Menopause health concerns of fatigue, mood changes, and sleep disturbances lead the list of challenges with alarming impact on quality of life, but 94 percent of women don’t get enough support to manage side-effects, a Gennev survey found. Gennev, a first-of-its-kind online clinic for women in menopause, today announced the first annual Menopause Zeitgeist, the largest survey of its kind with results from more than 6,000 women. The Menopause Zeitgeist captures the top perimenopause and post-menopause symptoms women faced in 2019 — and what women want in 2020.
With three of America’s most prominent women celebrities — Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Lopez, and Gwen Stefani — making 50 look like the new 30, 2019 was a year of squashing stereotypes attached to women growing older. It was also the year that 36 female CEOs were in the Fortune 500 and the number of women in political positions continued to skyrocket. And many of these record-breaking women are in peri- or post-menopause.
In a similar spirit of women thriving, the Gennev survey results showed that women report aging into and out of the menopause transition as happier (72 percent), physically stronger (57 percent), more confident (69 percent) and more in control of their career (54 percent) compared to their decade-younger self. However, survey results also captured 10 areas where menopause symptoms had a moderate to very high impact on their quality life. Sadly, even though facing these challenges and more, only 33 percent of women felt fully supported by their significant other or medical professionals (46 percent), yet more did find support in other women like sisters, girlfriends and family (58 percent) and online communities of like-minded women (50 percent).
What Women Want in 2020: Normalize the Menopause Discussion
In 2020, women are clearly ready to demonstrate that menopause isn’t some sort of expiration date, but rather a kickoff to the second phase of life with 66 percent saying they wanted to normalize the discussion. In fact, 96 percent have placed a higher priority on their health and wellness compared to their decade-younger self. And 64 percent state that they have more disposable income today than they did 10 years ago.
But social stigmas around taboo subjects can be tough to overcome on your own: For example, only 1 in 5 women consistently turn to their spouse or partner for support. Also, women are less comfortable talking about things like vaginal concerns, painful sex, and lack of labido compared to other topics. Women felt the best way spouses and partners can support them in 2020 is to not take their menopause symptoms — like irritability — personally (46 percent), to get more educated about menopause (43 percent), and to be patient (38 percent).
Women also identified several challenges they face in 2020, with balancing work and their personal life being the most challenging (44 percent), followed by prioritizing self-care (38 percent).
Though used to describe the entire experience, “menopause” is technically just one day: the 1-year anniversary of a woman’s last period. While menopause generally occurs naturally around age 51, many women experience physical changes in the 5-10 years prior, a stage called “perimenopause.” Following that one-year anniversary of her last period, she’s “post-menopausal.”
Surprisingly, women on both sides of menopause were less concerned about neurological symptoms like dementia and Alzheimer's or cardiovascular concerns, even though heart disease is the #1 killer of women and women get Alzheimer’s at twice the rate of men. Also surprising, at the bottom of the list of concerns was bone health, even though it is estimated that 8 million women have osteoporosis and 27.3 million women suffer from low bone density.
I had a chance to interview Jill Angelo, founder and CEO at Gennev.
Why was this survey conducted?
The Gennev Menopause Zeitgeist is the most comprehensive review we’ve done so far of the Menopause Assessment data our community shares.
The Menopause Assessment is a free survey women can take on our website to better understand where they are in their menopause journey. We created the Assessment because there’s not great information out there about the stages of the perimenopause-to-post-
We learned important things across the population of women who had taken the free assessment that we felt would be useful for women at large to help them be prepared.
And it helps bring menopause into the larger conversation. Menopause is not often talked about, and when you have 6000 women talking about it through their own experience, sharing with others starts to normalize it, which is what over 70 perfect of our surveyed women said they want to see happen.
Why is it important for women to be aware of the experiences other women have during menopause?
We commonly hear that women feel alone or think that they’re the only ones experiencing the symptoms that come with the menopause change. This is isolating and only adds to the physical and emotional discomfort.
Knowing what others are experiencing, and that you are “normal” is huge for women. When women know that what they’re experiencing is normal, their fears and worries that something is medically wrong with them go away. With that realization, they can move on to finding solutions that help them feel better, and get on with life.
How can women find the best options for managing any negative symptoms during menopause?
We start with “be informed.” Understand what’s happening in your body and where you may be in the menopause transition. That is what our free Menopause Assessment is designed for. It’s also why we created our free Menopause Guide to give a complete overview.
Armed with that information, we recommend connecting with a doctor to have a conversation about medical options for symptom relief. Our team of doctors are available via convenient telemedicine options on Gennev.com if a woman isn’t getting the medical attention she needs.
In addition to medical advice, we highly recommend that women make the necessary lifestyle shifts – nutrition, sleep, exercise, supplements – needed to manage their symptoms. Our bodies are going through a change, and our behaviors impact how we feel immensely.
There are lots of complementary options to explore as well, and it can get overwhelming: acupuncture, yoga, a great many herbal or naturopathic remedies — what’s safe, what’s effective, how do you combine treatments to get the best path forward for your body and goals?
To help women develop their own personalized menopause plan, we offer a HealthFix membership, which gives a woman 1:1 access with a Certified Health Coach who is also a Registered Dietitian. A coach helps you understand the options, determine what combination works best for you, then keeps you accountable to those needed lifestyle changes. Our coaches can also work with you and your doctor on a plan for the whole person.
Gennev believes in a team approach to managing menopause — with the woman at the center. From there, it’s an ongoing conversation to stay on top of changes and keep her feeling healthy and good through and beyond the menopause transition.
The Gennev Menopause Zeitgeist is the most comprehensive review we’ve done so far of the Menopause Assessment data our community shares.
The Menopause Assessment is a free survey women can take on our website to better understand where they are in their menopause journey. We created the Assessment because there’s not great information out there about the stages of the perimenopause-to-post-
We learned important things across the population of women who had taken the free assessment that we felt would be useful for women at large to help them be prepared.
And it helps bring menopause into the larger conversation. Menopause is not often talked about, and when you have 6000 women talking about it through their own experience, sharing with others starts to normalize it, which is what over 70 perfect of our surveyed women said they want to see happen.
Why is it important for women to be aware of the experiences other women have during menopause?
We commonly hear that women feel alone or think that they’re the only ones experiencing the symptoms that come with the menopause change. This is isolating and only adds to the physical and emotional discomfort.
Knowing what others are experiencing, and that you are “normal” is huge for women. When women know that what they’re experiencing is normal, their fears and worries that something is medically wrong with them go away. With that realization, they can move on to finding solutions that help them feel better, and get on with life.
How can women find the best options for managing any negative symptoms during menopause?
We start with “be informed.” Understand what’s happening in your body and where you may be in the menopause transition. That is what our free Menopause Assessment is designed for. It’s also why we created our free Menopause Guide to give a complete overview.
Armed with that information, we recommend connecting with a doctor to have a conversation about medical options for symptom relief. Our team of doctors are available via convenient telemedicine options on Gennev.com if a woman isn’t getting the medical attention she needs.
In addition to medical advice, we highly recommend that women make the necessary lifestyle shifts – nutrition, sleep, exercise, supplements – needed to manage their symptoms. Our bodies are going through a change, and our behaviors impact how we feel immensely.
There are lots of complementary options to explore as well, and it can get overwhelming: acupuncture, yoga, a great many herbal or naturopathic remedies — what’s safe, what’s effective, how do you combine treatments to get the best path forward for your body and goals?
To help women develop their own personalized menopause plan, we offer a HealthFix membership, which gives a woman 1:1 access with a Certified Health Coach who is also a Registered Dietitian. A coach helps you understand the options, determine what combination works best for you, then keeps you accountable to those needed lifestyle changes. Our coaches can also work with you and your doctor on a plan for the whole person.
Gennev believes in a team approach to managing menopause — with the woman at the center. From there, it’s an ongoing conversation to stay on top of changes and keep her feeling healthy and good through and beyond the menopause transition.
About Gennev
Gennev is the first-of-its-kind online clinic for women in menopause. The company's mission is to empower every woman to take control of her health in the second half of life. Founded by former Microsoft executive Jill Angelo and former Neutrogena executive Jacqui Brandwynne, Gennev provides telemedicine with menopause-certified OB/GYNs, on-demand health coaching with registered dietitians, health and wellness products, community, and free education. Thousands of women globally have completed the Gennev Menopause Assessment to understand where they are in the journey and receive recommended health and wellness solutions. For more information, visit www.gennev.com.
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