A positive shift in perception results in celebrating menopause
Giddy interviewed Dr. Kimberly Larson-Ohlsen on the shift in perspective occurring in the Western world toward celebrating menopause. The experience of menopause is often stigmatized due to misunderstanding, but those stigmas are starting to break down and menopause is being looked at in a
more positive light.
Around the world there have been reports that symptoms experienced by people going through menopause can differ widely. Vasomotor symptoms (hot flashes and night sweats) are most common in the West, although according to a 2002 study published in the Bulletin of the Indian Institute of History of Medicine poor vision and shoulder pain are common in Japan and India.
With menopause becoming a more prevalent topic, women experiencing symptoms are more prone to ask for help. “Women are likely to spend over half their life in perimenopause and [post]menopause, and patients and colleagues are starting to talk about the climacteric as a treatable condition, not something to endure in silence,” says Dr. Larson-Ohlsen. “Knowledge is power and can reduce suffering.”