BC study on menopause reveals wide-ranging effects

A first-of-its-kind study out of British Columbia is shedding much-needed light on how women are affected by menopause – from the symptoms they suffer, to how doctors dismiss their concerns, to paying out-of-pocket for effective treatment. to be fired from work.

Lead researcher Dr. Laurie Brotto, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of British Columbia, says women’s health in general is understudied and accounts for only seven per cent of available national funding. Of that seven percent, only a small portion goes toward studying menopause, which affects all biological women to varying degrees.

“We don’t know more than we know when it comes to midlife health,” Brotto told CTV News.

There are more than 875,000 women aged 40 to 65 in British Columbia, according to the final report, Health and Economic Studies of Midlife Women in British Columbia. The study involved surveying and interviewing 2,000 women in the province – half of whom were perimenopausal and half postmenopausal – and identified common themes in their experiences, making a number of recommendations for change.

“We were interested in looking at the range and intensity of symptoms associated with menopause. We were interested in seeing where women were getting help, how much they were paying out of pocket, what was covered by their insurance, what kind of help they were getting from the different treatments they were receiving,” Brotto explained.

“And we also looked at the impact of loneliness on mood, well-being, as well as the impact on the workplace, days missed from work, productivity, promotions, etc.”

More than just tides

Other menopause studies have found that most women—80 percent—report symptoms that can include hot flashes, sleep disturbances, cognitive problems such as brain fog, mood changes, vaginal and urinary problems, weight gain, fatigue and joint stiffness.

Understanding the spectrum of symptoms is critical to understanding their impact, Brotto says.

“It’s important that when raising awareness about menopause, women and the general public know that there is more to it than just feeling warm at night,” she said. “There are so many more symptoms beyond that.”

Study participants generally reported that they were not informed about these symptoms and were not prepared for their occurrence.

“Some women actually say they feel like they’re going crazy or feel like they’re having heart attack symptoms,” Brotto says.

The study’s first recommendation is to prioritize public health campaigns on menopause.

“Despite half the population going through the menopause transition, there is a general lack of awareness about this stage of life. The consequence of this is that people do not know what to expect, what their symptoms are or how to cope with them,” the report said. speaks.

Refusal from doctors and personal expenses

The report also recommends improving education among primary care providers and other health care professionals. Study participants, most of whom had seen family doctors, reported frustration when trying to obtain information or treatment.

“Even among women who talked about menopause or treating menopausal symptoms or asking questions about evidence-based treatments, most said it was met with dismissal,” Brotto said, adding that others reported that their doctors did not discuss it at all menopause while others were still reluctant to discuss hormonal treatment.

“There are still many doctors who have not updated their medical knowledge and still believe that menopausal hormone therapy causes breast cancer.”

Hormone therapy was one of the things women said was not adequately covered by their extended health insurance plans and was one of the treatments they paid for out of pocket. On average, study participants spent $900 on treatments, including massage and psychotherapy, that were not covered by their provincial health plan or private insurance.

Impact on working women

Women in British Columbia make up 48 per cent of the paid workforce, the study notes, and nearly half of working women are between the ages of 40 and 65. The impact of menopause on women’s participation in the workplace was one of the issues highlighted in the study, which Brotto said one-third of women reported a “significant negative impact.”

Workplace consequences included difficulty concentrating or completing tasks and denial of promotions. Missed days of work was also a common theme.

Women told researchers they were too embarrassed to tell their employers why they needed time off and used vacation days to attend appointments or manage symptoms.

Additionally, some participants reported being fired.

“While that seems like a very small number, 20 out of 2,000, if you extrapolate that to the entire population of British Columbia or the population of Canada, we are now talking about thousands and thousands of women who could potentially be laid off. or fired due to menopause,” Brotto said.

One of the report’s recommendations is to address these impacts in the workplace by forcing employers to provide accommodations, pointing out that the BC Human Rights Code protects women based on age, gender and disability.

As well as the negative impact on individual women, there are costs when workplaces fail to address issues affecting a number of employees, the report says.

“In Canada, a recent report found that untreated menopausal symptoms cost the economy $3.5 billion a year and are associated with $237 million in lost productivity. About 10 percent of women in Canada quit their jobs entirely due to uncontrollable menopausal symptoms. “, the message says.

Brotto said the impact on profits should be enough to make even the most reluctant workers take menopause seriously.

Overall, Brotto says there is more talk about menopause and more awareness of its consequences than ever before. She cited the provincial and federal government’s recent pledge to fund hormone therapy as an important and positive step.

However, she said stigma and shame were widespread and that many women had to “suffer in silence”.

Full report available available online.