Menopause: Still a taboo subject?

With half the population going to go through the menopause, we wanted to find out how easy it was for women to discuss their symptoms with their loved ones.

Our research showed that despite having a huge impact on their lives daily, shockingly a third of women feel unable to talk to their partners about dealing with their symptoms at all and would be more likely to discuss the menopause with their friends or their doctor.

A significant 61 per cent of women say the symptoms of their hormonal changes have a massive effect on their lives and those around them.

Fascinatingly the statistics show that men want women to share their problems and are willing to be supportive, but often feel shut out.

Research methodology

An online survey was conducted by Atomik Research among 1,500 female and 500 male respondents who were going through, or partners were going through the menopause from the UK. The research fieldwork took place on 3rd April – 8th April 2020.

Below are some of the key findings from the survey which we hope you’ll find particularly interesting.

Female respondents asked

I feel the menopause is a taboo subject which no one wants to talk about.

Response	Percent
Strongly agree	11%
Slightly agree	33%
Neither / nor	21%
Slightly disagree	18%
Strongly disagree	13%
Don’t know	4%

How frequently have symptoms such as hot flushes affected your life since starting the symptoms of the menopause?

Response	Percent
Constantly	11%
At night	19%
During the day	6%
Every day	7%
Several times a week	17%

Have you ever felt uncomfortable by having a hot flush when: in the following situations?

Response	Percent
At work	21%
At a social event	23%
With partner	12%
Amongst friends or family	21%
At night	31%

Do you feel you can openly discuss the menopause with your partner?

Response	Percent
Yes, all the time	34%
Yes, some of the time	31%
Not really, occasionally	13%
Rarely	5%
Never	17%

Partners asked

I wish my partner would confide in me more about their menopause

Response	Percent
Strongly agree	25%
Slightly agree	32%
Neither / nor	29%
Slightly disagree	6%
Strongly disagree	6%

Has your partner’s symptoms affected her mood for better or worse?

Response	Percent
For the better	13%
About the same	43%
For the worse	43%

Read our top tips for cooling hot flushes