Perimenopause: Bridging the Education Gap

Despite affecting half the population, perimenopause and menopause remain widely misunderstood and under-discussed. Many women are aware of menopause but have little understanding of what it truly entails. And even fewer are familiar with perimenopause—the transitional phase before menopause marked by hormonal changes in oestrogen and progesterone.

Many women enter these life stages with little knowledge of the symptoms or changes they will experience and only begin exploring these topics when they face symptoms firsthand. This often leads to frustration and confusion as they struggle to understand the changes in their bodies, leaving many feeling isolated.

Stigma, taboos, and cultural pressures expecting women to remain in control of their emotions often make it hard for them to speak openly about their experiences, potentially delaying the support or treatment they need. There is also very little formal teaching about menopause at any stage of women’s life and, historically, media representations have often portrayed menopause negatively. As a result, many perimenopausal/menopausal women suffer in silence.

An online survey by Munn et al. (2022) showed that less than 10% of women across all assessed age groups (under 20, 21-30, 31-40) felt very informed about menopause. Almost half of the women surveyed reported feeling completely uninformed about menopause. While awareness does increase as women approach the transitional phase, many still lack critical understanding. The study showed that most women, regardless of age, had received no formal education on the topic, with over 80% of women aged 31-40 (Munn et al. 2022) and over 90% of women over 40 (Harper et al. 2022) stating they had never been taught about menopause in school.

Although some women (around 30%) have turned to social media for information, family remains the most common source of knowledge, especially among women over 30, likely because the topic feels more relevant to them. While talking to friends and family can be beneficial in making women feel less alone in their experiences, these conversations can lead to misunderstandings, as women’s personal experiences with menopause vary greatly. When women rely on family and friends’ subjective experiences, they risk forming misconceptions that may not apply to their own journey, as the symptoms and impacts of menopause can differ significantly from one woman to another. Women need to have reliable information to understand what is happening to their own bodies, yet the lack of accurate and widely shared resources continues to leave many feeling unprepared.

Nearly all women in the survey felt the best place to introduce education on menopause was in schools, especially younger participants. Women over 30, on the other hand, preferred workplace programmes or online resources. A strong call was also made for more comprehensive menopause education in medical school and ongoing healthcare training, as many women felt health professionals lacked up-to-date knowledge on managing menopause.

There is a clear need for better education about perimenopause/menopause so women can understand these phases of life before they experience their symptoms. By increasing awareness and providing accessible, accurate information, we can help women feel more empowered and less isolated, making it easier to seek support and treatment when needed.