A shocking percentage of women 30 to 35 are suffering symptoms associated with menopause, and most are doing it in silence, new UVA Health research reveals.
Our Jennifer Payne, MD, and collaborators at the Flo Health app found that a whopping 55.4% of survey respondents in the 30-35 age bracket are already suffering "moderate" or "severe" menopause symptoms, as defined by the widely used Menopause Rating Scale. That figure reflects a survey of more than 4,400 American women ages 30 and older conducted both in the Flo app and online.
Among women 36 to 40, the percentage reporting moderate or severe symptoms rose to 64.3%. Yet most women in these age brackets aren't seeking help for their symptoms -- sometimes waiting decades until they are "old enough," in their minds, to conclude they have menopause symptoms.
But "perimenopause" -- the period leading up to menopause -- is a very real thing and often comes with its own issues.
“Physical and emotional symptoms associated with perimenopause are understudied and often dismissed by physicians. This research is important in order to more fully understand how common these symptoms are, their impact on women and to raise awareness amongst physicians as well as the general public,” Dr. Payne said. “Knowing this type of progression of perimenopause-associated symptoms can help both women and their doctors know what to expect as women enter the perimenopausal portion of their lives.”
Psychological symptoms, such as anxiety and depression, usually manifested long before physical symptoms, the researchers found. These symptoms peaked at ages 41-45 before reaching low ebb in women 56 and older.
Physical problems such as bladder issues, vaginal dryness and sexual dysfunction, peaked in women 51 and older, while some of the symptoms most classically associated with menopause, such as hot flashes and sweating, peaked at 51 to 55, the survey revealed.
The researchers hope their findings will improve our understanding of perimenopause and, importantly, improve care and support for women approaching menopause.
“This study is important," Payne said, "because it plots a trajectory of perimenopausal symptoms that tells us what symptoms we can expect when and alerts us to the fact that women are experiencing perimenopausal symptoms earlier than we expected."