Seven in 10 women going through menopause complain of ‘brain fog’, according to a poll, which has also illustrated the wide range of symptoms associated with both it and perimenopause.
The survey of 40,000 UK women for the menopause supplement brand Issviva also found nearly half (47.5%) felt depressed.
More than half (52.4%) stated they experienced memory loss. More than two-thirds (67.5%) noted they had mood swings, and 63% said they were experiencing anxiety.
Tiredness was listed as the top complaint overall, by 85.7%, followed by muscle aches and pain, which was faced by 73%.
More than two-thirds (69.7%) said they had problems sleeping, and 48.1% had experienced night sweats.
More than half (53.8%) said they had been left with low libido, while 32.8% suffered from vaginal dryness. Forty-five per cent experienced urine leaks.
Sixty-nine per cent had gained weight, and 52.8% felt bloated. Forty per cent said they were newly experiencing problems with their skin, while a third (33.9%) had suffered hair loss.
For peri-menopausal women, the key complaints were mood swings and bloating while, for both, hot flushes (56.3%) and stiff joints were the top challenges faced.
“There are so many little known and understood symptoms that people going through menopause experience”, said Charlotte Hunter, specialist menopause nutritionist, in response to the survey findings.
The findings indicate the sheer breadth of symptoms that can be associated with menopause and add weight to calls by MPs that large employers should be required to offer menopause ‘action plans’ to employees and that women should have a ‘menopause health check’ when they hit the age of 40.
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