Women's Health Research at Yale: "Let's Talk About Menopause"

"Is it important for us to understand menopause now, even though it will not impact us for years? The answer, I found, is absolutely yes!...new research from this year suggests that woman may experience most menopause symptoms even earlier than we once thought. This late reproductive stage (LRS) can last for 10 years, and the severity of symptoms experienced by any one woman can be just as intense as they are in older women. Struggles with sleep, memory, and hot flashes can come as a surprise to women in their 30s. Woman of all ages need to have conversations with their health care providers about these topics. And researchers need to continue investigating perimenopause symptoms in younger women. Thankfully, there are also some things young women should do now to improve their chances for better long-term health, particularly to help prevent two diseases that grow more common as women age and the protective effect of estrogen diminishes: osteoporosis and heart disease."