Black People Spend 10 Years in Menopause, on Average, Compared To 7 for White—But They’re Less Likely To Receive Care



These were the conclusions of a recent literature review I co-conducted on the racial disparities in menopause. My five co-authors and I reviewed 100-plus published studies covering menopausal outcomes (like age at menopause onset, hormone levels, sleep symptoms, and more) in order to get a full picture of cultural differences. What we found is that not only were menopause symptoms in Black people more severe and longer-lasting, but also, Black people were less likely to see a medical provider for menopause symptoms, and if they did, they were less likely to be prescribed treatment.
Black people experience lengthier transitions into menopause, more severe symptoms, and poorer health outcomes.


Using this data, researchers conducting the 2015 study above determined that Black women experience menopausal symptoms for, on average, 10 years (whereas that number is 6.5 for white women and 8.9 for Hispanic).
Damn, that menopause sho' be trippin a nigga up!

And in 2022, a review focused on identifying racial disparities in the SWAN dataset found that Black women start menopause, on average, 8.5 months earlier than white women, have worse hot flashes and night sweats, are more likely to experience depression, and have worse sleep quality.
Depression and sleep quality be ray-shish, too!

Looking at the underlying context for these results tells a bigger story of disparity, however. As the 2022 review found, it’s also true that Black people are, on average, less educated than white people, more likely to smoke, and less financially secure—all outcomes linked to the social determinants of health and associated with entering menopause at an earlier age.
What? There's a reason other than racisms for this?

In fact, when the researchers conducting the review controlled for these factors, the difference in age of menopause onset between Black and white women went away.
Dayum! There for a minute, I thought Menopause really was raycisss!


This suggests that the reason Black folks have a worse menopausal experience isn’t tied to an inherent racial difference so much as it is to racism—and a complex mix of sociodemographic, health-related, and cultural factors linked with it.
Oh, OK. It really, really is raycisss.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/wel...25fc51f6&ei=14