Still a ‘taboo’ as 2 in 5 women in Munster say friends are the only ones that understand ‘the change’
Only 3 in 10 women in Munster realised that ‘the change’ had begun when the menopause arrived in their lives.
For 7 in 10 women in Munster, they didn’t piece the symptoms together and actually realise they were going through ‘the change’ – this is according to a new study by Vichy to support the expansion of the Vichy Neovadiol range, the first skincare collection formulated specifically for menopausal and post-menopausal women.
For 44% of women in Munster, it took them a few months before they realised that the symptoms they were experiencing were in fact the menopause, while only 1 in 10 (14%) found out they were in menopause from their healthcare professional.
The Vichy Neovadiol ‘No Pause at Menopause’ study of 500 women in Ireland aged 45 and over provides an interesting comparison between the perceptions of women who have not gone through the menopause and those who are / have:
- The starkest comparison that is found is the expected age at which menopause will start. For women in Munster who haven’t experienced the menopause, only 6% of them think that it can start between the ages of 45 to 49, and a further 64% expect it to start from age 50 to 54.
- The average age for menopause in Ireland is 53 according to the study, but for one-third of women going through the menopause it started as early as 45.
- When asked how long they expect symptoms to last, 1 in 3 women in Munster (33%) said longer than 2 years.
Additional findings from the Vichy Neovadiol ‘No Pause at Menopause’ study reveal:
- Almost half (47%) of women going through the menopause feel it has had a negative impact on their self-esteem.
- 1 in 5 (21%) of women in Munster confess that menopause has had a negative effect on their relationships – most commonly with their partner (83%).
- 2 in 5 women in Munster (39%) said that their friends are the most understanding when they are going through the menopause while 1 in 3 said no one understood what they were going through.
- Just 2% of women going through the menopause felt that their healthcare professional was understanding during this phase of their lives.
- Weight gain topped the list of physical changes amongst women in Munster, brought on by menopause (54%), followed by loss of sex drive (36%) and quality of their skin (27%)
- For women in Munster, hot flashes topped the list of uncomfortable symptoms (58%) followed by night sweats (52%) and sleep problems (43%).
- 38% of women in Munster felt the best thing about growing older is being more self-confident while 1 in 3 (34%) are excited about having more time to explore their interests.
- Younger women (aged 45-54) are most likely to look forward to having more confidence as they get older, while those in the older age bracket of 65 + are most positive about exploring their interests.
