Menopause: a “painful” subject for 38% of women - In the news

2023-10-19 14:50:04

October 19, 2023

It is a natural stage in women’s lives, yet menopause remains a taboo subject that must remain intimate. Many women still hide their symptoms at work and do not talk to their partners about their situation, according to a survey.

“Painful”, “we don’t know who to talk to”. Menopause affects nearly 14 million women in France, i.e. the number of women aged 50 and over. However, it is still a taboo subject for 30% of them according to a survey* carried out by the Kantar institute for Mgen and the Women’s Foundation. A surprising figure given that in this same survey published on Wednesday October 18, we learn that 80% of French people believe that we should talk about it more. Women turn to health professionals to talk about it (61%), followed by friends (49%) and family members (42%). Only 39% of women talk to their partner about their situation. And 14% of them do not mention it at all.

???? World Menopause Day!

Discover the survey @KantarPublicFR for the Women’s Foundation and @MGEN_officiel

Objectives: break the taboo around menopause and facilitate access to information for all women ???? pic.twitter.com/aSFsBfsZco

— Fondation des Femmes (@Fondationfemmes) October 18, 2023

While a majority says they are experiencing menopause well – the figure drops to 66% among premenopausal women – only 59% of them consider themselves well informed on the subject. 90% of those questioned advocated a free information consultation on menopause for women aged 45 or over. This consultation does not seem superfluous since 44% of premenopausal women and 34% of postmenopausal women believe that the symptoms of menopause are not easily identifiable.

Many symptoms

Menopause, the end of the production of progesterone then estrogen and the cessation of the ovarian cycle, is often preceded by a transitional period of 2 to 4 years during which periods can become irregular and problems can appear as a premenstrual syndrome.

Menopause can cause many symptoms: hot flashes, night sweats, chills, insomnia, fatigue, irritability, vulvovaginal dryness, urinary problems, etc. Some of these symptoms are transient, others are long-lasting, such as vaginal dryness and urinary problems. Additionally, menopause increases the risk of certain diseases like osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease.

Sometimes hidden symptoms

These symptoms, in particular so-called climacteric symptoms such as hot flashes, sweats, etc., are benign but affect the quality of life, particularly at work. According to the Women’s Foundation survey, 26% of premenopausal women hid these symptoms at work. “ Menopause is a normal stage of life. It is imperative to open the discussion to change views on menopause, and through this on the age of women and the sexism that surrounds it, to take a further step towards equality between women and men. », Estimates Anne-Cécile Mailfert president of the Women’s Foundation, in a press release.

*The interviews were carried out online, from September 7 to 19, 2023, with a sample of 1,500 people, representative of the entire French population aged 18 and over – including an over-sample of 500 women aged 45 to 60 – according to the quota method.

Source : Ameli.fr, Kantar Public Survey for the MGEN mutual fund and the Women’s Foundation, French people’s view of advancing age and menopause in 2023
Written by : Dorothée Duchemin – Edited by Emmanuel Ducreuzet