The Importance of Menopausal Care
- Women are thankfully becoming more comfortable discussing menopause, but experts say there remains an overall lack of comprehensive care and support for women going through this transition.
- Making a difference in menopausal care, Dr. Sarah Richina, Director of UPMC Magee-Womens Midlife Health Center, advocates for more personalized, interdisciplinary care to improve women’s long-term health and well-being.
- Dr. Richina tells SN Health that many women are reporting that they are struggling to keep up. “What we see and hear a lot is patients coming in and saying, ‘I don’t feel like myself.'” While hot flashes and night sweats are often the most advertised symptoms, Dr. Richina says fatigue is also one of the most common.
- Dr. Richina stresses the importance of talking through these changes. Helping patients figure it all out is “what’s most rewarding about doing menopausal care.” At Magee-Womens, she says they have moved towards a consultative, different model of care where we can expand our reach and see more patients and really kind of embrace those around us.”
Helping to fill this gap is Dr. Sarah Richina, Director of UPMC Magee-Womens Midlife Health Center in Pittsburgh, who advocates for personalized, interdisciplinary care to improve women’s long-term health and well-being.
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“It also comes at a time when there are a lot of responsibilities. You might be caretaking for your parents who are aging, or your children are growing and leaving home. And so, there are a lot of transitions happening in people’s lives at this point.”
Dr. Richina often hears from patients that work pressure can feel a bit more intense.
“People are also at the height of their careers,” she notes, “but they’re not processing or functioning to the best of their abilities. And so I have a lot of patients who are thinking about leaving the workforce.”
‘Changes in Focus and Processing’
When it comes to menopause, “We know there are deficits, changes in focus, learning abilities, and processing,” Dr. Richina explains of the commonly-described shifts women are feeling from symptoms.
“We see a huge number of patients who are newly diagnosed with ADHD [Adult/Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder],” she adds. “And maybe it’s something they could mask or compensate for for all those years [before menopause]. But all of a sudden, whatever’s going on, the shifts, the changes, the responsibilities, things are changing and that’s new [for them].”
Eighty percent of women will report classic symptoms, such as hot flashes and night sweats. Dr. Richina explains that fatigue is also “the most common impairment.”
While menopause can come with a slew of other symptoms, many of which are highly variable, Dr. Richina cautions against assuming every change you’re feeling in your body is because of this transition.
“Menopause is not just ovarian aging, but it’s also this inflection point, right, where chronic disease is brewing. And in many cases, some women do have more medical issues,” Dr. Richina notes.
Menopause: A ‘Puzzle-Piece’ Process
Navigating these changes of what is aging and what is menopause “can be really hard,” Dr. Richina says, adding that it is highly “rewarding” to help women with this “puzzle-piece” process.
“I think for patients just having somebody to talk [these changes] through with. And so I think that’s what’s most rewarding about doing menopausal care. I have the time, the space, and more wherewithal to kind of put it all together.”
“We’ve moved more towards a consultative, different model of care where we can expand our reach and see more patients and really kind of embrace those around us.”
Constant connectivity, news consumption and social media can leave people feeling chronically overstimulated and exhausted. Menopause or not, in this increasingly more digital world, women are feeling burnout faster. Humans were not designed to process information at the current pace.
Throw menopause into the mix, and it’s no wonder why women may be struggling more with the day-to-day.
“It’s back to basics, right? Like, are you getting restorative sleep? Oftentimes, that is a ‘No.’ What can we do to optimize that? So, how are you resting your body? How are you moving your body? Physical activity is super important,” Dr. Richina says.
“And how are you fueling your body? Food is medicine. Nutrition plays a really important role. I tell them what we did through our 20s and 30s — like rushing out the door with a granola bar on no sleep — we can’t really continue to get by through our 40s and 50s.”
Accountability is key. If you are feeling overwhelmed, don’t be afraid to ask for help. It is important to speak with a provider you trust to help walk you through these changes and challenges, and figure out a health plan, which may or may not include treatment, that suits your lifestyle.
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