In Menopause, A Lot Still Left Unspoken

A new Harris Interactive survey of 314 women in the menopausal years indicates that clinicians are leaving much unspoken when it comes to discussing treatment options for menopausal symptoms.

The survey, commissioned by the Society for Women’s Health Research—an independent research and advocacy group—indicates that while 69% of the women are open to using non-hormonal therapies for their hot flashes, only 23% of them were aware of what all the non-hormone options might be.

Just 10% of the respondents say they’ve had discussions about these non-hormone options with their physicians or other health professionals.

More than half (52%) reported that they were unaware that any non-hormonal options existed.

 

The survey was conducted by Harris Interactive and sponsored by Metagenics. It was done from April 24-26, 2013, and based on a sample of  2,068 adults ages 18 and older, of whom 314 were women in the menopausal years.

It is estimated that roughly 50 million American women have reached menopause, and anywhere from 65% to 80% experience hot flashes. The overwhelming majority are well aware of hormone replacement therapy. The purpose of the new survey was to determine the extent to which women were also aware of other non-HRT options, and where they’re getting that information.

A few decades ago, pretty much everything about menopause was cloaked in silence. Though there’s been a trend toward much greater candor in recent years, there are clearly some communication gaps to be bridged.

To help build that bridge this Fall, Metagenics is sponsoring its annual Lifestyle Medicine Summit, focused on the theme “What Women Really Want.” The meeting, to be held Oct. 4-6, at the Fairmont Millennium Park Hotel in Chicago, features some of the top minds in holistic & functional medicine looking at key facets of women’s health. Featured speakers include Wendy Warner, MD,  Michael Roizin, MD, Christiane Northrop, MD, Jeff Bland, PhD, Mark Hyman, MD, Kristi Hughes, ND, and many more.

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