New Racial Disparities in Menopause: 7 Key Considerations!

Menopause signifies the cessation of the menstrual cycle; loss of a period for a year signifies its onset.

In the premenopausal years, an individual’s hormone levels progressively decline, and during this phase, some may experience changes to their menstrual cycles as well as vasomotor symptoms (hot flashes).

The timeframe between the reduction in hormones until a year post the last menstrual cycle is referred to as perimenopause or the menopausal transition phase. Many people address this entire process simply as menopause.

Research suggests that racial gaps affect the experience of this stage of life.

Therefore, this article aims to discuss some of these Racial Disparities during and after the menopausal transition.

It is essential to highlight that sex and gender are spectrums. For ease, this article generally refers to “women” to denote the sex assigned at birth.

This phase marks the decline of estrogen and progesterone, both produced by the ovaries, resulting in the commencement of the menopausal transition.

Onset of Racial Disparities of menopause

In most women, this occurs around the age of 45, according to an old, trusted Source.

However, other research implies that ethnicity and race may influence the timing of this shift. For example, one study discovered that Black women initiated the menopausal transition an average of 8.5 months earlier than white women.

Other groups have shown similar trends. Compared with non-Hispanic white women, Hispanic and Native Hawaiian women tend to start the menopausal transition earlier. In contrast, Japanese Americans may begin this transition later than other groups.

These changes will likely be connected with underlying health inequalities within these populations, particularly those with lower socioeconomic status. Black, Hispanic, and Native women face a greater risk of health disparities, which increase the likelihood of early menopause, including:

• socioeconomic strain
• Increased alcohol or tobacco consumption
• Health issues

As an example, the later average onset of menopause for white women as compared to Black women was accounted for entirely once controlling for health factors like weight, smoking, drinking, education, job, prior use of birth control, and exercise.

Menopause Duration

The duration of the stage of menopause can last anywhere between 2 and 14 years, although the average is 4 to 7 years.

The time frame of menopause is contingent upon several genetic and lifestyle characteristics.

The most marked predictor is the onset age, with numerous studies showing that it is considerably associated with the age of onset. One of the studies on 1145 women noted that the median length of the menopausal transition period was over four years shorter for individuals with a later onset age than those with an earlier onset age.

This study also showed that the menopausal transition period was longer for black women as compared to white women, which is in line with the previously mentioned lower age of onset in this group.

Symptoms of menopause

During the process of transitioning to menopause, various levels of hormones are released, which may result in several symptoms, such as

• irregular bleeding
• VMS (vasomotor management system, which includes hot flashes and/or night sweats)
• sleep disturbances
• a form of mood change or temperamental
• reduced vaginal lubrication, coital discomfort, or diminished sexual desire

Folk approaches to menopause transition in cultures differing from the Western ones mostly view these changes as shameful. Therefore, their removal remains neglected, resulting in insufficient and untimely treatment. Research suggests that black women are more likely to experience troublesome VMS compared to white women.

Research has shown that around fifty percent of Black women experience VMS during perimenopause, as opposed to one-third of white women.

Also, Black women are more likely than white women to be affected by these symptoms, both in terms of their severity and duration.

Black women, in comparison to white women, are more prone to certain sleep disturbances, such as insomnia, around the time of the menopause transition and have greater difficulty with long-term maintenance of sleep.

In comparison, white women seem to have a greater propensity than other groups to present gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms of concern during the perimenopausal phase.

Asians were the least affected by these symptoms, according to a 2022 study; moreover, Black and Hispanic women presented with less severe and less frequent GI symptoms.

Access to healthcare

While it appears that Black and Hispanic women experience more severe symptoms during the menopausal transition, these groups seem to have lower rates of symptom documentation compared to white women.

Consequently, these groups are underdiagnosed for menopausal symptomatology.

In the 2022 study conducted with over 200,000 women in the United States Veterans Health Administration system, Black and Hispanic women were found to be 26% and 32% less likely, respectively, to receive a prescription for hormone therapy for menopause symptoms in comparison to white women.

Black women, for instance, seemed to receive less vaginal estrogen therapy.

Evidence suggests several factors may lead to these discrepancies. Differences in organizational schemas where women narrate their experiences during menopause, for instance, may explain the neglect of specific symptoms for specific populations.

Differences in interests could also contribute. Research indicates that Black women are less likely than white women to be interested in hormonal therapy for menopausal symptoms.

Health concerns following menopause

Every woman, regardless of ethnicity, faces an escalated risk of certain health disorders after menopause because of reduced levels of hormones. These disorders encompass:

• HEART DISEASE
• OSTEOPOROSIS
• DIABETES
• CANCER

An early onset of menopause increases the chances of heart disease prematurely. As Black and Hispanic women are more likely than white women to undergo menopausal transition earlier in their lives, this puts them at a higher risk of postmenopausal heart disease.

There is also a higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome among Black and Hispanic women compared to white women. Metabolic syndrome is a combination of several conditions that lead to an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and some other health complications. These conditions include:

• High blood pressure
• Elevated fasting blood glucose levels
• dyslipidemia (unhealthy levels of lipids in the blood)

A reliable source notes that pre-existing health conditions such as metabolic syndrome become more acute during the menopausal transition for Black women, heightening the chances of developing serious concerns in later life.

The takeaway

Disparities exist among Women of color around the care they receive before, during, and after the menopause phase, which demonstrates a lack of attention from the healthcare system in meeting their specialized requirements.

It is vital to know that actively safeguarding your health during menopause is essential. If you have worries about health or comfort during menopause, approach a healthcare professional for better clarity on available options.