Maddie McCabe-Smith
It has been over 200 years since the word ‘menopause’ was coined. Unfortunately, for a number of people, the word is still associated with dread, uncertainty and shame. Why, in this age of ever-improving medical research, does menopause still evoke these feelings?
What Is Menopause?
Menopause is when periods stop due to lower hormone levels. Usually, it affects women between the ages of 45 and 55, but it can happen earlier. Perimenopause refers to the preceding transitional period, in which oestrogen levels begin to decrease. It can cause:
- Hot flushes
- Night sweats
- Vaginal dryness and discomfort during sex
- Difficulty sleeping
- Low mood or anxiety
- Reduced sex drive (libido)
- Problems with memory and concentration
A clear underlying issue of menopause is the limited education and a lack of open conversations about women’s reproductive health. Over 80 per cent of women under the age of 40 have “no knowledge or just some knowledge of the menopause.” Living in a world where the functions of the female body is a taboo topic can feel incredibly frustrating. Up to 94 per cent of women had never been taught about the menopause at school. It can make reaching out for help feel unnecessarily complex.
The Health Difficulties
Unfortunately, for a majority of women, the menopause is already an extremely difficult situation to navigate. The menopause can trigger significant emotional obstacles. It is essential to understand just how intense the physiological impacts can be during this time. The side effects can easily become overwhelming when having to deal with them all at once. For some, it can feel particularly difficult coming to terms with reduced fertility levels.
“There is a multitude of reasons the menopause can occur in younger women”
The majority of women experience mental health issues associated with menopause. One woman says her anxiety became debilitating, causing her to leave her job. She says: “sometimes it feels like I get almost panic attacks, coming from my uterus. I’ve said it before to my GP and he’s like well, that can’t happen. I’m like well, that’s what it feels like. It feels like this surge of panic coming from there. It’s an unusual thing.”
Menopause increases women’s vulnerability to depression and anxiety. It can also trigger eating disorders, especially in people who have previously struggled with them. Suicidal thoughts are believed to be common, although they are rarely spoken about.
Myths Of Menopause
It is assumed anyone with a menstrual cycle will only experience this medical process in later years of life. But there is a multitude of reasons the menopause can occur in younger women.
For instance, early menopause can be triggered by medical treatments, such as chemotherapy, medications, or surgeries. Malnutrition or over-exercising, common in people with eating disorders, can also be a cause. In some cases, early menopause can occur for no obvious or particular reason.
When it comes to easing the symptoms of menopause, options are limited. Hormone replacement therapy (or HRT) is commonly recommended by doctors. It can come in the form of a gel, tablet, or patch. HRT replaces the oestrogen and progesterone women lose during the menopause to relieve their symptoms. This treatment is not entirely reliable, as prolonged use can increase the risk of some health conditions.
Accessing Hormone Treatment
Speaking to someone who has experienced the menopause and is currently using HRT, access to treatment is not a simple process. When she visited her GP, she was first prescribed pain medications and then antidepressants. She says: “At the time, I did not realise what they were. I was just told they would help with my symptoms.”
“Not only is education about the menopause scarce, but treatment is also an uncertainty”
After endless GP appointments, prescriptions, and medical tests, attainting the correct HRT medication took around 4 years. There was also a shortage of HRT medication in surrounding areas. She was only able to find some on a visit to Wales. Not only is education about the menopause scarce, but treatment is also an uncertainty.
In 2024, the functions of the menstrual cycle are still not fully understood. The sheer lack of care and research is highly alarming. When issues regarding women’s reproductive health is shrugged off as ‘a part of life that every woman goes through’, it creates an environment in which women are forced to simply live with their pain. There is room for improvement concerning research of female reproductive health and corresponding wellbeing.
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Featured image courtesy of Muhammad Ruqi Yaddin via Unsplash. No changes made to this image. Image license found here.
Maddie McCabe-Smith
I am a Media and Communications graduate of Cardiff University. My journalistic passions reside particularly in the genres of lifestyle and music, attaining a 1st Class grade in my dissertation entitled "Music in the digital age: A qualitative analysis of technology’s impact on music journalism."