What we get when we get menopause

Photo by Anthony Tran on Unsplash

There were some interesting stats out of a new survey of American health care providers about menopause co-morbidities, symptoms and treatment published recently in Menopause, the journal of the North American Menopause Society. 

The study surveyed 238 doctors (an almost even mix of primary care physicians and gynecologists) who provided data for 1,016 women. The women were an average of 52.9 years old and the majority were white (whyyyyy), had some college education and privately insured.

Nearly 64 percent had at least one comorbidity, with the top being hypertension (40.1 percent), headaches or migraines (18.1 percent), and uncomplicated diabetes (14.2 percent). Half listed a mean number of 4.2 menopause symptoms as the primary reason for their first doctor visit, 20 percent listed the following as their top concerns: 

• hot flashes (91.2 percent)

• sleep problems (49.9 percent)

• vaginal dryness (47.0 percent)

• mood changes (44.6 percent)

• reduced libido…