Women in South Africa are increasingly challenging the silence around menopause and the expectation that they should simply endure its symptoms, Daily Maverick reports. Research cited by the publication suggests many women never discuss menopause with a health worker; in a 2017 study of 450 Black women near Pretoria, more than three-quarters had never sought medical help.
Researcher Sostina Matina, who studied women's views in Gauteng and North West, said low use of treatment in public clinics should not be read as rejection of care, as many women had never had the options explained. She said health workers often turn women away, especially those with early symptoms. National guidelines do include hormone therapy, which the South African Menopause Society says is the most effective treatment for hot flushes. Campaigner Xoli Madlala travels the country encouraging open discussion.
Source: Daily Maverick