Women Are Struggling With Menopause Symptoms & Not Getting Help, Study Finds

We've come a long way in talking more openly about menopause, but understanding what women actually experience during this transition is another story.

Hot flashes and night sweats are among the most recognizable symptoms, but menopause can also bring disrupted sleep, changes in mood and memory, vaginal dryness, and shifts in sexual desire. For some women, these changes are manageable. For others, they can interfere with daily life for years.

And while there are effective treatments available, having options doesn't necessarily mean women are getting the care they need.

In a new study published in Menopause, researchers wanted to understand how women and their partners experience one of the most common symptoms of menopause: vasomotor symptoms (VMS), better known as hot flashes and night sweats.

They surveyed 253 women experiencing VMS and their partners in the United States. The women were approximately 51 years old on average, and each partner completed a separate questionnaire.

Rather than focusing exclusively on women's experiences, the researchers compared both sides of the relationship. They asked about symptom severity, daily life, sexual satisfaction, communication, and whether partners encouraged women to seek treatment.

One of the biggest findings from the study was just how many women weren't getting treatment. Nearly 80% had never received treatment for their hot flashes or night sweats, even though many described their symptoms as severe.

And it wasn't necessarily because women didn't want help. Most said they would be willing to seek treatment for a health condition, which raises the question of why so many were going without care.

The researchers also found some interesting differences between how women and their partners viewed menopause.

For the most part, partners recognized that symptoms were affecting women's daily lives. But when it came to actually understanding those symptoms and encouraging treatment, the two weren't always on the same page.

Partners generally felt they were being supportive, while women were less likely to feel that same level of understanding or encouragement.

The effects also extended into their relationships. More than half of the women surveyed, along with many of their partners, reported a noticeable decline in sexual satisfaction since menopause symptoms began.

Of course, this was a relatively small survey, and the researchers relied on participants reporting their own experiences. That means we can't assume every woman going through menopause has the same experience or that symptoms directly caused the relationship changes.

But the findings point to a bigger issue: Many women are dealing with disruptive menopause symptoms without treatment, and even the people closest to them may not fully understand what they're going through.

For too long, menopause symptoms have been treated as something women are simply expected to deal with. But common doesn't have to mean tolerable, especially when symptoms are affecting your quality of life.