Authors: Shayda Swann, MD/PhD Candidate, College of British Columbia, Division of Medication, Shannon Mahony, BSc, Human Biology, College of Toronto, Krembil Analysis Institute | Editors: Romina Garcia de leon (Weblog Coordinator) 

Printed: October 6, 2023

*All through this collection, we need to acknowledge that not all girls will expertise menopause, and never all of us who expertise menopause determine as girls. We perceive that completely different terminology will go well with completely different of us. We hope this info is useful to of us of numerous genders and identities*

What involves thoughts once you hear “menopause”? Sizzling flashes? Evening sweats? Irritability? Are these signs regular? And what age do you have to count on to expertise them? Do you simply need to dwell with this discomfort? On this 3-part deep dive into menopause, we hope to dive into the data we’ve realized from our fellow consultants to make sure this can be a time in your life the place you’ll be able to navigate (and possibly even rejoice) this distinctive section of life! 

However first, let’s discuss what menopause truly is.Spontaneous menopause (also known as “pure” menopause) happens when the ovaries steadily launch decrease ranges of the reproductive hormones estradiol and progesterone. Nonetheless, this course of shouldn’t be linear and hormone ranges can fluctuate dramatically throughout this time (Determine 1). This transition section is known as perimenopause and usually happens between ages 40-50. Due to the fast and dynamic fluctuations in hormone ranges, signs could also be most extreme throughout this time. Perimenopause usually lasts for 2-10 years and through this time girls could have irregular intervals, with shorter or longer cycles than regular. 

Determine 1. Levels of Menopause Picture credit score: hertilityhealth.com

When intervals have stopped for no less than one 12 months (not because of being pregnant/breastfeeding, hormonal contraceptive / different treatment use, or different underlying medical situations), a girl is taken into account to be in spontaneous menopause. The common age of menopause in Canada is 51 and usually happens between ages 45-55. In case your intervals cease earlier than age 45, it’s worthwhile talking along with your physician to find out in case you are experiencing early menopause or if in case you have one other underlying well being situation.  In early menopause, people attain menopause earlier than age 45 and progress by means of related phases and hormone fluctuations as people in pure menopause. Untimely menopause usually occurs even earlier (earlier than age 40) and diverges considerably from the everyday menopause phases in that hormones fluctuate extra erratically and a few girls could have return of menses. Any such menopause is the results of Main Ovarian Insufficiency (POI), a situation the place the ovaries cease working usually. It’s believed that each untimely and early menopause could also be because of a wide range of genetic and way of life components. 

It’s additionally necessary to say that menopause might be induced by the removing of each ovaries, referred to as a bilateral oophorectomy, which can be known as surgical menopause. This leads to abrupt modifications in circulating hormone ranges inside 24 hours. These surgical procedures might be to deal with ovarian situations resembling endometriosis and/or for the remedy and/or prevention of most cancers. Ladies that have such a menopause are inclined to report extra extreme and abrupt menopause signs in comparison with girls which are spontaneously menopausal.

Lastly, now we have spontaneous postmenopause (typically additionally known as menopause). That is the time between the ultimate menstrual interval and the remainder of a girl’s life. That is when estradiol and progesterone will probably be at their lowest. At this section, some menopausal signs which are attributable to hormone fluctuations, like sizzling flashes and night time sweats, are inclined to subside. Different signs which are attributable to low hormone ranges, like vaginal dryness, would possibly proceed to worsen. The danger of heart problems, osteoporosis, and the genitourinary syndrome of menopause additionally have a tendency to extend at this stage as a result of lack of these protecting hormones. 

Importantly, menopause will usually final for one-third to one-half of a girl’s life. So why don’t we all know extra about it? The Menopause Basis of Canada determined to analyze this information hole by surveying greater than 1,000 Canadian girls aged 40-60 from consultant areas, educations, incomes, and ethnicities. Their outcomes are summarized within the landmark 2022 report, The Silence and the Stigma: Menopause in Canada. Regardless of multiple quarter of Canadian girls being perimenopausal or menopausal, they discovered that “menopause is overwhelmingly considered as detrimental and stays shrouded in secrecy.” So let’s shed some gentle on this expertise! 

First, the report dives into menopause signs that may happen with all varieties of menopause. You could be shocked to study that there are greater than 30 signs of menopause (Determine 2), and whereas 84% of girls have been conscious of sizzling flashes and 77% about night time sweats, the bulk didn’t know that urinary tract infections, coronary heart palpitations, physique aches, complications/migraine, nervousness, melancholy, reminiscence points, and ache throughout sexual activity have been all potential signs of menopause. Within the report, girls reported experiencing a mean of seven signs. Sadly, one-third of girls felt that their signs have been undertreated, regardless of the provision of efficient remedies. 

Determine 2. Frequent Signs of Menopause Created utilizing BioRender. Take a look at the

The Silence and the Stigma report additionally highlights the challenges girls face throughout the medical system, of their intimate relationships, and within the office throughout menopause. Greater than half of respondents felt that menopause is “taboo”, and the same proportion felt unprepared for his or her menopause journey, resulting in emotions of isolation and loneliness. Sadly, solely 40% of girls sought remedy for his or her signs and 72% of those that did discovered that the medical recommendation was not useful or solely considerably useful. These experiences additionally impression girls’s high quality of life and relationships, with 41% of girls reporting that menopause negatively impacted their relationship with their important different. It additionally impacts girls’s experiences within the office, with three-quarters reporting that their employer was not supportive or didn’t know in the event that they provided assist in serving to them to deal with signs. 

As Dr. Wendy Wolfman, MD, FRCS(C), FACOG, NCMP famous within the report, “Menopause is seen as one thing girls should endure, like a girl’s burden. That is unacceptable.” Within the subsequent a part of this collection, we’ll undergo the historical past of menopause hormone remedy and present analysis on this subject. Our third weblog will go extra into element about choices for menopause remedies, together with hormonal, non-hormonal, and way of life choices. Keep tuned for these blogs and join with us on social media to share your experiences of menopause, questions on remedy, or share suggestions on this collection!