Misconceptions About the Menopause

1. There's no relief for hot flashes

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Not every woman will suffer badly from hot flashes, but for some, they can be really intense and frequent. Hot flashes can linger between six months to two years,  but there are tons of solutions that will offer relief, including Estrogen Replacement Therapy (ERT) and Bioidentical Hormone Therapy (BHT).

2. Menopause starts at 50

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Nope – menopause doesn’t kick in on your 50th

birthday! Studies have shown that menopause generally begins around 52, but you might end up experiencing symptoms as early as your late 30s or as late as your early 60s. As every woman is different, there’s no sure-fire way to predict when you’ll experience it.

3. You can still get pregnant

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Until you’ve gone 12 consecutive months without a period, you aren’t considered to be in menopause. So if you get your period after not having one for 11 months and 29 days, you’re still technically in perimenopause, which means there’s still a chance you could still get pregnant. After that, you won’t be able to have kids.

4. You gain weight

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While your hormones WILL fluctuate, which can sometimes cause weight, it’s not a guarantee. The fact is, your weight gets harder to control when you reach a certain age, but as long as you maintain a regular exercise routine with a healthy, balanced diet, you should be fine. In fact, you might even end up losing weight!

5. You need to pee all the time

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We’ll be honest – this is a problem for SOME women in menopause, but not all. As you get older, your bladder tissue starts to thin, and the urethra becomes a lot more prominent. This makes incontinence and urgency an issue for some menopausal women. If you’re struggling, you can use medication like vaginal estrogen treatments to help relieve symptoms.

6. Estrogen Replacement Therapy and Hormone Therapy are dangerous

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Not everyone will be suitable for ERT or HT, but plenty of women report significant relief from menopausal symptoms after having hormone treatments. As with all medication and medical treatments, be sure to have a consultation with your doctor to assess the risks and discuss potential treatment plans.

7. Being in menopause means you're old

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As we’ve covered above, women can start menopause any time from their late 30s to late 60s. And even if you start in your 60s, it doesn’t mean that you’re old! Like a lot of things in life, attitude can make a huge difference, and menopause just indicates a time of change and new possibilities for the future.

8. Your sex drive will disappear

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This is definitely NOT true. In fact, some women report that their libido actually increases! This is thought to be down to a greater sense of freedom (empty nest!) and no stresses about unplanned pregnancies. Women that experience low libido during menopause may have a hormone imbalance, which can be treated with Hormone Therapy (HT).

9. Menopause can make you feel depressed

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Several studies have shown that menopause does not cause depression. However, it’s completely normal for you to experience mood swings or brain fog during this time, as your body goes through a LOT of hormonal imbalances while it changes. This can be treated with medications though, so speak to your doctor if you’re struggling.

10. If you have surgical menopause, you won’t have any menopause symptoms

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Surgical menopause occurs when you have a total hysterectomy (removal of the uterus, cervix, ovaries, and fallopian tubes) or partial hysterectomy (removal of the uterus only). While natural menopause gradually happens, surgical menopause happens pretty rapidly as there’s a big shift in hormone balance. This means you’ll get symptoms soon after your operation.

11. Your symptoms aren't bad enough for you to see your doctor

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A lot of women can put off a trip to see their doctor if they think their menopause symptoms aren’t ‘bad’ enough yet. But if you’re struggling with uncomfortable symptoms, be sure to get some advice from a medical professional straight away. You don’t need to put up hot sweats or brain fog, and there are plenty of treatments that can help!

12. Menopause makes you irritable

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Your hormones might be going a bit wild, but menopause itself doesn’t actually cause irritability. However, if you’re suffering from hot flashes, weight gain or poor sleep, this might well make you a bit grumpy! Think of bad moods as an effect of menopause, rather than a cause. If you’re irritated on the reg, be sure to check in with a medical professional.

13. It makes you forgetful

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It’s definitely true that your brain can get foggier during perimenopause (the time just before menopause) and again during your actual menopause, but it doesn’t actually cause any memory loss. Again, you might be suffering because of other symptoms like lack of sleep, or you could be experiencing brain aging.

14. It starts when periods stop

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As we’ve already touched on, you’ll experience perimenopause before you get into the real thing. During this time, your periods will be irregular as your body starts to adjust. It’s not like turning a tap on and off – it’s a gradual process! Perimenopause isn’t the same for every woman, and it can last up to eight years.

15. Men experience the menopause too

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While it’s natural for men to experience a drop in testosterone as they age, they don’t actually have a menopause – despite what they may tell you otherwise! Plus, these testosterone levels decrease gradually – not quickly like estrogen in women. It really isn’t fair, but men simply don’t go through “the change” that women do.

16. You'll go through it the same age your mom did

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We know that genetics can play a pretty vital part in when you’ll go through menopause, but there are plenty of other factors that can affect this too. If you’re a smoker, you’ll start menopause around twelve years earlier than non-smokers, and you may end up starting early if you have an autoimmune disease. Women going through chemotherapy also find they experience menopause symptoms earlier than expected.

17. You NEED to take hormones

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While it’s super important to go to your doctor if you’re struggling with symptoms, you don’t NEED to take hormone pills if you’re not comfortable with it. Your doctor will be able to help you decide what’s right for you, and take you through tons of other treatment options like relaxation techniques and lifestyle changes.

18. There are no benefits to menopause

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It might seem like menopause is all hot flashes and nothing else, but there are some definite pros to it too. Lots of women can find that annoying premenstrual symptoms like bloating, migraine headaches, and those crazy premenstrual mood swings reduce significantly once they reach postmenopause.

19. Menopause gives you weak bones

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On average, a woman loses 10% of her bone mass during the menopause transition – but this is a totally normal part of the bone break down and build up process. According to experts, we reach our peak bone mass at age 30,  so we naturally experience more breaking down than building up after that. Women can handle this pretty well as they experience menopause, but factors like poor diet, family history and lifestyle can lead to excessive bone loss of up to 20%.

20. The first sign of menopause is hot flashes

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Hot flashes are the biggest symptom associated with the menopause. But this doesn’t mean that it’s the first sign that you’re experiencing “the change”. Women can experience anything from fatigue and tiredness to adult acne, hair loss, low libido and brain fog. In some cases, women even experience stronger cramps and breast tenderness as their periods come to an end.

21. After menopause, your body doesn't produce hormones

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To make it clear – your body will still definitely be producing hormones during and after menopause! Your sex hormones — estrogen, testosterone, and progesterone —will reduce once your reproductive years end simply because they’re not needed as much. However, your body still needs them and will continue to make them, but they’ll just be in lower amounts.

22. The older you are when you get your period, the older you’ll be when you start menopause

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The opposite is actually true here. If you began menstruating later than average, you might start menopause that bit earlier. However, as we’ve covered above, other factors can influence when you’ll experience menopause; while smoking can make your menopause start sooner, drinking alcohol has been linked to later menopause.

23. Menopause only causes physical symptoms

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Sudden shifts in hormones can lead to quick changes to your mood, memory and concentration. This is because estrogen and progesterone are hormones that affect our neurotransmitters. Estrogen helps us with our serotonin levels (the happy hormone FYI) and progesterone makes us feel less anxious. Reduce these hormones, and you’re going to feel the effects.

24. Menopause only lasts a couple of years

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We hate to be the bearers of bad news, but menopause can last a lot longer than a year or two. Studies show that perimenopause (your pre-menopause), can last around four years, and menopause can last on average four years too. However, some women have experienced these changes over the course of ten years.

25. If you DO gain weight, it's bad for you

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If you happen to gain weight during menopause, don’t despair. It’s a sign your body is just doing its job to try and protect you. As estrogen decreases, your body will lay down fat cells (especially around your belly) that are capable of estrogen production. Your body is basically topping up your hormone levels to help support your bones, heart, and brain health!

26. Menopause isn't a big deal

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It’s something women get told a LOT, but menopause is a huge change for your body. Just like in your teens, your hormones will create physical and mental changes, and it’s important that women get support with it. So if you’re struggling, please reach out for help, and remember - you don’t need to grin and bear it.

27. Natural remedies are safer than HRT

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While it’s great to try and keep things as natural as possible, be careful with natural remedies for menopause. There are no guarantees they work, and more importantly, they might not actually be safe or right for your body. Unlike HRT treatments, a lot of natural remedies haven’t been thoroughly researched yet.

28. There's no such thing as a menopause doctor

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There are TONS of menopause doctors out there who can help you with your symptoms. Be sure to look out for menopause specialists credentialed by the North American Menopause Society (NAMS), as they as licensed practitioners. They will look into your overall menopause health, and focus on those bothersome symptoms you need help with.

29. HRT delays the menopause

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One big myth about menopause is that HRT will delay it. But this isn’t true, as HRT only treats your menopause symptoms and nothing more. If you end up experiencing menopause symptoms when you stop taking it, this isn’t a result of taking hormones;  you would still have the same symptoms even if you’d never actually taken HRT treatment.

30. You'll get night sweats

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Hot flashes are the most common menopause symptom, so you’d be forgiven for thinking that you’ll experience night sweats. But not every woman has them, and even if you do, they might be down to your lifestyle. Try and avoid potential triggers like alcohol and spicy foods, as well as hot drinks like coffee and tea.