Opinion: It’s Time For Kamala Harris to Talk About Menopause
If elected this November, Kamala Harris will make history as a lot of “firsts.” She would be the first woman to hold the presidency, as well as the first Black woman, the first South Asian woman, the first President with a Jewish spouse—and most likely the first President in menopause.
As a Board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist, I think this would be very interesting. (Then again, it would also be interesting if we had a pre-menopausal President, but I digress.) The possibility that Harris’ administration could bring attention to this critical area of women's health is definitely a good thing. After all, every single year in the US, approximately 1.3 million women officially enter menopause, meaning it has been 12 months since their last period.
Though the average age of menopause for American women is 51, women can experience menopause anytime between the ages of 45 and 56, and roughly 5% of women experience women prematurely, before age 40. The symptoms of menopause—which 80% of women will experience some of during menopause, though the severity varies—are often significant. What kind of things are we talking about? They can run the gamut, head to toe, and include migraines, brain fog, insomnia, anxiety, depression, palpitations, musculoskeletal issues, a mid-section weight gain of on average 5-10 pounds, fatigue, painful intercourse, irregular bleeding and of course, hot flashes.