Menopause Awareness Month: New info on symptoms

October is Menopause Awareness Month. New research suggests that for many women, anxiety and brain fog may be more troubling than the hot flashes. We talked to Dr. Alyssa Dweck about the company's latest menopause survey findings and what women should know about this transition. Menopause is defined as 12 consecutive months without one's period, and the average age of this in the U.S. is 51 years old. Perimenopause, which I'm so glad we're finally really talking about is the transitional time. It could be two to four to 10 years in a lead up towards menopause. And what's unique about this stage is that hormones like estrogen and progesterone are very volatile. In fact, Bonafide Health has conducted a state of menopause survey each year. This sixth year, we found some very interesting findings. First, cognitive and emotional symptoms were the most disruptive symptoms and surpassed the disruption of hot flashes and night sweats. So this was a change. In addition, 60% of women reported a decline in their mental health symptoms. So again, it's a window of opportunity to address this. There are a lot of associations. The changes in estrogen and progesterone affect mental health in the following ways. Changes can make people more physically uncomfortable, hot flashes, night sweats, joint pain, that of course leads to mood changes. Both progesterone and estrogen changes can alter sleep and disrupt it. And we all know that one of the downstream effects of disrupted sleep is mood change and irritability. We know that declines in estrogen can affect serotonin and dopamine, which are feel-good chemicals in the brain. So therefore, mood changes can occur as a result of low estrogen for that reason. And then when you put on top of it, all of the life changes going on for people in their 40s and early 50s, you think about caring for aging parents, kids, professional and personal responsibilities. These all combine to lead towards mood changes and brain fog and emotional changes as well. We found over 71% of women were ill-prepared for just how disruptive these symptoms are going to be for them. And we also found that they were more than searching for solutions, they were searching for affirmation. They wanted to know that their symptoms were real and not imagined. They wanted to know they weren't alone. So they were turning to friends and to cohort groups to attain that affirmation, but they do turn to isolation as well. There are many alternatives. So hormone therapy, well-known and almost gold standard for hot flashes and night sweats and prevention of bone loss. But there are other prescription non-hormonal drugs available. There are well-vetted, clinically studied supplements, such as those from Bonafide, which have been shown to be beneficial for perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms. There are lifestyle modifications and behavioral modifications that can be helpful, like cognitive behavioral therapy, manipulations in diet, exercise, sleep habits, and stress management tools, all of which can be helpful to manage these symptoms and get people back to feeling like themselves. Be proactive and educate oneself. Find a clinician who can help you with this journey who's well-versed in menopause and perimenopause if your primary care doctor or regular gynecologist is not equipped. And then, you know, find some well-vetted information to really learn about perimenopause and menopause and engage in community with that. I also, of course, welcome people to visit us at hellobonafide.com. We have a very robust library of content on perimenopause, menopause, and management tools, all medically vetted.