A new study in B.C. shows what women have long known: Menopause brings significant impacts on physical and mental health, and has major social, economic and work-related repercussions.
The study, HER-BC: Health and Economics Research on Midlife Women in British Columbia, by the Women’s Health Research Institute, in collaboration with the B.C. Women’s Health Foundation and Pacific Blue Cross, is the first of its kind in B.C. to look at the complex impact of perimenopause, menopause and post-menopause on quality of all aspects of women’s lives.
The study found that stigma, and the negative associations of aging, are barriers to women talking openly about their symptoms and getting the health care they need.
“Menopause is still clouded in shame and secrecy,” said Dr. Lori Brotto, lead scientist and principal investigator on the study.
Much more needs to be done to provide appropriate health care and social and workplace supports and more needs to be done to train health-care providers, said Brotto. In Canada, only 5.92 per cent of scientific research is female-specific.
The study examines the health concerns of mid-life women in B.C., including their quality of life, the psychological impacts of menopause, the impact of menopause on work and caregiving and barriers to accessing health care services and the health system.
“Ninety per cent of our participants had at least one moderate to severe symptom, and that runs contrary to common lore which is ‘well, it’s just hot flashes and night sweats,” said Brotto. “Women go to their GPs or other health-care providers and are often told get used to it, it’s normal, you’re not going to die. Their experience is minimized.”
They are left to seek care elsewhere.
The study found that 43.5 per cent of respondents had to access at least one extended health-care provider for treatment in the last year, most commonly massage therapists, naturopaths, mental health professionals, physiotherapists or acupuncturists, most often paying out of pocket for those services.
The economic impacts are wide-ranging.
Women make up 48 per cent of the workforce in B.C. A third of the study respondents (32 per cent) said menopause symptoms affect their job. A quarter of respondents (24 per cent) reported missing days of work in the previous 12 months due to menopause symptoms. Almost one in 10 (9.4 per cent) had to turn down a job promotion or career advancement due to menopause symptoms, and some respondents even reported being fired.
And 41.2 per cent of respondents reported a concurrent mental health condition, highlighting the need for improved mental health support during the menopause transition.
Shirley Weir, founder of the Menopause Chicks community and co-lead on the study, has been providing support for women left to navigate their menopause-related health issues alone for over a decade.
“Right now I’ve got over 4,000 questions in my queue,” said Weir, 57.
“My own journey led me to this work. In my early 40s, I started experiencing brain fog, mood swings and sleep deprivation. I went to Dr. Google, and discovered a real lack of evidence-based information.”
Jokes about “hot flashes” are common, incorrect and misleading, said Weir.
“Women in mid-life are holding up a lot of roles and responsibilities at home, in caregiving and at work.
“My generation is facing glaring statistics when it comes to heart disease, osteoporosis and genitourinary health. We deserve to feel well.”
Menopause doesn’t just affect women, it affects their families and the economy.
“This is costing us,” said Weir.
“Costs can be not sleeping but still going to work, while caring for kids and aging parents, not having a family doctor, or being dismissed by your doctor when you ask for help, having to pay out of pocket for extra support such as a pelvic floor physiotherapist,” said Weir.
“The study shows we need more access and more awareness to quality, evidence-based education.”
She said more needs to be done on for women in the workplace. “We are asking employers to create learning opportunities, to review their health benefits plan so women are not paying out of pocket to get services for themselves.”
Key recommendations include public health campaigns, improvements to health care, public education, better workplace supports, including the prevention of discrimination in the workplace.
Over 2,000 respondents across the province between the ages of 39 and 60 participated in the study. The full study can be accessed online here.
