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Counselling women through menopause

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Understanding the significant impact of menopause symptoms on women’s lives

According to the Menopause Foundation of Canada, most women enter menopause between 45 and 55 years old,1 with the average woman in Canada spending up to half of her life in a menopausal state—perimenopause, menopause or postmenopause.1 Evidence has shown that up to 80% of women experience menopause symptoms, with only 25% of these women seeking treatment due to the severity of their symptoms.2 Unfortunately, 4 in 10 women (38%) feel their symptoms are undertreated.3 In fact, 10% of women may even exit the workforce due to unmanaged symptoms of menopause.1

Did you know?

Did you know?

75% of women experience menopausal symptoms that disrupt their lives on a daily basis1

Menopause symptoms can last for years

Menopause symptoms can last for years

Your patients may not be aware that menopause symptoms may persist for 7 to 8 years or longer. Symptoms often begin in perimenopause and impact both quality of life and work productivity.2 The most common symptoms experienced during menopause are vasomotor symptoms (VMS), which include hot flashes and night sweats,2 and 15% of women experience hot flashes for 15 years or longer.4

Women’s menopause-related needs have been overlooked1

Women’s menopause-related needs have been overlooked1

Menopause has always been a highly taboo topic, which leaves women to suffer in silence,3 as they are not receiving the care they need.2 Moreover, when menopause symptoms aren’t properly managed, the consequences can be striking. A Menopause Foundation of Canada (MFC) survey in 2022 in Canada found that 46% of women did not feel prepared for menopause3 and 38% felt alone during this time.3 Furthermore, 41% of women believe their menopausal symptoms negatively impacted their relationship with a spouse or partner.3

According to the Menopause Foundation of Canada

4 in 10 women (38%)

feel alone during menopause3

60% of women

do not seek medical advice3

4 in 10 women (38%)

feel their symptoms are undertreated3

It’s time to

Break the cycle of women suffering in silence with menopause symptoms

As a healthcare professional, you can play a key role in breaking the cycle of silent suffering associated with menopause. Counselling women through menopause can help address their unmet needs.

Here are 5 ways to be proactive and enhance your menopause care:

  • 01

    Start the menopause conversation early

    When menopause symptoms are left untreated, this can lead to poor quality of life and poor health outcomes.5 So if your patients are not properly prepared and/or their symptoms are not well-managed, the shift into menopause has the potential to make other conditions worse—affecting both quality of life and life expectancy.6

    Discussing menopause with your patients early on, and often, can help normalize the experience and foster honest conversation. To support health and wellbeing through the menopausal transition and beyond, healthcare professionals should start talking about menopause with patients before this midlife transition begins.6

    It’s important that your female patients know what to expect so they are better prepared to seek advice and treatment.

    Practice consideration: There are more than 30 symptoms associated with perimenopause and menopause. While most of your patients are aware of hot flashes, how many of them understand that heart palpitations, headaches, body aches and a host of other symptoms are part of the menopause transition?7

  • 02

    Advise your patients to track their symptoms

    Tracking symptoms that may be related to menopause will allow your patients to share their findings with you or other healthcare professionals more easily, and initiate a conversation about getting the help they need.7

    Here is a free MenoPause Symptom Tracker you can recommend to patients from the Menopause Foundation of Canada.

  • 03

    Educate your patients on possible long-term health risks related to menopause

    Ensure your patients are aware that the risk of the following health conditions rises with the start of menopause:8

    • Heart disease8
    • Osteoporosis8
    • A range of genitourinary issues8

    Moreover, the risk of the following rises among aging women:6

    • Dyslipidemia6
    • Hypertension6
    • Cardiovascular disease6
    • Diabetes mellitus6

    Adverse changes can also be linked to menopause and aging when it comes to:6

    • Cognition6
    • Skin6
    • Sleep6
    • Mental health6

    To be proactive about these possible health risks, early interventions to improve patient care should go beyond managing menopause symptoms and also include preventive healthcare measures.6 Opening up the conversation with patients about the long-term health risks related to menopause will help them understand why you are being proactive about addressing these potential health risks.

  • 04

    Develop a personalized care plan for each patient6,9

    It’s critical to ask patients about symptoms during the menopause transition and talk about possible treatment options with them.10 Furthermore, educate your patients on available and clinically proven prescription and non-prescription treatments. Also, involve your patients in the management discussion of their symptoms. Encourage shared decision-making.2,10

  • 05

    Recommend reputable resources and websites to your patients

    Guide your patients to visit trustworthy websites to receive evidence-based information that can help them understand menopause and how to manage their health during this stage of life. For example, the Menopause Foundation of Canada has a list of reputable and informative patient-friendly websites you can recommend.

    • References:

    1. Menopause Foundation of Canada (MFC) homepage. Updated 2025. Available at: https://menopausefoundationcanada.ca/ . Accessed July 23, 2025.
    2. Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada. Menopause Hub. Available at: https://sogc.org/en/en/content/events/HUB-Pages/Menopause.aspx . Accessed July 15, 2025.
    3. Menopause Foundation of Canada (MFC). The Silence and the Stigma: Menopause in Canada. Available at: https://menopausefoundationcanada.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/MFC-Report_The-Silence-and-the-Stigma_Menopause-in-Canada_October-2022.pdf . Accessed July 15, 2025.
    4. Canadian Menopause Society (CMS). I Am Unique. Available at: https://www.canadianmenopausesociety.org/files/publications/I%20Am%20Unique.pdf . Accessed July 15, 2025.
    5. Menopause Foundation of Canada (MFC). Before You Go to Your Health Care Practitioner. Available at: https://menopausefoundationcanada.ca/resources/before-you-go-to-your-health-care-practitioner/ . Accessed July 15, 2025.
    6. Aninye IO, Laitner MH, Chinnappan S; Society for Women's Health Research Menopause Working Group. Menopause preparedness: perspectives for patient, provider, and policymaker consideration. Menopause. 2021;28(10):1186–1191. Published 2021 Jun 28. doi:10.1097/GME.0000000000001819
    7. Menopause Foundation of Canada (MFC). Menopause Symptoms. Available at: https://menopausefoundationcanada.ca/resources/menopause-symptoms/ . Accessed July 15, 2025.
    8. Menopause Foundation of Canada (MFC). Long Term Health Risks of Menopause. Available at: https://menopausefoundationcanada.ca/resources/long-term-health-risks-of-menopause/ . Accessed July 15, 2025.
    9. Iwamoto SJ, Defreyne J, Rothman MS, et al. Health considerations for transgender women and remaining unknowns: a narrative review. Ther Adv Endocrinol Metab. 2019;10:2042018819871166. Published 2019 Aug 30. doi:10.1177/2042018819871166
    10. Lega IC, Fine A, Antoniades ML, Jacobson M. A Pragmatic Approach to the Management of Menopause. 2023. Available at: https://www.cmaj.ca/content/195/19/E677 . Accessed July 15, 2025.

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