Survey Results- Tell Us About Your Menopause
This survey was an attempt to learn from women in the Launch Your Pause community of women what their menopause experience has looked like. The researchers (Laura and Kate) are not formally trained in qualitative research methods and this is not a scientific study. It is merely an attempt to capture a glimpse of what women think and feel about menopause. This is the first of several surveys we will do to help women learn from each other about this mysterious, sometimes wonderful and often challenging journey.
Most of us don’t have memories of our mothers’ menopause
Half of the women surveyed did not know how old their mother was when she went through menopause. Of all women surveyed, almost 43% of them had no memories of their mother talking about menopause. These results confirm our belief that menopause has historically been an under-discussed, avoided, or ignored topic, leaving many mid-life women of this generation in a position to figure out their own coping skills and rituals around menopause.
Fifty-seven percent of women surveyed reported that their mother had a hysterectomy; 50% of these hysterectomies were due to fibroids while the remaining 50% were unknown or for other reasons. This finding supports the anecdotal information Laura and Kate have learned over the years– that a high percentage of women in our mother’s generation had hysterectomies, leaving daughters of these women with little information about how their mothers managed non-surgical menopause.
We go to our friends for menopause information and support
We asked women who they go to for support for menopause-related issues. Ninety-three percent reported turning to friends, 86% reported going to medical professionals, 14% to therapists, 21.5% to family, 7% to the internet and 7% to us 😀. The finding that a majority of women turned to friends affirms the experience that many women in our community have shared over the last six years. Compared to the other areas (family, therapists, the internet, us), 93% is a significantly high rate and suggests that women are indeed creating a natural network of menopause support in friendships.
Given that 86% of women in this informal survey report seeking medical support for their menopause, we want to know more about the quality of that support, and ways that women are (or are not) getting the most from their efforts to get medical attention for menopause.
Demented and sad, but social
When the subject of menopause comes up the top three reported responses were as follows: 50% of respondents reported feeling overwhelmed, 42% depressed, and 28.6% happy and excited. Other top responses were confused (21%) and ashamed (14%). Women need a variety of things to support them on their menopause journey, with the top response being a provider with comprehensive knowledge of menopause (86%) and a supportive community (79%). Women also reported needing a flexible schedule (43%), hormone replacement therapy (43%), and time off of work (28.6%).
Weight gain and hot flashes
The most common menopause experiences shared were weight gain and hot flashes, followed by moodiness (including anxiety, anger and irritability), lack of sleep and low libido. Other women reported migraines and joint pain. In response to what women are doing now to address menopause, 38.5% reported being on a hormone replacement journey of some kind and 46% are doing yoga and/or meditation. Several women reported trying multiple tactics but not knowing if what they are doing is working.
In summary, women in menopause have real, reportable symptoms. They suffer from physical, mental, and emotional distress during this hormonal shift. Peer support appears to be a key factor in supporting women during menopause. This may be because women are naturally more relational or because there is a lack of historical knowledge about menopause from past generations and women need each other to fill in the gaps. There is more work to be done, more questions to ask and experiences to share.
Thank you to everyone who joined us for this first investigation of several more to come. If you have particular curiosities or questions, send them our way and we’ll add them to a survey!
–Laura and Kate
