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For Black women, navigating the midlife transition often comes with unique layers of complexity, as systemic barriers, cultural nuances, and symptom confusion can make getting clear answers especially difficult.<\/p>\n
About one in three women over 35 is unsure whether she\u2019s in perimenopause \u2014 and researchers say symptom confusion is a major reason why.<\/p>\n
A team led by Yihan Xu<\/a>, from Flo Health Inc. in London, surveyed more than 7,600 U.S. women, and 34 percent said they were unsure of their reproductive stage. That uncertainty peaked at 42 percent among women ages 40 to 44.<\/p>\n What is Perimenopause?<\/p>\n Perimenopause <\/a>is the transitional period leading up to a woman\u2019s final menstrual cycle. During this time, the main female hormone in your body rises and falls, causing your periods to become longer or shorter.<\/p>\n It often begins in a woman\u2019s mid-40s, but it can start earlier and last four to eight years.<\/p>\n Common symptoms include hot flashes, mood changes, vaginal dryness and recurring urinary tract infections, which often affect quality of life. Your body may also skip ovulation, the process in which your ovaries release an egg.<\/p>\n In addition to age, other common risk factors for perimenopause, according to the Mayo Clinic<\/a>, include:<\/p>\n Smoking. Menopause happens one to two years earlier in smokers than in nonsmokers.<\/p>\n Family history. Women with a family history of early menopause also may go through early menopause.<\/p>\n Cancer treatment. Cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and pelvic radiation therapy have been linked to early menopause.<\/p>\n Hysterectomy. A hysterectomy that removes your uterus, but not your ovaries, usually doesn\u2019t cause menopause right away. Your ovaries still make estrogen even though you don\u2019t have periods. But this surgery can sometimes cause menopause to happen earlier than usual. Also, if you have one ovary removed, the ovary you still have might stop working sooner than expected.<\/p>\n If you have thyroid disease, rheumatoid arthritis, or other autoimmune diseases, you may also develop menopause earlier.<\/p>\n RELATED: Q&A: Help Me Deal With Perimenopause<\/a><\/p>\n What the Study Shows<\/p>\n More than half of respondents (56 percent) said they struggled to tell whether changes they were experiencing were caused by perimenopause or something else.<\/p>\n There is no definitive lab test for perimenopause, researchers said, and symptoms can overlap with conditions such as premenstrual syndrome, thyroid disease and mental health conditions.<\/p>\n \u201cSymptom confusion, misconceptions and barriers to care are leaving many women without the clarity and support they need during the menopause\u00a0<\/a>transition,\u201d said study co-author Dr. Stephanie Faubion<\/a>, medical director for The Menopause Society.<\/p>\n The goal, the authors said, is to move beyond searching for a diagnosis and instead provide women with the information, validation and support they need.<\/p>\n
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