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This study reveals how these experiences collide to create unique vulnerabilities and unexpected opportunities for transformation. This qualitative study explores how DA survivors experience perimenopause, examining the complexity and support needs that emerge when these experiences overlap.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Fifteen DA survivors participated in focus groups (and one individual interview) facilitated by a community leader of a DA survivors group exploring their perimenopause experiences. Data were analysed thematically using the one sheet of paper (OSAP) technique, with a DA survivor community leader (third author) involved throughout to support ethical engagement and participant well-being. Analysis revealed how trauma and hormonal changes interweave to shape help-seeking and survival.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Three interconnected themes emerged: (1) symptom confusion and overlapping conditions - participants struggled to distinguish between trauma responses, hormonal changes, and pre-existing conditions; (2) weaponisation and empowerment - perpetrators exploited perimenopausal symptoms for coercive control, yet paradoxically, hormonal changes sometimes catalysed women\u2019s decisions to leave; (3) barriers and facilitators - system failures drove survivors toward peer support networks that provided validation unavailable from professional services. Participants described heightened anxiety, mood changes, and sleep disturbances intensified by current or past abuse. The weaponisation of perimenopausal symptoms represents a previously unreported form of coercive control. Conversely, some participants described perimenopause as a moment of emotional clarity, contributing to decisions to leave relationships with an abusive partner.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The intersection of DA and perimenopause creates unique vulnerabilities that current UK support systems fail to address. Healthcare providers require training to recognise how trauma and hormonal symptoms can mask or mimic each other. The finding that perimenopause can serve as both a tool of abuse and a catalyst for liberation challenges deficit-focused narratives around both DA and perimenopause. Integrated, trauma-informed approaches are urgently needed across healthcare and support services.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1186\/s12905-025-04080-9","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,29]],"date-time":"2025-11-29T04:07:48Z","timestamp":1764389268000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/springer_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["\u2018They can induce and exacerbate each other\u2019 \u2013 the complex interplay between domestic abuse and the perimenopause: a qualitative study with female survivors"],"prefix":"10.1186","volume":"26","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2281-7970","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Claire","family":"Mann","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4259-3118","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Kathryn","family":"Hinsliff-Smith","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0007-1951-1643","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sally","family":"Olewe-Richards","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"297","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,29]]},"reference":[{"key":"4080_CR1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jaging.2023.101114","volume":"64","author":"D Jermyn","year":"2023","unstructured":"Jermyn D. 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Ethical approval for this study was obtained from the University of Nottingham Research Ethics Committee (NUBS REC No.: 202324023). All participants provided written informed consent prior to participation.","order":2,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Ethics approval and consent to participate"}},{"value":"Not applicable.","order":3,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Consent for publication"}},{"value":"Claire Mann, the corresponding author, is the CEO of ChangeXtra, a digital menopause support company and creator of the Pausetrack app. Claire works as a researcher for University of Nottingham and University of Warwick.Sally Olewe-Richards is the CEO of Women of Wisdom and Courage\n                      \u00ae\n                      (WOWC) a digital domestic abuse support company, creator of the WOWC app and SHIELD\u2122 trauma recovery programme for DA survivors and facilitates the online, national WOWC support group. Sally was employed as a researcher at DMU and the University of Nottingham.","order":4,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Competing interests"}}],"article-number":"7"}}