It's Time to Talk Menopause

Menopause isn't the top conversation at cocktail parties, and, in fact, it's not a topic of conversation in general. But it should be, because approximately 1.3 million women in the United States enter menopause each year.

Melissa Ashley is one of the 1.3 million women whose experience is similar to that of many, but it is rarely discussed in social circles.

Melissa Ashley - Let's All Talk Menopause

Source: with permission from Melissa Ashley

"I was that statistic. The woman in her late 30s/early 40s who kept thinking she was losing her mind. I couldn't remember a meeting I had attended the day before; I was anxious, doubting my every decision at work and feeling like I needed to keep cheat sheets with me in case I couldn't remember a number or a fact.

"I was a senior executive who had climbed the corporate ladder through hard work, yet I felt like an imposter. There were days when I could tell I was all over the place and couldn't focus. I remember going to my OB/GYN for my annual check-up and begging her to help me stop feeling so crazy all the time. She suggested the birth control pill. I suffered silently for so long because I couldn't articulate what was wrong and figured I would just power through. It was years later (iterally!) that I learned that there was a menopause specialist in my OB/GYN's practice. It had never occurred to me that this was menopause, as I didn't really know anything about it other than that eventually I could stop buying tampons (and staining my clothes!)."

Ashley, like most midlifers, didn't have a guidebook or resources to alert her to symptoms, statistics, or help about menopause. She, like most, knew it was an event that would happen at some point in her life, but it was an elusive life stage lurking in the dark or around a corner that never really made its way front and center at doctor visits. How often are women urged to get mammograms and colonoscopies in midlife? But how many are encouraged to discuss menopause?

Ashley started researching menopause. "Once I started researching the topic and learned about the many symptoms (over 34!) I became empowered and finally got myself some help. But I couldn't help wondering why the topic of menopause was such a closely guarded secret. And that's when I started speaking with my now business partner about the work she was doing around menopause awareness in the U.K. and how we could build on that to raise awareness and help women in the U.S."

Ashley's frustration led her to form the website and information platform Lets All Talk Menopause to start a public conversation and equip women with information about menopause. "Menopause is a life stage that many women will be blessed to experience for decades. Yet medical students maybe receive 15 minutes of education on the topic. Women don't learn about it from their mothers like they do puberty. Nor is it taught in schools. And most employers don't acknowledge it or provide any means of health support. This needs to change. I co-founded Let's all Talk Menopause in hopes of playing a small role in raising awareness and educating women on how to thrive during this powerful life stage. "

So, ahead of your next social gathering, here's some essential information for stimulating dialogue about menopause:

• Approximately 1.3 million women enter menopause each year (NIH)
• By 2025, The North American Menopause Society (NAMS) estimates, more than 1 billion women worldwide will be in menopause.
• A 2018 AARP study revealed that 42% of women between ages 50 and 59 never discussed menopause with a healthcare provider, and only 1 in 5 received a referral to a menopause specialist.
• A 2019 Mayo Clinic study found that 94% of participants believed it was essential or imperative to be trained to manage menopause—but only 7% reported feeling adequately trained to do so.
• A Bloomberg study has shown that nearly 1 million women left their jobs due to menopausal symptoms.

Melissa Ashley is not a medical expert. She has aggregated and crowd-sourced a lot of information from medical professionals and credentialed professionals who have dedicated their lives to supporting women in menopause. At 54, she wants to change how women can access free information regardless of race, gender, religion, or socioeconomic status. First comes awareness, then the removal of stigma will follow.

Women are in the prime of their lives in their 40s, 50s, and 60s, and women need to become comfortable with menopause. Conversations with healthcare providers who are equipped to discuss menopause is critical. Quality, reputable online resources are also vitally important to provide information and support.