Empowering Menopause Facts Every Woman Should Know

For generations, menopause was shrouded in secrecy, a topic whispered about but rarely discussed openly. Women often referred to it as "The Change," skirting around the reality of what they were experiencing.

But today, we’re breaking that silence. Menopause is a normal and natural part of life, and understanding the facts is empowering. With the right knowledge, women can support each other and pave the way for future generations to embrace this transition with confidence and strength.

Here’s an expert roundup of the menopause research that can change the game for you and the women you love:

“About 5% of women experience early natural menopause, occurring between the ages of 40 and 45 years.”

***** National Library of Medicine 

“Perimenopause, the transition to menopause, usually starts in a woman's mid- to late 40s. On average, women are in perimenopause for 4 years before their periods stop.”

***** U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

“More than 1 million women in the United States experience menopause each year.”

***** National Institute on Aging

“This transition is a major midlife event in women’s lives, usually beginning between ages 45 and 55 and lasting for about 7 years."
***** National Institute on Aging

"Postmenopause includes all the years after menopause. Many U.S. women will spend up to 40% of their lives in this stage."

***** American Heart Association 

“As women transition through menopause, 80% of them experience hot flashes, up to 68% experience mood instability, and 50% experience joint pain, sleep disturbance, and/or sexual dysfunction. The numbers are even higher if they have experienced early menopause due to medical or surgical conditions.”

***** Stanford Medicine Obstetrics & Gynecology 

“Recent studies show that hot flashes can continue for up to 14 years after menopause.”

***** U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

“Approximately 50% to 75% of women experience genitourinary syndrome of menopause. The vaginal mucosa thins, and there is reduced elasticity of the vagina. These changes can cause vaginal dryness, burning, pruritus, and irritation.”

***** National Library of Medicine

“As of 2023, 45 percent of older women in the United States said menopause had extremely impacted their sleep, while a further one in three reported their mental health or mood had been extremely impacted by menopause.”

***** Statista: Health, Pharma, & Medtech

“Hot flashes are the most common menopause-related discomfort. They involve a sudden wave of heat or warmth often accompanied by sweating, reddening of the skin, and rapid heart beat. They usually last 1 to 5 minutes.”

***** The North American Menopause Society

“In 2019, researchers sent an anonymized survey to trainee doctors to assess their preparedness for menopause management and their knowledge of this area of medicine. Fewer than 7% felt adequately prepared to treat people experiencing menopause, and the survey identified important knowledge gaps.”

***** Mayo Clinic

“A Yale University review of insurance claims found that while 60% of women with significant menopausal symptoms seek treatment, nearly 75% are left untreated.”

***** The Journal of The Menopause Society

“After menopause, calcium needs go up to maintain bone health. Doctors recommend that women 51 and older get 1,200 milligrams of calcium each day.”

***** U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

“47% of women who have taken a sick day due to menopause symptoms say they wouldn’t tell their employer the real reason.”

***** HealthMatch

“About 4 percent of employers that offer sick leave are providing additional support for menopause, such as access to hormone therapy and counseling."

"Roughly a third of respondents (32 percent) said they hadn't considered it but would be open to offering such a benefit within the next five years.”

“When menopause benefits are provided by an employer, 58 percent of women said the offerings have had a positive impact on their work, mostly by allowing them 'to bring their best selves to work' (40 percent).”

***** Society for Human Resource Management

“A newly published Mayo Clinic study puts numbers on that cost: an estimated $1.8 billion in lost work time per year and $26.6 billion annually when medical expenses are added, in the U.S. alone.”

***** Mayo Clinic

Menopause may have once been a taboo topic, but times are changing and women are breaking the cycle of silence and stigma. We can empower not just ourselves, but also the women who come after us, so they can thrive through perimenopause and beyond.