Menopause MYTH BUSTERS

It's one of the most significant phases in a woman's life, but as these six misconceptions show, it's often surrounded by confusion

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From hot flushes and night sweats to insomnia and painful sex, few women who have gone through menopause would describe it as a walk in the park. But for something that half of the world’s population experience at some point, there's still a lot we don’t know about this important life stage.

“We haven't talked about menopause in the past,” explains Dr Sarah White. “My mother didn’t discuss it with me — it was a bit of a taboo thing and it wasn’t something we discussed in polite company.”

This silence has created the perfect environment for misinformation to run rife. Of course, your first port of call should be your GP for individualised advice, but these are six of the biggest myths that women are bound to encounter in navigating this phase.

MYTH 1 It only affects older women

Some think menopause only affects women in their fifties. However, it can happen in your forties or even earlier. In New Zealand, the average age of menopause is 52, but it’s normal to enter menopause anywhere between 45 and 55 years — although some women have it at an earlier or later age.

“Women are often taken by surprise because they think it’s something that happens when you're ‘old’, when it’s more midlife,” says Sarah.

Early menopause can also strike between the ages of 40 to 45. Menopause occurring before the age of 40 is called premature menopause.

MYTH 2 All women experience severe symptoms