Women are suffering needlessly through menopause transition, physicians say

Sue Panton thought she was having a heart attack.

Her father had just died from cancer, so the physicians treating her said the racing heart was likely due to stress.

In the space of a few months in 2018, the school teacher from Victoria — then 52 years old — visited an emergency department four times.

It turns out she was experiencing heart palpitations, one of more than 30 symptoms of perimenopause identified by the non-profit Menopause Foundation of Canada.

In addition to heart palpitations and hot flashes nearly hourly throughout the day, Panton was battling recurrent urinary tract and bladder infections — on top of really challenging gastrointestinal issues, for which she'd had a battery of tests.

"I was sort of at my absolute wit's end," Panton told White Coat, Black Art.

That's when she started researching her symptoms online and discovered that they could all potentially be linked to the menopause transition. Until then, "I did not connect any of the dots, nor did my doctor."

On the North American Menopause Society website, she found the name of a qualified doctor in her city (there are now five listed in Victoria). Panton got a referral from her family physician, who she said recognized he didn't know how best to help manage her hormones.

Physicians say lack of information and poor access to doctors who have received specialized training on menopause have left most women without the tools they need to manage what can sometimes amount to debilitating symptoms.

It's a systemic problem that needs a solution, starting with a whole lot more conversation about it, said Dr. Iris Gorfinkel, who helps patients with perimenopause symptoms at her Toronto family medical practice.

"Who talks about it? Who prepares women for this? For most of us, it comes on as a big surprise," said Gorfinkel, who counts herself among those who have found the menopause transition unexpectedly difficult, despite being a female physician.

Sure, most people know to expect hot flashes, she said, but the severity can still be a shock until you've experienced them yourself.

Because of demands on their time, it can be hard for primary care physicians to proactively chat with each of their patients ahead of the perimenopausal years about what to expect, Gorfinkel said.

But if women can come to an appointment armed with a few brief notes on the symptoms they're experiencing, such as hot flashes, insomnia and memory loss — and on the frequency and severity — it can help their doctor identify appropriate treatments, she said.