LGBTQIA & Menopause

ICYMI: menopause is having a moment.

And that’s great. It deserves to. But one thing I have seen missing from most awareness campaigns is focus on perimenopause experience for sexual medicine. This could be said of many issues in the setting of “women’s health“.

Statistics show that in general LGBTQIA persons receive less healthcare for a variety of reasons, including stigma & lack of awareness in healthcare providers resulting in traumatic experiences for many. We can all do better to provide a safe place for medical care.

All persons assigned female gender at birth are likely to experience hormonally-related symptoms around the time of menopause, but due to real concerns of where to go for equitable, inclusive, & compassionate care there exists a barrier to receiving appropriate treatment leading to years of unnecessary suffering.

Depending on use of gender-affirming medical therapies, some transmasculine folks may struggle with earlier or more severe perimenopausal symptoms.

Remember, perimenopause is not just hot flashes. Cognitive, mental, sexual, emotional, metabolic, vaginal, urinary, musculoskeletal symptoms are all possible.

Bottom line is we need to expand menopause awareness & education to all who struggling with symptoms related to hormone loss. And we as medical providers, specifically those of us who are menopause specialists need to continue education to provide safe, effective, inclusive care for all experiencing perimenopausal symptoms.

@queermenopause founder psychotherapist Tania Glyde has aexcellent article (Lancet v400 11/5/2022) ‘LGTBQIA+ menopause: room for improvement’ & website has great info for providers & help seekers. @theadvocatemag piece ‘Misinformation & Menopause” for LGBTQ community linked on menopause page of my website.

Let’s be sure all who struggling with menopausal symptoms have access to care they need.