Menopause effects can be 'profound' and there's a 'general lack of awareness' of the life stage, new B.C. study finds

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A new menopause study from B.C. is putting a spotlight on the three-phase life stage, confirming "long-held beliefs" and "ongoing obstacles" midlife women experience when it comes to their health. From severe symptoms to workplace challenges, menopause-related issues are widespread — and the report is calling for greater support.

Dr. Lori Brotto, a University of British Columbia professor who led the study with the Women's Health Research Institute, told Yahoo Canada more must be done around changing people's perspective on menopause: "This life stage is still ripe with mis- and disinformation, surrounded by stigma and general lack of awareness and research.

"Overall, we found that those who reported more severe symptoms of menopause also reported higher rates of depression, anxiety and loneliness, and lower quality of life."

One of the key findings of the report, called HER-BC: Health and Economics Research on Midlife Women in British Columbia, showed nearly 92 per cent of respondents experienced at least one moderate to severe symptom of menopause. The study saw more than 2,000 people between ages 39 and 60 participate, half of whom were in perimenopause and the other half in post-menopause. Twenty people were interviewed as well, and reported a general lack of awareness and understanding about menopause, as well as uncertainty about what to expect and how to manage their symptoms.

Menopause can cause serious symptoms

The report indicated as many as 80 per cent of women who experience menopause will face symptoms — and those can sometimes be more than only hot flashes. While vasomotor symptoms, like hot flashes, are one of the common issues people experiencing menopause may face, others might include sleep disturbances, cognitive challenges, mood changes, joint stiffness, bladder issues, weight gain as well as vaginal and urinary issues.

Many of these symptoms can heavily impact a person's quality of life. However, stigma and a lack of understanding about menopause can make this stage of a woman's life an unexpected and burdensome experience, the report indicated.

The study also found a large number of participants reported concurrent health conditions, most notably mental health conditions, fibroids and endometriosis. In turn, the report noted having a concurrent health condition left many people confused about whether their symptoms were a result of menopause or something else.

"The ramifications of menopause are multi-pronged. ... This life stage is accompanied by a sandwich generation of caregiving responsibilities and concurrent health conditions," Brotto added. "Eighty-eight per cent of our survey participants reported a co-occurring health condition."

Menopause has major workplace impacts

Last year, the Menopause Foundation of Canada released a report urging employers to make accommodations in their workplaces for women during menopause. The study showed menopause symptoms result in missed work days, lower productivity and lost income, leading to a $3.5 billion cost to the economy each year.

Menopause typically starts sometime between the ages of 45 and 55. The foundation's report noted women over age 40 make up one quarter of the country's workforce — and that's only growing.

The Women's Health Research Institute's latest study showed "almost one-third of people report that menopause symptoms affect their job in some way," Brotto shared. One quarter of respondents indicated they missed days of work in the last 12 months due to menopause symptoms. Additionally, more than 17 per cent of women surveyed said they had to cut back hours in the last six months.

According to the report, a declining sense of worth in the workplace for these women was due to fatigue, mood and brain fog. Many shared they wished their workplaces would better accommodate the changes and symptoms that come with this life stage, implementing more days off, health care benefits and prescription coverage.

Dismissive physicians, hormone therapy inaccessability

Speaking to the interviewees in B.C., researchers found many were frustrated with their interactions with physicians. This was due to problems such as:

• Not enough time to properly discuss health concerns

• A reluctance to talk about perimenopause and post-menopause

• Perceived gatekeeping requiring a family doctor's referral

• The need for physician validation of symptoms and experiences

In turn, this led many participants to share they wished primary care providers would be more proactive about discussing the menopause transition.

Additionally, many respondents expressed menopause hormone therapy (MHT) benefitted their experience with menopause. Nearly 28 per cent indicated they access prescription medications to treat their symptoms. However, people indicated more people need to be aware of MHT's benefits when it comes menopause.

5 recommendations to support the menopause experience

Finally, the report shared five key recommendations to support people's menopause experience. However, that "requires thinking about health holistically and investing in long-term solutions." These include:

1. Implementing public health campaigns to raise awareness of menopause symptoms

2. More education for health-care providers and collaborative approaches to care

3. Aiming for supportive workplaces

4. Implementing accommodations in those workplaces, and preventing discrimination

5. Boosting research to close the knowledge gaps around menopause

"Ultimately, we hope this report will raise awareness of menopause-related experiences, and ways to better support persons undergoing the transition," Brotto said.

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