We were surprised that many healthcare providers don’t acknowledge the symptoms that can come as hormonal patterns start to change. Here is why we think that is:
Women’s hormones generally, and the menopause transition specifically, is not given much time in the medical school curriculum.
As a result, many healthcare providers have limited knowledge about this phase and don’t know to acknowledge the earliest signs — which can leave women feeling alone, confused, and even like they’re going crazy.
Research on reproductive aging is relatively new.
Studies to understand the underlying biology and how symptoms are tied to changing hormones are recent and still in process. Many of the recent studies that document symptoms while periods are regular haven’t made their way to clinical practice.
Normal life phases don’t get the research funding that diseases do.
Because the menopause transition is a normal life transition and not a disease, it does not get the research funding needed to understand the the complex biology of this lengthy phase of life. However, we see many potential benefits — in terms of improving women’s lives and overall costs savings to the healthcare system — from a better understanding of this phase of life.