Many Women Blame Menopause For Marriage Problems, Survey Says

Seven in 10 women blame the menopause for their divorce or marriage problems, with some saying it has increased arguments or domestic abuse, according to a new survey.

More than 1,000 women took part in the survey for the Family Law Menopause Project and Newson Health Research and Education.

Almost eight out of every 10 women experiencing marriage problems said the symptoms of perimenopause or menopause put a strain on their family life.

Only a third of all the women surveyed said they had been offered treatment or HRT (hormone replacement therapy) to relieve their symptoms.

Of those who took HRT, 65% said it had a positive effect.

But most of the women who were not offered support or treatment said that, if they had been, it might have saved their marriage.

Dr Louise Newson, a GP and menopause specialist who runs Newson Health, said:

"While the physical symptoms of the menopause are well-known and often discussed, the mental health impact is often ignored and can be catastrophic for many women, having a deeply negative effect on their work, relationships and finances as a result.

"Our mission is to improve the health outcomes for perimenopausal and menopausal women through further education and research and this research does just that."

'Lack of understanding within family law of the impact of perimenopause and menopause'

Farhana Shahzady, founder of the Family Law Menopause Project, said:

"This ground-breaking survey of women confirms the link between menopause and divorce and further highlights the lack of understanding within the family law profession of the impact of perimenopause and menopause.

"Of deep concern to me is that more than half of the respondents said that perimenopause or menopause had (or will) make it harder for them to save for retirement and/or reduce their ability to save into pensions.

"This means that women may face real financial hardship as they approach retirement, post-divorce/separation.

"It is clear that the family law profession, as in wider society, needs to appreciate the reality of menopause and that we must be better equipped to support the many clients who are profoundly affected by menopause."

'A woman's memory changes at menopause'

Meanwhile, the International Menopause Society (IMS) has published a paper highlighting brain fog in menopause and perimenopause.

The paper says those symptoms include difficulty remembering words and numbers, disruptions in daily life such as misplacing items like keys, trouble concentrating, absent mindedness, losing a train of thought, being more easily distracted,, difficulty switching between tasks, and forgetting appointments and events.

Memory complaints may be caused by rising and falling hormones levels, especially oestrogen, and by hot flushes, sleep disturbances and changes in mood, the study said.

'Brain fog is common'

Co-author Dr Nicole Jaff said:

"Research studies find that a woman's memory does change at menopause and 'brain fog' is common.

"While this can temporarily affect a woman's quality of life, the good news is that symptoms are generally mild and resolve post-menopause.

"Women are often concerned that these memory issues are an early symptom of Alzheimer's disease or dementia, but these conditions are very rare in midlife.

"Women should be reassured that most memory problems before and during menopause will typically get better over time."

(c) Sky News 2022: Many women blame menopause for marriage problems, survey says