Family Experiences, Challenges, and Coping Strategies During Women's Perimenopause: A Qualitative Systematic Review Protocol

BackgroundPerimenopause represents a critical biopsychosocial transition affecting women globally, with profound impacts extending beyond individual experiences to encompass entire family systems. While research has documented various perimenopausal symptoms including vasomotor, psychological, and cognitive changes, limited attention has been given to how families as units experience and navigate this transition. ObjectivesThis systematic review protocol aims to synthesize qualitative evidence on family experiences, challenges, and coping strategies during womens perimenopause, addressing gaps in family-centered perspectives within existing literature. MethodsFollowing PRISMA-P guidelines, we will search eight databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, CINAHL, MEDLINE, The Cochrane Library, PsycINFO, and Scopus) from inception to October 2025. The PICo framework guides eligibility criteria focusing on family members of perimenopausal women, their experiences and coping strategies across diverse contexts. Covidence will facilitate study screening and selection. Quality assessment will employ the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) checklist, with risk of bias evaluated using domain-based assessment. Thematic synthesis and meta-ethnographic approaches will analyze extracted data. CERQual will assess confidence in synthesized findings. DiscussionThis protocol anticipates generating comprehensive synthesis revealing family system impacts, typology of challenges, categorization of coping strategies, identification of cultural variations, and documentation of support system gaps. Evidence generated will inform development of family-centered interventions, clinical guidelines, and support systems addressing the multifaceted challenges families face during perimenopausal transitions.