An online survey of perimenopausal women to determine their attitudes and knowledge of the menopause

Abstract

Introduction: Women are not usually taught about the menopause formally, and many general practitioners have relatively little training. The aim of this study was to explore perimenopausal women’s attitudes and knowledge of the menopause. Method: An online survey was designed to evaluate attitudes and knowledge of the menopause in women older than 40 years. The survey was generated with Qualtrics XM® and promoted via social media. In all, 3150 women started the survey. In this study, data from 947 perimenopausal women were analysed. Results: Regarding women’s attitudes to the menopause, 38.8% were accepting of it but more than 30% were dreading it. The women had experienced a number of menopause symptoms including mood swings (68.9%), brain fog (68.3%), and fatigue (66.8%). More than 90% of women had never been taught about the menopause at school, and more than 60% did not feel informed at all about the menopause. School was thought to be the best place for menopause education to start (83.6%). In all, 68.2% of women had only looked for information about the menopause as their symptoms started and they had talked to friends and used a variety of websites to look for information. When asked for their free-text views on the menopause, thematic analysis produced four themes: the overarching knowledge gap, the onset and impact of symptoms, perimenopause: the hidden phenomenon, and managing symptoms: differing schools of thought. Conclusion: Lack of education for women and their general practitioners is causing perimenopausal women to go through this important stage in their lives with a lack of knowledge and appropriate medical care. It is essential that women are taught about the menopause, from school onwards and that we offer health professionals appropriate training starting from the medical school curriculum.

Menopause knowledge and education in women under 40: Results from an online survey

“…Qualtrics XM was used to create our online survey compiled of 35 questions ( Supplemental data ). Our previously published survey for women over 40 was taken as a template 5 and was edited by the research team; any questions that were irrelevant to women under 40 were deleted.…”

“…This was also observed in the study with women over 40. 5 Ultimately, education of both men and women is essential to create a society that universally understands and has an awareness of the menopause. It was also clear that a key reason young women want to learn about the menopause is so that they can support family or friends going through it.…”

“…Education of the menopause among healthcare professionals is also sparse. General practitioners (GPs) lack both knowledge and confidence when recognizing symptoms of the menopause 5 and prescribing appropriate management. 39 , 40 This issue starts right at the beginning of medical training; 41% of UK medical schools do not have mandatory menopause education.…”

“…We conducted a survey in women over age 40 and found that perimenopausal women are overwhelmingly uneducated on the menopause and angry that they had to experience it with such little knowledge. 5 In a study of women over 40 it was found that women’s (limited) knowledge came mainly from relatives (26.8%) and friends (25.5%) and not formal education sources. 6 Links between women’s knowledge of the menopause and their education, socioeconomic status and employment, 7 and ethnicity 8 have been shown.…”

Seeking Health Care for Perimenopausal Symptoms: Observations from The Women Living Better Survey

“…This same survey demonstrated differing schools of thought among HCPs regarding managing symptoms as a theme expressed by perimenopausal HCRs. 10 All of the above can contribute to making it difficult for the HCP to deliver satisfying care to those on the path to menopause.…”