There is a substantial knowledge gap among American women surrounding common perimenopause and menopause symptoms, according to a recent survey conducted by Bonafide Health, a supplement brand specializing in women’s health products.
 
The third annual “State of Menopause Study,” which surveyed 2,000 women between the ages of 40 and 64, found that:

• Eighty-eight percent of women are unaware as to how early menopause symptoms start
• Eighty-six percent of respondents say menopause isn’t as discussed as openly as it should be
• Sixty-nine percent of women say that when they experienced their first (peri)menopause symptom they didn’t think it was (peri)menopause
• Sixty-three percent were not prepared for how disruptive these symptoms would be in their lives
• Seventy-nine percent of women feel the best way to navigate menopause is by educating themselves
• Ninety percent of women who resolved a (peri)menopause symptom said it made a difference in their quality of life
• Sixty-five percent of women who treated symptoms wished they had done it sooner.

 
Misconceptions Lead to Misdiagnoses
 
With 79% of women experiencing symptoms of menopause and not understanding what the technical definition of it is, there is a clear need for greater education on the topic, reported Bonafide, especially given that this life stage lasts for approximately one third of their life span.
 
The symptoms of menopause start much earlier than most women believe, the survey found. Eighty-eight percent were unaware of when menopause symptoms start, and 69% of women mistook their symptoms for something else, leading to a much longer-than-necessary gap between experiencing a symptom and finding a solution.
 
While more than half (52%) of women believed symptoms mostly affect women over 50, they can actually begin much earlier in the 40s range. Given this misconception, women can be caught off-guard when they begin to experience symptoms.
 
Severity Was Surprising
 
When asked if they could achieve immediate and permanent symptom relief, 36% of women said they would go without sex for a year, 33% would sacrifice social media for a year, and seven percent even said that they would rather get struck by lightning.
 
Self-Education
 
Nearly half (48%) of women are getting answers on the internet instead of healthcare providers (31%) for menopause symptoms, demonstrating the preference to seek out information on one’s own.
 
Part of this stems from how women feel they are treated in traditional healthcare environment. Twenty-seven percent of women felt dismissed and invisible when they shared their menopause symptoms with their healthcare provider. Meanwhile, 17% said they felt their symptoms weren’t taken seriously.
 
A full 27% of respondents who spoke to a healthcare practitioner about their symptoms were offered no options for symptom management. On the other side, Bonafide noted that healthcare practitioners have reported to the company that their education on menopause management has been inadequate.
 
“The increase in women relying on the internet to educate themselves is a challenge,” said Dr. Alyssa Dweck, MS, MD, FACOG, chief medical officer of Bonafide Health. “While it’s a positive that media platforms are covering menopause as an important societal topic, we really need better education at the healthcare provider level. Menopause is not a one-size-fits all issue. Women need to be aware of the tool chest of options available to them. Menopause is a very personal experience, and it’s low on the priority list of many medical school curriculums and residency programs. Most importantly, menopause is not a disease state, but rather a natural stage of life, which can and should be approached proactively to make the journey a more positive one.”
 
Symptom Relief is Life-Changing
 
Symptom management has a clear, life-changing impact, with 90% of women saying that solving a symptom made a difference in overall quality of life and 45% saying that the difference was large or very large.
 
Seventy-six percent of women said that education for women, the public, and healthcare providers was more important than menopause-related workplace legislation, and 86% said menopause still isn’t discussed as openly as it should be.