Menopause Myths, Mysteries and Misconceptions

Can we talk about this unnecessary and harmful cloak of silence and end the stigma?

Few human conditions so seriously, surely, and yet unexpectedly affect the health of half the global population as menopause, marked by everything from hot flashes and night sweats to serious internal plumbing problems, poor sleep and notable ongoing health risks. Likewise, few conditions of such seriousness are less talked about or more misunderstood.

For example: Did you know symptoms of menopause can kick in up to 10 years before a woman’s final menstrual period? That’s the conclusion of a new study of Spanish-speaking women around the world.

Or: Did you know hot flashes are a potential sign of heart disease to come, as a study last year suggested?

My odds of going through menopause are pretty slim. So like most men, I wasn’t aware of these facts. But a shockingly large percentage of women aren’t, either. I asked my postmenopausal wife what she knew before she started having symptoms, which by the way began about a decade before her formal menopause.

“I knew nothing,” she said. “It’s a very murky thing, and nobody talks about it.” That murkiness, the “lack of lines and definitions,” as she put it, make it hard to know when…