It’s Way Past Time to Chat About Menopause

Why has menopause been such a hush-hush top­ic? The stig­ma, shame, and embar­rass­ment around it — often tan­gled up with ageism and sex­ism — have kept the con­ver­sa­tion qui­et for too long. But that’s chang­ing. Women are speak­ing up, break­ing down bar­ri­ers, and show­ing that menopause isn’t some­thing to hide — it’s some­thing to under­stand and nav­i­gate with confidence.

Menopause looks dif­fer­ent for every woman. For some, it arrives qui­et­ly. For oth­ers, it brings a roller­coast­er of symp­toms. Even­tu­al­ly, your peri­od will stop, and when it does, embrac­ing menopause and find­ing ways to man­age symp­toms can ease the journey.

Most women enter menopause in their ear­ly 50s, but it’s not a one-size-fits-all time­line. About 5% of women hit this mile­stone in their ear­ly to mid-40s, and for some, menopause may arrive even ear­li­er — before age 40 — which is con­sid­ered pre­ma­ture menopause.

Also read: 7 Myths About Menopause — And the Truth Behind Them

Break­ing the Silence on Menopause

There’s no ques­tion that the chat­ter around menopause is get­ting loud­er. More women, health­care lead­ers, law­mak­ers, and celebri­ties are speak­ing up. And it’s about time.

Women want open con­ver­sa­tions with their doc­tors and friends. They’re not just talk­ing — they’re seek­ing relief, espe­cial­ly from those infa­mous ​“pri­vate sum­mers” (aka hot flash­es), brain fog, and anx­i­ety. Menopause is no longer taboo — it’s a shared jour­ney, and women are reclaim­ing it with strength and honesty.

Are you ready to chat about menopause? The Duly Care team is here to answer any ques­tions you might have. Sched­ule an appoint­ment with a Duly cer­ti­fied menopause prac­ti­tion­er today.

Menopause Symp­toms You Should Get to Know

Menopause can be a pain. But the key is know­ing what to expect so you can take con­trol and find the relief you deserve. Here are 3 menopause symp­toms that can affect your qual­i­ty of life. And here’s the kick­er: they can show up at any stage — whether you’re in ear­ly menopause, per­i­menopause, or even post-menopause

1. Hot, hot, hot flash­es! These sud­den heat waves can last sec­onds to min­utes, leav­ing you drenched and irri­ta­ble. Hor­mon­al changes are the main culprit.
2. Sleep strug­gles. Falling and stay­ing asleep can become a night­ly bat­tle dur­ing menopause, thanks in part to hot flash­es mor­ph­ing into night sweats. When your body strug­gles to reg­u­late its tem­per­a­ture, your sleep — and your mood — suf­fer. It’s a frus­trat­ing cycle that can leave you feel­ing drained and irri­ta­ble dur­ing the day.
3. Painful sex. As estro­gen lev­els drop dur­ing menopause, the vagi­nal walls thin and dry­ness sets in, mak­ing sex uncom­fort­able or even down­right painful. Talk­ing to a health­care provider about treat­ment options, like lubri­cants, mois­tur­iz­ers, or hor­mon­al ther­a­pies, can help restore com­fort and intimacy.

Man­ag­ing Menopause Symptoms

Even with more can­did con­ver­sa­tions about menopause, about 73% of women choose not to seek treat­ment for their symp­toms. Why? Some feel they can man­age on their own, while oth­ers don’t real­ize that effec­tive relief is avail­able. The good news is that women have options.

Hor­mone ther­a­py can be an effec­tive option for many women. It can help replace lost estro­gen, improve sleep, and reduce bone loss. While hor­mone ther­a­py may not be appro­pri­ate for all women, for the major­i­ty of women aged 45 – 55 expe­ri­enc­ing symp­toms, menopausal hor­mone ther­a­py may be the best option.

Here are some options your doc­tor might recommend.

Lifestyle Changes

• Eat health­i­er: Focus on veg­gies, lean pro­tein, and whole foods while cut­ting back on sug­ar and processed snacks.
• Boost nutri­ents: Add vit­a­min D, cal­ci­um, zinc, mag­ne­sium, iron, and B vit­a­mins to your diet to com­bat hor­mon­al imbalances.
• Dodge hot flash trig­gers: Min­i­mize spicy food, alco­hol, and caffeine.
• Stay active: A reg­u­lar exer­cise rou­tine can improve your mood and boost endorphins.
• Try relax­ation tech­niques: Yoga, med­i­ta­tion, or deep-breath­ing exer­cis­es can help reduce stress.

Med­ical Treatments

• Hor­mone ther­a­py: It rein­tro­duces hor­mones your body has lost and eas­es symp­toms like hot flash­es and night sweats, while low­er­ing the risk of con­di­tions like demen­tia, heart dis­ease, and stroke.
• Anti­de­pres­sants: They can help reduce hot flash­es and night sweats.
• Vagi­nal estro­gen: It relieves vagi­nal dry­ness and discomfort. 

Also read: Guid­ing You From Puber­ty to Menopause

Find­ing a Cer­ti­fied Menopause Practitioner

All OBG­Y­Ns are trained in menopause care, so you can always rest assured that your OBG­YN will be in the know. But as you start your menopause jour­ney, you may want to con­sid­er work­ing with a Cer­ti­fied Menopause Prac­ti­tion­er (CMP).

CMPs are providers who have addi­tion­al train­ing in car­ing for women through­out and after menopause, and they meet stan­dards set by the North Amer­i­can Menopause Soci­ety (NAMS). They take class­es specif­i­cal­ly about menopause and pass a NAMS cer­ti­fi­ca­tion exam, mak­ing them unique­ly qual­i­fied to pro­vide menopause care.

Sched­ule an appoint­ment with a Duly Health and Care Cer­ti­fied Menopause Practitioner

Let’s Keep the Menopause Con­ver­sa­tion Going

Menopause is inevitable — it’s just a mat­ter of when it arrives. Whether it comes ear­ly or right on sched­ule, one thing is clear: women are in the driver’s seat when it comes to how they man­age their symp­toms. Suf­fer­ing in silence? That’s offi­cial­ly off the table.