"As a culture, women have been expected to suffer through symptoms..."
Dr. Rahman points to several commonly overlooked early warning signs women in their 30s should watch for:
2. Sleep changes: Difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or feeling rested — even when maintaining the same sleep schedule.
3. Sexual function changes: Pain during sex, urinary frequency and urgency, and diminished desire.
The US knowledge gap isn't simply about access to information. It reflects deeper cultural and medical frameworks that have shaped how menopause is understood — and misunderstood — for decades.
The pattern, Dr. Rahman notes, echoes broader trends in women's healthcare in the United States. "We have a culture that expects us to bounce back and push through," she says. "Take, for example, the limited postpartum interventions, time off, and maternal care in the US."
The study also revealed that only 16% of women aged 35 and older self-identified as being in perimenopause, while 33% were unsure of their reproductive stage — suggesting that many women experiencing symptoms have no framework for understanding what's happening to their bodies.
