Breathe
By Maricarmen Diaz
Menopause has been deeply invisible and neglected for many years both in the workplace and in public health policies.
To clarify the different impacts of menopause, Sin Reglas undertook the task of conducting, in August 2022, the first study on "Survival, perception and impact of menopause" in Mexican society.
In general terms, the study corroborates that menopause is a taboo, it is not known, it is not foreseen and it is not taken care of and it brings with it very important impacts on women's lives, in different areas: health, work, health, family, among others.
If we talk in terms of knowledge, only 22% of men and women over 18 years of age indicated having a good level of knowledge of the subject, and if we break it down by sex we see that only 29% of women consider themselves to have a good level of information, and in men the indicator drops to 15%. The knowledge curve for women grows with age, that is to say, women gain knowledge as they live it. Millions of women are not prepared at this stage.
In terms of care, less than half of the women have had the most basic conversation about menopause in a medical context, and only 23% have received more comprehensive care. We also saw that there is a taboo on communicating the topic of menopause: 4 out of 10 feel some degree of discomfort in discussing the topic with medical personnel.
Menopause generates relevant impacts in different areas of women's lives:
In the first place, the impact on work life is demonstrated in data such as the following: one out of every two women reported at least one impact on their work life derived from the symptoms and generating important impacts on productivity, absenteeism, promotions and, in extreme cases, resignation from their jobs. Six out of ten felt some degree of discomfort in discussing the issue with colleagues, and eight out of ten with their superiors.
Secondly, the impacts on women's health are confirmed, 52% of the women have been diagnosed with at least one concurrent condition or condition (although they are not necessarily aware of it). Among them, a quarter of the women interviewed in the study reported being diagnosed as overweight or obese.
Third, the impact of menopause on personal life. One in four reported that the menopausal experience has affected at least one area of their personal life. Four out of 10 women living with a partner report some degree of discomfort in sharing their feelings, emotions or symptoms related to menopause.
Fourthly, 1 in 4 recognize that this phase has negatively affected their sex life. 50% of women report suffering from vaginal symptoms such as atrophy, dryness, low libido, vaginal infections and difficulty reaching orgasm.
The importance of knowledge to diagnose menopause is paramount and from there determine the level of care that each woman needs to go through this stage with greater awareness and fullness.
We want all women to be aware and alert of the signs and symptoms. We need a follow-up with your doctor to minimize the generation of risk factors that directly affect your health in order to have a healthy aging process.
The opinions expressed are the responsibility of the authors and are absolutely independent of the position and editorial line of the company. Opinion 51.
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