Why is Menopause Awareness Needed?
It is estimated that approximately 40 million women in the United States are of menopausal age. While menopause is most commonly associated with aging, many women of menopausal age may not fully understand the symptoms they are experiencing may be due to menopause.
In fact, according to the REVEAL (REvealing Vaginal Effects At mid-Life) Surveys, most of the 1,006 postmenopausal women surveyed have heard of the traditional symptoms related to menopause – like hot flashes, night sweats and mood swings – but fewer have heard of vulvar and vaginal pain during intercourse, which may also occur during menopause.
While 25 percent of the women surveyed reported that they experienced dyspareunia, or painful sexual intercourse, at least sometimes, less than half of those women (44 percent) have spoken with their health care professional about this condition.
Why, you may ask? Among the women surveyed who experienced dyspareunia who have not spoken to their health care professional about this condition, the No. 1 reason why was embarrassment (39 percent), followed by the belief that there is nothing that can be done medically to help (26 percent). Further, roughly half of all women surveyed (47 percent) agreed it is still taboo in society to acknowledge experiencing symptoms of menopause such as vulvar and vaginal dryness or painful intercourse. But you should not be embarrassed about talking to your health care professional about these symptoms.
Take the First Step
Health care professionals are trained to understand the symptoms associated with menopause, so you should feel comfortable talking to your health care professional about symptoms you may be experiencing. To facilitate this dialogue, there are tips, available on this website to help you initiate the discussion and a downloadable checklist to help guide the conversation.
Remember, every woman experiences menopause differently, so it is important to speak with your health care professional about your individual symptoms to find a treatment option that is right for you. The first step to understanding menopausal symptoms is starting the conversation, so make awareness a priority year-round.
