, which creates a new cultural syncretism.