Silence, Stigma, and Misunderstanding: Our Mission to Break Down Barriers in Menopause
Menopause is a natural biological process marking the end of a woman’s reproductive cycle. By 2025, an estimated 1.1 billion women will have experienced menopause or will be postmenopausal.1 Despite this, menopause remains shrouded in silence, stigma, and misunderstanding and the burden it places on women’s health and well-being is profound. To improve the quality of life for women experiencing menopause, we must work in partnership with the community to break down barriers and eliminate stigma once and for all.
Menopause symptoms vary substantially from person to person. Some women experience severe symptoms that affect their daily activities and quality of life. Symptoms can last for several years2, and can include hot flushes, headaches, vaginal dryness, joint pain, weight gain, thinning hair, and dry skin.3,4,5 Vasomotor symptoms also known as hot flushes and night sweats are the most common symptom and can impact many aspects of a woman’s life, including sleep, ability to focus and personal relationships.6,7 These physical symptoms are well documented, but the emotional and psychological impact, including anxiety and depression, is often under-recognised. Menopausal symptoms can also pose a significant economic burden to women in middle age, causing difficulties coping at work for around a third of working women, with reports that women with severe menopausal symptoms feel fatigued at work prompting some to consider changing careers, reducing their hours, or leaving the workforce.8
Stigma is a significant barrier to care
Negative and ill-informed attitudes, beliefs and actions of families, employers, healthcare professionals, the media, and the general public, all create a significant barrier to women accessing support and treatment. In a recent study, 83% of women reported feeling stigma associated with their menopause symptoms.7 Stigma discourages open discussion, limits awareness and education, and consequently many women suffer in silence and avoid seeking care for their symptoms.9,10
Menopause differs from country to country, which is why we are investing in research to better understand how stigma is impacting menopause care in several countries, so that targeted strategies can be developed in partnership with the community to reduce its impact.
We are committed to improving health outcomes in menopause
As part of our work to further understand the impact of stigma on women experiencing menopause, Astellas is undertaking a Menopause Experience and Attitudes Study, which will quantify and track progress related to menopause-related stigma in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, and the U.S. with results launching in early 2025. The study will track stigma levels at a societal level, based on the knowledge, awareness, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviours of nationally representative samples of women with experience.
Karla Martins
Global Medical Affairs Lead, Women’s Health
“The Menopause Experience and Attitudes Study will unearth fresh perspectives of today’s menopause experience and help us understand the real needs of women during their menopause journey, providing us with insights that will help shape and inform policy to ensure broader advancements in women’s health and improve the menopause experience for women. It is essential that we address the gaps in awareness and education when it comes to menopause and work in partnership with the community to elevate the conversation around menopause and tackle the stigma that is preventing so many women from receiving the care they need during this stage of their lives.” Karla Martins, Global Medical Affairs Lead, Women’s Health, Astellas.
With the right knowledge, information, and support, women can thrive at midlife. We are committed to investing in awareness and educational initiatives to provide women with the tools needed to advocate for themselves and feel empowered to have informed conversations with their healthcare professionals. Together, we can improve the health and well-being of millions of women around the world.
1 Shifren, J. L., & Gass M. L. S., NAMS Recommendations for Clinical Care of Midlife Women Working Group. (2014). The North American Menopause Society recommendations for clinical care of midlife women. Menopause, 21(10), 1-25. https://journals.lww.com/menopausejournal/citation/2014/10000/the_north_american_menopause_society.5.aspx.
2 World Health Organization. (2022, October 17). Menopause. World Health Organization (WHO). https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/menopause.
3 Kronenberg F. Hot flashes: epidemiology and physiology. Ann N Y Acad Sci 1990;592:52-86.
4 Monteleone, P., Mascagni, G., Giannini, A., Genazzani, A. R., & Simoncini, T. (2018). Symptoms of menopause – global prevalence, physiology and implications. Nature Reviews Endocrinology, 14(4), 199-215.
5 Ripa, P., Ornello, R., Degan, D., Tiseo, C., Stewart, J., Pistoia, F., Carolei, A., & Sacco, S. (2015). Migraine in menopausal women: A systematic review. International Journal of Women’s Health, 7, 773-782.
6 Williams, R. E., Kalilani, L., DiBenedetti, D. B., Zhou, X., Fehnel, S. E., & Clark, R. V. (2007). Healthcare seeking and treatment for menopausal symptoms in the United States. Maturitas, 58(4), 348-358.
7 Dahlgren et al (2023). Identifying Variables Associated with Menopause-Related Shame and Stigma: Results from a National Survey Study. Journal of women's health (2002), 32(11), 1182–1191.
8 Whiteley, J., DiBonaventura, M. dC., Wagner, J-S., Alvir, J., & Shah, S. (2013). The impact of menopausal symptoms on quality of life, productivity, and economic outcomes. Journal of Women’s Health, 22(11), 983-990. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3820128
9 Attitudes towards menopause: time for change (2022). The Lancet, 399, 2243. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(22)01099-6.
10 Parish, S. J., Nappi, R. E., & Kingsberg, S. (2018). Perspectives on counseling patients about menopausal hormone therapy: strategies in a complex data environment. Menopause, 25(8), 937-949.
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