The menopause experience is as unique as the women who go through the changes. That is the headline takeaway from a survey of more than 32,000 women that found people experience different sets of symptoms along distinct timelines.
Night sweats, hot flashes and brain fog are classic symptoms of the menopausal transition. As hormone levels change, typically between the ages of 45 and 55, women can experience those and other symptoms that affect their quality of life. But, while there are overlaps between women’s experiences, the timing of the transition and the most troublesome symptoms can differ from person to person.
Phenology, a supplement maker set up by the DSM-backed Hologram Sciences, surveyed women to see how much the experience varies between people. As a provider of “personalized, hormone-free relief,” the company’s business is built on the idea that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to menopause.
The survey supports that idea. Phenology asked 32,000 women about which of 16 symptoms they have. The question revealed “15,000 unique menopause symptom signatures,” suggesting few women have the exact same set of symptoms.
Women reported experiencing nine different symptoms, on average. The average rose from eight in the late reproductive stage to 11 during late postmenopause. The types of symptoms changed over time, too, with emotional symptoms dominating during early perimenopause. At that stage, mood swings were more common than hot flashes, with, respectively, 72% and 49% of women reporting the symptoms.
Phenology also quantified variability in the timing of the different stages of the menopause, which it split up into early perimenopause, late perimenopause, early postmenopause and late postmenopause. Age 50 was in the 25th to 75th percentile range for all four stages, meaning at that age some women are just starting their symptoms while others are at the end of the transition.
Multiple companies are working to provide relief to women, with supplement sellers such as Phenology up against providers of hormone replacement therapy, which helps relieve most symptoms, and developers of drugs aimed at specific aspects of menopause. Astellas is ramping up the marketing for Veozah, a drug designed to treat hot flashes, and Bayer is developing a rival therapy.