Though more than 1.3 million American women enter menopause each year, many lack knowledge about this stage of life and how it may impact them.1 In Bonafide’s 2022 State of Menopause survey of more than 2,000 menopausal-aged women, 92% stated they wanted more education around the menopause journey to help them feel more prepared.2 In our 2023 results, we noted that 76% of respondents agreed that education was the best investment to better serve perimenopausal and menopausal women.3 And in 2024, 95% of respondents in our survey noted that OBGYNs should be required to learn about menopause while in medical school.4
One of the reasons for limited menopause patient education is because many healthcare providers who are educated about women’s health are not trained specifically (or extensively) around the topic of menopause. A 2023 survey of nearly 100 OBGYN residency programs in the United States found that only a little over 31% required menopause curricula for future healthcare providers.5
According to Bonafide Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Alyssa Dweck, training has been limited, “As residents in OBGYN, we rotated through reproductive endocrinology both as a requirement and/or voluntarily to learn about “hormones," but the main focus was on fertility or lack thereof. In medical school, education about the menstrual cycle was broad, but again, there was no focus on menopause.” (training was conducted from 1990-1994, for reference)
It’s clear that menopause education is lacking from both a consumer perspective and for healthcare providers. Here we’ll talk more about considerations for improving education – and reducing stigma – around menopause, as well as why menopause education is so important.
When Should Menopause Conversations Happen?
Perimenopause is a transitional time before menopause that typically lasts from four to six years.6 During this period, women have more irregular, shorter periods and may also experience night sweats, hot flashes, mood changes, sleep problems, and other symptoms similar to those experienced by menopausal women.7 Younger women, especially those in their mid to late 30s or early 40s8, may not realize these symptoms indicate that they may have started perimenopause.
This is why some healthcare providers may recommend that education around the menopause transition begin at age 35 or 40, so that women can know what to expect when they start to experience symptoms. This, however, unfortunately, isn’t always the norm.
How Can We Improve Education and Advocacy Around Menopause?
Not every woman will experience the stages of menopause in the same way.9 As each experience will be unique, menopause education should aim to include information around several of the following considerations:
Improving Workplace Accommodations
Some menopause symptoms, including depressed moods, fatigue from poor sleep, and issues around concentration (such as brain fog), may impact a woman’s workplace performance.10 So, it’s important for perimenopausal and menopausal women to know about and then consider asking for accommodations, like working from home, flexible work options, regular breaks or even specific employee benefits,11 if they find symptoms are negatively impacting their performance. Without understanding and then speaking up about the potential negative impact of menopause symptoms on work performance, women won’t receive the support they deserve.
Understanding How Race and Ethnicity Can Impact How Menopause is Experienced
Menopause can impact women of different ethnicities and backgrounds in different ways – from the severity of symptoms experienced to the duration of them. For instance, Black women may experience more hot flashes than women of other races, while Hispanic women tend to report a greater likelihood of vaginal dryness as compared to other ethnic groups.12
Taking the time to learn and understand how menopause and its symptoms can impact you based on your background (including your genetics), could be helpful in better managing your experience.
How Lifestyle Modifications and Treatments Can Help
Bothersome menopause symptoms can be managed with certain lifestyle changes, as well as prescription medications and over-the-counter management options. However, if a healthcare provider doesn’t ask about or discuss menopause symptoms with their patients, it’s much more difficult to recommend a symptom solution or even properly diagnose what may be going on. On the flip side, a patient may not realize what she’s experiencing is related to perimenopause or menopause, so she doesn’t know to ask about the symptoms she’s going through or the treatments that may be available to her.
This is where proactive education can be helpful for women transitioning through menopause. Taking time to learn more about the variety of symptoms that can be experienced, in addition to management options available is a way to feel more empowered when having conversation with your healthcare provider and can help you advocate for better care to improve your quality of life.
For example, many women experience hot flashes and night sweats or vaginal dryness during menopause, and they may want to explore symptom management options to help improve their comfort and feel more like themselves again. By proactively learning about certain symptom management options such as hormone replacement therapy, vaginal moisturizers or even dietary supplements, women can feel more empowered to have a productive conversation with their healthcare providers that may very well lead to getting their symptoms under control sooner.
Removing Stigma
One of the best ways to gain a better understanding of menopause and symptom solutions, is to talk about them. Have you ever found something is perceived as more shameful or taboo because it’s never discussed?
This is what unfortunately still happens with menopause.
Some women may feel that transitioning through menopause is something to hide because they have never received any education on the topic, and they feel embarrassed about it or don’t know enough. At the same time, by not actively addressing the topic, they may suffer needlessly with symptoms when viable treatment options are available to make their menopause journeys more manageable.
Talking about menopause, whether it be with family, friends, a therapist, or your healthcare provider, can make the topic feel less “taboo” and can encourage more women to be open about this completely normal life stage that every female will go through.
Patient Education for Menopause
It’s not unusual for women of all ages to not know much about perimenopause or menopause. They may not even recognize when they have symptoms or know there are symptom solutions out there to help.
Beginning in your mid-to-late thirties or early forties, consider asking your healthcare provider about what’s available in regard to menopause health education and counseling. This way, you’ll know your options early and have an idea of what symptoms to look out for.
Dr. Dweck notes, “The good news is that menopause education is now on the radar; slowly, education both in training and after residency for healthcare providers is increasing, with some physicians even specializing in and becoming certified practitioners with expertise in the subject.”
If you aren’t sure which medical provider to consult, you can use the “locate provider” tab on The Menopause Society’s website to find a Certified Menopause Practitioner.13
Resources
- https://www.futureofpersonalhealth.com/womens-healthcare/menopause-education-and-awareness-throughout-the-menopause-journey/
- https://hellobonafide.com/pages/state-of-menopause-2022
- https://hellobonafide.com/pages/state-of-menopause-2023
- https://hellobonafide.com/pages/state-of-menopause-2024
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37738034/
- https://www.menopause.org/for-women/menopauseflashes/menopause-symptoms-and-treatments/menopause-101-a-primer-for-the-perimenopausal
- https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21608-perimenopause#symptoms-and-causes
- https://www.cedars-sinai.org/csmagazine/perimenopause-explained.html
- https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21841-menopause
- https://www.womens-health-concern.org/help-and-advice/menopause-in-the-workplace/#:~:text=The%20most%20commonly%20reported%20difficulties,intention%20to%20leave%20the%20workforce.
- https://www.womens-health-concern.org/help-and-advice/menopause-in-the-workplace/#:~:text=The%20most%20commonly%20reported%20difficulties,intention%20to%20leave%20the%20workforce.
- https://www.everydayhealth.com/menopause/what-experts-want-bipoc-women-to-know-about-menopause/
- North American Menopause Society (NAMS) - Focused on Providing Physicians, Practitioners & Women Menopause Information, Help & Treatment Insights
