Illustration by Mira Norian for Verywell Health
This disparity is due to a combination of environmental and socioeconomic factors.
All of this leads to a harder time getting symptom relief.
That implies they bear a higher burden of suffering from these symptoms during those years.
How do access to care issues impact Black women going through menopause?
What treatment options are available to help manage menopause symptoms?
The treatment can be oral or topical medications such as patches, gels, or sprays.
Illustration by Mira Norian for Verywell Health
Other options include certain medications that are usually used to treat depression.
These antidepressants can improve menopause symptoms for women who do not suffer from depression.
How would you recommend women discuss menopause with their healthcare providers?
Dr. Rainford: Women should bring up their concerns if their menopause symptoms are bothersome.
Women should not give up on getting their symptoms addressed.
Sometimes it requires persistence and multiple visits or getting a second opinion from another provider.
Illustration by Mira Norian for Verywell Health
Key Terms
Menopause is the biological process marked by a hormonal decline that causes menstruation to end.
It is diagnosed when a person has not had a period for 12 consecutive months.
Hormone therapy is a medical treatment used to increase or decrease hormone levels.
In menopause, hormone therapy can replace declining estrogen and progesterone to help improve symptoms.
They are most common during menopause.
Night sweats are experiences of sweating at night while sleeping.
They are a common symptom of menopause.
In the United States, the average age for menopause to start is 52 years.
Menopause marks the end of menstruation.
Postmenopausal bleeding is not your period returning.
As such, vaginal bleeding after menopause requires prompt medical attention from a healthcare provider.
Hot flashes include symptoms such as sweating on the face, neck, and chest and a burning sensation.
The warmth of a hot flash is often accompanied by flushing, which is redness of the affected areas.
You may also experience heavy sweating, tingling of your fingers, and palpitations.
Let’s Talk Menopause provided Verywell Health with the personal story connections for this Health Divide.
More Resources
North American Menopause Society.Menopause 101: a primer for the perimenopausal.
National Institute on Aging.What is menopause?
2022;26:100389. doi:10.1016/j.coemr.2022.100389
KFF.Health coverage by race and ethnicity, 2010-2021.
2014;21(10):1038-1062. doi:10.1097/gme.0000000000000319
