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😔 Survey Shows the Emotional Impact of Perimenopause
I was pretty deep into perimenopause before I realized I was even in perimenopause, because I wasn’t having hot flashes, and at the time, that’s the hallmark symptom that I associated with the transition.
I didn’t realize that the 3 a.m. anxiety attacks I started having around 46 were harbingers of larger hormonal changes to come. I have friends who struggle with bouts of rage, but have yet to break a menopausal sweat. So, I’m grateful for companies like Bonafide that shine a light in these darker emotional corners of the transition, as they have with their sixth annual State of Menopause Survey, which reports that women are increasingly reporting that the emotional, cognitive, and social aspects of perimenopause are having a greater negative effect on their lives than the more commonly discussed physical symptoms like hot flashes.
This year’s survey includes more than 2,000 women ages 40 to 64 who are experiencing peri/menopause symptoms, the majority of whom (71%) also did not recognize their first symptom as being related to perimenopause or menopause.
Here’s what they found:
The Mental & Emotional Impacts
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Anxiety, panic attacks, and depression surpassed hot flashes as the number‑one most impactful symptom.
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60% say their menopause symptoms negatively affect their emotional or mental health.
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50% say symptoms affect their cognitive health.
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77% report cognitive changes (e.g., brain fog).
Work, Motivation & Income impact
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56% say declining motivation is the biggest way symptoms affect their work.
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Nearly half (48%) say menopause symptoms have negatively affected their income.
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23% report losing at least $10,000 because of menopause symptoms.
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27% have hidden their symptoms for fear of workplace discrimination.
Daily Function Impact
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69% want to be alone more often.
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74% say they are annoyed by things that didn’t annoy them before.
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65% feel overwhelmed by everyday life.
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52% say they don’t feel like they have the tools to thrive.
When more than half of women say they don’t have the tools to thrive, and 71% don’t recognize their first symptoms as hormonal, it’s a sign that though awareness and treatment have improved over the past several years, we still have a long way to go…as the study below shows, we also need to share our symptoms with our providers.
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👀 What Caught My Eye
In what’s not terribly surprising news, women also tend to share more about many of their symptoms with each other than their doctors. A new study in JAMA Network Open analyzed more than 2 million electronic health records alongside top posts from Reddit’s r/menopause forum. They found that cognitive and emotional symptoms were three to four times more likely to be discussed in forums than documented in clinic notes, where the focus remains on classic physical complaints like hot flashes and night sweats. “Electronic health records tell us what medicine sees. Online communities tell us what patients live,” UMD Professor Yulin Hswen said in a press release. “We need both.” Hear hear.
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🔥Badass Athlete of the Week Goes To…
Mad props to endurance legend Heather Jackson, 42, who is in the midst of an audacious 2026 ultra racing calendar. The 6x Ironman Champion, 16x 70.3 champion came out swinging this season with a 2nd place at The Big Alta 50K, 1st place at Desert Rats by UTMB 100K, and 4th place at her debut at the Cocodona 250 miler, before heading to Kansas less than a month later to defend her title at the 350-mile Unbound XL, where she got 3rd.
Last month, she set off on a Fastest Known Time (FTK) attempt at the 2,745-mile Tour Divide route from Banff, Alberta, to the U.S.-Mexico border in Antelope Wells, New Mexico. Unfortunately, she had to abandon after 4 days due to severe neck and hand issues. We know you’re crushed with disappointment, Heather, but you’ll always be an inspiration to us for lining up and putting yourself out there. We’ll be cheering you on in your next big endeavor.
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👉Want a chance to be featured? Click here to share your badass story |
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👩🏻🔬 Hit Play Research Round Up
We spend a lot of time scouring the latest research for news you can use to stay strong and feisty forever. Here’s what’s making waves this week:
📈One third of women don’t know what reproductive stage they’re in. A new study involving more than 7,600 US women, 35 and older, reports that 34% of participants reported being unsure of their reproductive stage, which increased to 42% in those 40 to 44 years old. Symptoms weren’t a dead giveaway, either, as 37% among those with severe symptom burden couldn’t tell you if they were perimenopausal. The researchers say symptom confusion, knowledge gaps, and barriers to confirmation and care contribute to this uncertainty, which we need to fix if we want women to get proper, timely care.
🥱Poor sleep messes with older women’s minds differently. A new brain imaging study found that poor sleep in older women shows up in a distinct wiring pattern that’s linked to worse memory. Specifically, women with worse sleep had “overwired” connections between memory and attention networks in the brain—a pattern also seen in very early, Alzheimer’s-like brain changes. They also performed worse on memory tests. These connections were not seen in men or younger women. Yet another reason to prioritize our sleep health.
🥯 Low carb = lower durability. A new lab study of female cyclists showed that a low‑carb day after glycogen‑depleting intervals led to lower power at the point where moderate riding starts to feel hard and reduced pedaling efficiency, even though their all‑out 3‑minute effort stayed the same. Underfueling doesn’t just make you feel flat; it can also erode your sustainable power, even if you can still hit your top end. Fueled riders are faster for the long haul.
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Feisty 40+ is written by Selene Yeager. Editing and ads by Ella Neumann.
Live Feisty Media Corporation, 2031 Store St #30, Victoria, British Columbia V8T 5L9, Canada
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