Overview
- A survey of nearly 5,000 women ages 45–60 across four Mayo Clinic primary care sites found more than three in four reported symptoms affecting daily life and work.
- Over one third reported moderate to very severe symptoms, with sleep disturbances and weight gain among the most common complaints.
- More than 80% did not seek medical help and only about one in four were receiving any treatment at the time of the survey.
- Respondents cited self-management, lack of time, or not knowing effective options as barriers, prompting calls for destigmatized, primary care screening plus easy-to-use questionnaires and apps.
- Clinicians emphasize individualized management, noting menopausal hormone therapy can relieve hot flashes and sleep problems when appropriately timed, with risk discussions still shaped by the 2002 WHI study.