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Survey reveals over a ¼ of men in the UK have very little understanding of what menopause is
- 15.4% of men don’t want to know anything about the menopause
- 42.6% of men believe menopause is a strain on their relationship
- 18.5% of men don’t know how to respond or react if their partner is experiencing menopause
A survey from global market research agency, 3Gem Research & Insights reveals that over a quarter of men (26.4%) have very little understanding of what menopause is. Nearly a fifth (18.5%) admit they wouldn’t know how to respond or react if their partner is (or was) experiencing menopause symptoms. The UK wide survey of men in a relationship with a female partner, also revealed that 15.4% of men are not interested about the menopause - ‘it’s something just women need to know about’.
World Menopause Day (18th October) helps raise awareness globally of the menopause and the support options available for improving a woman’s health and wellbeing. The findings however, highlight that menopause isn’t just a challenging time for women. It can also be challenging for men. Nearly a quarter (24%) of men admit to not understanding symptoms enough to know how their partner will be (or was) affected by menopause.
Top Ten (ranked 1-10) of what men consider to be the main symptoms of menopause.
- Mood changes
- Night sweats
- Hot flushes
- Sleep problems
- Vaginal dryness
- Weight gain and slowed metabolism
- Personality changes
- Anxiety
- Chills
- Forgetfulness
One in ten men believe menopause typically lasted between nine and 12 months and almost a fifth (19.1%) think menopause is no different from men going through a mid-life crisis.
Menopause is also frequently cited as a reason for marriages breaking down. This is backed up by 42.6% of men who said that menopause is a strain on their relationship. Men are however, keen to learn more about menopause with 65% saying that more knowledge would help them understand their partner better. Knowledge that will ultimately benefit relationships over the long term.
Content creator, 54-year-old married mum of three Therese Ryan knows only too well about the importance of encouraging couples to get talking about menopause. Eighteen months ago she decided to share her menopause journey on social media. Therese now has over 500,000+ followers across TikTok and Instagram.
Therese comments: “I post regular tongue in cheek menopause related content to help break taboos and encourage people (men and women) to talk more openly about menopause. World Menopause Day is not just about women. It’s about the variety of different challenges we all face. It’s so important to understand what’s happening and know why it’s happening to help men and women navigate their way through the challenges of menopause - together.
