How can something that is still largely ignored be over-medicalised?
Hey there,
This week, we’re shaking up our format to discuss a hot topic in the menopause community. The Lancet Series, Menopause 2024, has certainly stirred the pot with claims that menopause is over-medicalised. If you missed it, you can read it here.
While the intention behind this – empowering women – is something we can get behind, the message misses the mark. It underplays what many women actually go through, and oversimplifies the real and often complex changes that come with menopause.
The reality is that 90% of women feel left in the dark about menopause, and a staggering 73% suffer without treatment because they simply don’t know their options.
The Lancet’s opinion piece suggesting that psychological interventions are an alternative to MHT* for physical symptoms like hot flashes, feels like a step back into an age when women’s health issues were routinely dismissed as hysteria. We know better now – or at least, we should. Symptoms like hot flashes result from disruptions in the body’s thermoregulatory system that can create a debilitating reality. And while we now know that the brain takes center stage in the hormonal chaos of the menopausal transition, we also know that these symptoms are NOT all in our heads.
Yes, treatments like cognitive behavioral therapy can help with symptoms, but positioning this intervention as an alternative to MHT feels profoundly dismissive.
Plus, claiming there is ‘no compelling evidence’ that risks for mental health issues increase during menopause blatantly disregards current research and our lived experiences. To gloss over the significant rise in depression and anxiety many women report during this time feels like a huge step backward; and is quite frankly dangerous.
So, as we challenge The Lancet’s oversimplification, we want to arm you with the full picture. Menopause is a major life phase that deserves a lot more attention, research, funding, and education. Every woman’s journey is unique, and there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to treatment. Some women respond well to lifestyle changes, while others require medical intervention.
This Is Perimenopause is about ensuring you’re aware of all of the options.
Menopause deserves a thoughtful, personalized approach, not dismissive minimization. The reality is that most women’s menopausal experiences are not over-medicalised. Shamefully, they continue to be largely ignored. Calling for ‘a balanced conversation about menopause’ when the majority of women can’t access even a minimum-standard of care for their symptoms is at best tone-deaf.
So let’s keep pushing for the respect and care every woman deserves on this journey. Together we can make a difference.
What can you do?
Forward this to as many friends as possible. The only way we make change is if we normalize the conversation and help break the silence.
And sign up to join The Menopause Foundation of Canada movement to help them to make a difference in improving the menopause journey for generations of women. You’ll learn all about the incredible advocacy work they’re doing in our May 22 podcast with co-founder, Trish Barbato.
And in the meantime remember, every voice matters and every little step counts.
xoxo
Mikelle & Michelle
*In case you’re wondering, MHT stands for menopausal hormone therapy, the new term for hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
