MENOPAUSE MYTHS

10 misconceptions that experts can't stand

- MAGGIE ASTOR

Inescapable hot flashes. Hormonal chaos. Sexless partnerships. Such stereotypes of menopause are deeply ingrained and few are fully accurate.

Menopause can produce symptoms in many parts of the body and sometimes in unexpected ways, said Rebecca Thurston, an assistant dean for women's health research and a professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh.

We asked gynaecologists, endocrinologists, urologists and other experts about the biggest menopause misconceptions they had encountered. Here's what they want patients to know.

Myth 1: It's just hot flashes

Hot flashes are a menopausal hallmark: Up to 80% of women have them. But numerous lesser-known symptoms are also linked to menopause, including insomnia, mood changes, brain fog, vaginal dryness, joint pain and more.

That's largely because menopause is driven by changing levels of oestrogen, which affects all tissues. During perimenopause, the years leading up to one's final menstrual period, oestrogen fluctuates wildly. After menopause, it settles at a low level.

Unfortunately, many people don't know the full range of symptoms this process can cause, said Dr JoAnn Manson, an endocrinologist and professor at Harvard Medical School. That means they may not realise a symptom is menopause-related, which can mean missing out on helpful treatments.

Myth 2: 'Everything' is a menopause symptom

"Until recently, a lot of women's symptoms were dismissed or misunderstood as something not related to our hormones," said Dr Anna Barbieri, an OB-GYN and integrative medicine physician in New York.

But some doctors worry that there has been too much of a shift in the opposite direction.

"Now the pendulum is swinging more towards, 'Everything is menopause and perimenopause,' and that's an oversimplification also," Barbieri said.