World Menopause Awareness Day 2023 & World Menopause Month

World Menopause Day takes place on 18 October 2023 and this year it focuses on raising awareness of menopause and cardiovascular health.

How to know if you’re experiencing perimenopause or menopause

Women’s health expert and GP, Dr Shilpa McQuillan, shares what to expect:

“Menopause is diagnosed once a woman has no menstrual periods for 12 months in a row. For many women this occurs between the age of 45 and 55, with the average age in UK being 51.”

“Some women do not experience any symptoms, but the majority of women will, and this can really impact on both physical and mental aspects of your life including relationships, work, and activities.”

She adds, “During perimenopause, some women may continue to have regular periods but experience symptoms of menopause. Many women may find these symptoms distressing and confusing as they are not aware that you can experience menopausal symptoms whilst still having periods. Speak to your GP if you feel this could be you and you would like more information on how to manage this. Some women also find it helpful to keep a diary of their periods and the symptoms they are experiencing.”

Read Dr Shilpa’s full article here: Menopause, perimenopause and post-menopause – A GP’s overview

When is World Perimenopause Day 2023?

World Perimenopause Day (launched in 2019 by Health & Her) is an annual awareness day that takes place on 11th October  – one week before World Menopause Day. World Perimenopause Day 2023 aims to raise awareness around the lesser known stage prior to menopause, where hormone levels fluctuate and as a result, women experience an array of menopause symptoms while still having periods.

What are the symptoms?

There are more than 30 recognised symptoms of menopause, and on average, women will experience nine of these*.

The top 9 symptoms of perimenopause are:

• Period Changes
• Hot flushes & Night Sweats
• Stress & Anxiety
• Sleeping Problems
• Brain Fog & Poor Concentration
• Skin & Hair Changes
• Mood Changes
• Low Energy
• Joint & Muscle Aches

The top 9 symptoms of menopause are:

• Sleeping Problems
• Hot flushes & Night Sweats
• Stress & Anxiety
• Weight Gain
• Low Energy
• Brain Fog & Poor Concentration
• Skin Changes
• Mood Changes
• Urinary Changes

For many women, Perimenopause and Menopause can be a life changing and isolating experience. But by raising awareness and education we hope to support women in joining the dots as they understand the connection between their symptoms and midlife hormone fluctuations.

Use our perimenopause and menopause symptom checker to help determine if you might be experiencing symptoms.

Track your symptoms with the NEW Health & Her Menopause app

Here is everything you need to know about the Health & Her menopause app

Available for free on iOS and Android.

Watch our short animation to learn about the facts and figures of menopause and perimenopause:

Discover real experiences from the women who’ve been there…

“For quite some time I’ve not felt like me – I fly off the handle at the tiniest of things, and the night sweats were out of control. Around February time I started to experience terrible heart palpitations and shortness of breath. I am awful at going to the doctors and tried to ignore it, however after a couple of panic attacks in March, as well as episodes of feeling very sad, low and uncontrollably angry, I felt I needed help, something I hate admitting.“

Kate’s story

“I had been fast asleep and was awoken by what felt like a train rushing through the room! I immediately leapt up in the bed and looked around wondering where the noise/thumping was coming from – and realised it was coming from inside of me! I tried to take deep breaths and calm myself down and even though my heart wouldn’t stop racing, I stayed as calm as I could...”

Lisa’s story

Read the menopause and perimenopause stories of real women.  

Campaign with us

From campaigning to help women get access to expert information, to sharing your own personal story – your support can help millions of women from around the world to join the dots and take on the change together.

Tell your story

Email us at [email protected] or find us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, and use the following hashtags to get involved:

#worldmenopausemonth
#worldperimenopauseday
#worldmenopauseday

References

*Health & Her Symptom Tool Research conducted with over 50,000 women.

[1] https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/medical/women/coronary-heart-disease-kills

[2] https://www.bhf.org.uk/what-we-do/news-from-the-bhf/contact-the-press-office/facts-and-figures#:~:text=Heart%20and%20circulatory%20diseases%20cause,men%20and%203.6%20million%20women.

[3] https://www.hriuk.org/health/learn/cardiovascular-disease/women-and-heart-disease#:~:text=Heart%20disease%20is%20the%20leading,in%20the%20UK%20and%20globally

[4] https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/conditions/heart-attack/women-and-heart-attacks#:~:text=chest%20pain%20or%20discomfort%20in,headed%20or%20short%20of%20breath.

[5] https://www.leeds.ac.uk/news/article/4328/estimated_8000_women_die_due_to_unequal_heart_attack_care

[6] https://www.ceu.ox.ac.uk/news/women2019s-age-at-first-menstrual-cycle-linked-to-heart-disease-risk

[7] https://www.escardio.org/The-ESC/Press-Office/Press-releases/Premature-menopause-is-associated-with-increased-risk-of-heart-problems

[8] https://www.bhf.org.uk/what-we-do/news-from-the-bhf/news-archive/2023/february/reproductive-factors-in-women-increase-cardiovascular-risk

[9] https://www.nhs.uk/health-assessment-tools/calculate-your-heart-age

[10] https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng23/ifp/chapter/benefits-and-risks-of-hrt#:~:text=Heart%20disease%20and%20stroke%20(cardiovascular%20disease),-Studies%20show%20that&text=If%20you%20start%20HRT%20before,of%20dying%20from%20cardiovascular%20disease.