Experts say there is a lack of menopausal care, leading to delays in care.
Dr. Stéphanie Fabion, president of the Menopause Society, said medical schools need more training on menopause to prevent misdiagnosis and improve patient care.
Whitney Cummings thought menopause included walking in the mall, knitting, wearing comfortable shoes and ending her sex life.
The comedian grew up believing that women were done when they turned 40.
Now, at 43, many of her friends are going through menopause, and she sees it in a whole new light.
“When I turned 40, I felt like my life was just beginning…I finally had the wisdom to make good decisions in my friendships, my relationships, my work. I wouldn’t say I was falling apart. I was finally sober,” she told USA TODAY. “They’re not being shamed. They’re going on TikTok and saying, ‘I’m 35 years old, I’m menopausal, this is the deal, this is my patch, this is my cream.'” It’s awesome. ”
Millennials (currently ages 30 to 45) are entering menopause and perimenopause with more information and understanding than previous generations. They know about estrogen patches, testosterone creams, and how to find a doctor to treat your symptoms as well as test results. In many ways, these women are reinventing the way we approach menopause.
Are Millennials experiencing menopause?
Millennials are quickly realizing that their symptoms (brain fog, frozen shoulders, itchy ears) are symptoms of menopause. Menopause is the years leading up to menopause when a woman still has periods but her hormone levels fluctuate. Menopause usually begins between the ages of 45 and 55, and perimenopause occurs 2 to 10 years earlier.
The oldest Millennials (currently the largest generation) are reaching menopause, and many more are entering perimenopause.
And the generation that was ridiculed for eating too much avocado toast and not being able to afford a house is being credited with reinventing the way menopause is overcome.
“Millennials are coming to this stage with far more information and a willingness to question outdated medical guidance,” Dr. Mary Claire Haver told USA TODAY. An obstetrician-gynecologist wrote “The New Menopause.” “They are asserting themselves earlier, seeking evidence-based care, and building communities where these conversations are normalized. That combination of curiosity and confidence is changing the standard of care in real time.”
How Millennials are changing the menopause script
Most millennial mothers were baby boomers, who are currently between 62 and 80 years old. Their generation rarely talked about menopause, and many suffered through it without hormone therapy after a 2002 Women’s Health Initiative study linked postmenopausal women to a higher risk of breast cancer, heart attack, and stroke. This later-recognized risk was primarily seen in women who were older when they started hormone therapy. However, hormonal therapy decreased from 40% before the study to about 5%.
Many Gen Xers have never heard of perimenopause. They only found out after menopause and realized they had been diagnosed with depression, anxiety, or often misdiagnosed as ADHD, years before they likely needed estrogen.
More Millennials are becoming aware of perimenopause in real time and are reading about treatment options, considering personalized plans, and finding solutions like telehealth companies.
“Millennials have been called an entitled generation, and we have a right to quality health care, so we’re an entitled generation,” says Lauren Tetenbaum, 41, author of the book “Millennial Menopause.” “I hope and expect that we won’t be told to just suck it up and ignore it.”
They have apps that track their periods and symptoms and come to appointments with lots of ideas.
“They grew up using wearables, so they’re sharing data. They want their doctors to understand them, not just their age,” says Kathleen Jordan, chief medical officer at Midi, the nation’s largest menopause treatment provider. “They want smart care, they want personalized care.”
Demand for menopausal care is increasing year by year.
As this next generation enters menopause, the medical community is not completely prepared.
The number of certified menopause specialists has quadrupled in the past decade, but the number of women seeking care has increased dramatically as women start hormone therapy earlier and continue it for longer, according to the Society of Menopause Medicine.
Women still have a hard time finding doctors who specialize in menopause and menopause.
One in three women over the age of 35 still doesn’t know if they’re perimenopausal, according to new research from Flo & Wakefield Research. Furthermore, as more women are giving birth in their late 30s, the transition from postpartum to perimenopause is more common.
Rebecca Garrity Pinto, 43, said she didn’t feel like herself after giving birth to her second child at age 35.
The fitness coach gained weight, mostly in his abdomen, despite strength training and a healthy diet. She was always tired.
After her doctor told her that her test results were normal, she began doing her own research. She then made a telemedicine appointment with a menopause specialist.
“It felt like there was hope. It wasn’t all in my head,” says Garrity Pinto, who started perimenopausal hormone therapy. “Knowing that menopause is next, I have more options, I feel more in control and I’m more optimistic about everything. I don’t have to suffer through menopause.”
Accept menopause and live optimistically
Almost 70% of women aged 38 to 50 say they feel more prepared for puberty than perimenopause, according to Flo’s research.
“Doctors need to approach this issue like they would a 10- or 11-year-old girl who says her period is coming,” says Tetenbaum, a therapist and certified menopause treatment specialist. “Women can be very surprised. They may know the term menopause, but they don’t think it applies to them. Once they realize they’re menopausal, they want all the information they can.”
“Gen
“In many ways, they took away the fear,” she says. It’s been helpful to see celebrities like Halle Berry, Drew Barrymore, and Naomi Watts talk about menopause.
“If you try to stay healthy and get the right treatment, it’s going to be a really great time in your life,” says Alexander, 39. “Millennial women are starting to realize this.”
Cummings says she no longer fears menopause.
She recently partnered with Hone Health, a telemedicine company focused on longevity, to launch the “Death to Midlife” campaign, which rebrands time as something to embrace rather than fear.
“Words like middle age brainwash us. Now that I’m 40, I feel like my life is just beginning. I’m finally in a place where I can know what I like, what I want, and who I am,” she says. “Women over the age of 40 or 45 with grown children change the world.”
Laura Trujillo is a national columnist focused on health and wellness. She is the author of “Stepping Back from the Ledge: A Daughter’s Search for Truth and Renewal” and can be reached at ltrujillo@usatoday.com.
