Solving Menopause’s Mystery: Can science and society unravel menopause?

“Half of us are going through this, but we’re living like it’s not happening.” [1]

Michelle Obama, on menopause.

Analysis

By 2030, the world population of menopausal women is projected to increase to 1.2 billion with 47 million new entrants each year.[2] Even in 2023, we still know far too little about a condition that impacts us so greatly.

Historically, there has been great reluctance in society to discuss women’s health issues and too little research in this field. The result? Long-term, limited understanding of menopause itself and its impact on us as individuals – even if we are not directly affected by menopause – and as society.

This has consequences. Let’s consider in the workplace.

Imagine in the middle of a presentation you are soaked because of a hot flash.[3]

Imagine the stress, frustration, and hopelessness, as menopause makes you feel irritable when you were fine just seconds before.[3]

Imagine being unable to go into work because your symptoms make it impossible.[3]

Instances like these have been a reality for countless women during their menopause. Now, the tide is slowly turning.

A wave of A-list celebrities, including Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie, have begun to talk openly about menopause and their individual experiences.[4] This leads to many women dealing with their symptoms of menopause: For example, last year in the UK, the BBC reported a large spike in hormone therapy prescriptions in England following a celebrity-led national awareness campaign.[5]

Things are changing, but work remains to be done to further foster scientific innovation and societal change.

Intervention

Let’s start with the science. Medical interventions have made promising leaps.

Hormone therapies have been widely available for years, however many women are unable to take hormones due to contraindications or personal preference. The scientific understanding behind menopause is slowly increasing. It allows the exploration of new non-hormonal alternatives promising to broaden the range of options available to women, so their care can be personalized.

Besides the important scientific developments, there remain many unanswered questions about the nature of menopause. This includes the mechanisms that trigger it, the physiopathological basis for multiple symptoms associated with menopause, like sleep disorder, and the complex biological connections between menopause and other conditions, e.g., cardiovascular disease.

Now let’s talk about society.

Global awareness around menopause has risen, supported by awareness campaigns such as World Menopause Day, workplace initiatives and celebrities speaking out. Unfortunately, myths and misperceptions persist around menopause and its treatment. This results in a culture of coping in silence and preventing millions of women worldwide to get the support they need.

Accurate information and resources must be made more readily available to all genders and within healthcare systems, where far too few doctors and clinicians have received specialist training on menopause.

At Bayer, we advocate ‘More Science, Not Silence’. ?

Dr. Cecilia Caetano, Head of Global Medical Affairs in Women’s Healthcare: “There has been a culture of silence around menopause for too long, and we want to change it. An open discussion between women and their healthcare professionals is the basis for optimal, personalized care. By increasing awareness, providing education, and broadening therapeutic options, we aim to address the burden of menopause, so women can live their lives to the fullest.”

Our Prognosis

To lower the burden of menopause on women, the solution must combine scientific advancements with increasing awareness and education on the impact of menopausal symptoms across society.

It takes a village to advance menopause management: Healthcare providers, research institutions, health agencies, medical societies, and the pharmaceutical industry have a duty to further support women by fostering promising new technologies, supporting further research, and encouraging everyone, of all genders, to openly discuss menopause and improve awareness around the impact of menopausal symptoms, so the focus moves from coping to caring.

We urge others in healthcare to adopt similar mindsets to our ‘More Science, Not Silence’ approach.

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References

[1] Michelle Obama. ‘We’re living like it’s not happening: Michelle Obama opens up about menopause’. The Guardian. 2022. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/aug/13/michelle-obama-menopause-account-spotify-podcast .

[2] Hill K. The demography of menopause. Maturitas. 1996 Mar;23(2):113-27. doi: 10.1016/0378-5122(95)00968-x. PMID: 8735350

[3] CIPD. ‘Menopause in the workplace: employee experiences in 2023’. CIPD Report. 2023. Pg.5-7. Available at: https://www.cipd.org/globalassets/media/knowledge/knowledge-hub/reports/2023-pdfs/2023-menopause-report-8456.pdf .

[4] Kopf, J. ’7 Celebrities Who Have Openly Talked about Menopause’. HealthCentral. 2022. Available at: https://www.healthcentral.com/condition/menopause/celebrities-menopause

[5] BBC News. HRT: Sharp rise in prescriptions after menopause campaign. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-67233617 .??