Many women suffering through perimenopause and menopause feel like they never got a warning from the generation before.
“Our mothers and grandmothers gritted their teeth and got through it,” said Dr. Lisa Saul, chief medical officer for women’s health at UnitedHealthcare. She said women do not need to sweat through their sheets and suffer in silence. “Every woman is going to go through this, so why are we hiding in our bedrooms and sweating to death when we should be talking about it and getting information about how we can treat those symptoms and feel like ourselves again?”
Saul said it is important that women understand the timeline and treatments to take charge. Menopause starts for most women between the ages of 45 and 55, but perimenopause symptoms—such as memory problems, brain fog, muscle aches and sleep disturbances—can start up to 10 years earlier.
“If we do the math, women who are 35 and up can be experiencing these symptoms,” Saul said. She suggested having a conversation with your doctor at your 40th birthday. “Ask questions like, ‘What can I expect?’ or ‘Am I in perimenopause, and what should I be looking for?’”
According to Saul and UnitedHealthcare, there is a significant gap between women who experience symptoms and those who find support. Most women—about 84%—experience menopause symptoms, but of those women, 87% do not get help.
Additionally, about 1 in 3 women experience symptoms of depression, anxiety, or insomnia during the menopause transition. All of this comes during midlife, when women are managing a career, children, supporting aging parents, and other major life transitions. The combination of hormonal shifts, sleep disruption, and everyday stress can create a perfect storm for emotional strain. The worse sleep gets, the more exacerbated other issues, such as patience, concentration, or memory, can become.
Treatment for menopause and perimenopause symptoms typically addresses falling hormone levels. “It’s all having to do with the estrogen levels in your body decreasing over time, and your body is reacting to those changing levels,” Saul explained. “Estrogen is all over our body; it impacts our brain, our heart, our muscles, our joints.”
Saul added that hormone therapy is effective and works by replacing hormones that naturally decline during menopause to relieve symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, sleep disturbances, vaginal dryness and other symptoms that can affect daily life. Options for hormone therapy are varied and include pills, patches, gels, sprays and vaginal treatments. Other treatments a provider might recommend include nutritional support and behavioral health resources.
Saul said women should also look at their diet and limit alcohol and caffeine, which are known to exacerbate symptoms. “As you age, that second glass of wine will have you up at 3 a.m. or 4 a.m. sweating.”
For women seeking additional resources or specialized care, organizations like The Menopause Society, offer searchable online directories to help patients connect with qualified physicians trained in menopause treatment.
