{"id":78626,"date":"2025-10-01T00:00:25","date_gmt":"2025-10-01T04:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/todaysveterinarybusiness.com\/?p=78626"},"modified":"2025-09-24T16:03:43","modified_gmt":"2025-09-24T20:03:43","slug":"menopause-in-vet-med-viewpoint-1025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/navc.sitepreview.app\/todaysveterinarybusiness.com\/menopause-in-vet-med-viewpoint-1025\/","title":{"rendered":"The Biggest Silent Health Crisis in Vet Med"},"content":{"rendered":"

What if I told you our profession was largely ignoring an insidious disease among 50% of the pet population? What if I went on to say the symptoms were preventable, yet due to a lack of awareness and understanding, the condition largely went untreated? If I expanded to say it caused increased morbidity and mortality from middle age onward in otherwise healthy animals \u2014 through increasing risk of cardiovascular disease, urogenital disease, musculoskeletal weakening, changes to coat and skin health, brain aging, behavioral shifts and sleep disturbance \u2014 would you feel deeply concerned that we weren\u2019t doing more? How about the fact that the owners were devastated, as they no longer recognized their beloved pet, which had changed beyond recognition and sadly lost its joie de vivre? And then, I dropped the bombshell that the condition is highly treatable and that the majority of animals aren\u2019t being helped, as either their owners aren\u2019t seeking advice or when they do, veterinarians don\u2019t have all the needed information, so they provide only partial treatment or write off the symptoms as \u201cold age.\u201d<\/p>\n

In such a world, I have no doubt we\u2019d be highly motivated as a profession to research the heck out of the condition, find the best treatments, launch awareness campaigns and provide comprehensive CE.<\/p>\n

And yet, we essentially ignore it in our wonderful veterinary colleagues.<\/p>\n

I am talking about menopause and am on a mission to make sure we do better for anyone with ovaries who crosses our path, whether that person is a friend, a colleague, a partner, a family member or even a client.<\/p>\n

A Brief Overview<\/h3>\n

Menopause is the day 12 months after a person with ovaries has had her last menstrual cycle. (I will refer to women\/females through this article for consistency with the literature, but I recognize that all genders with these hormonal changes might be impacted.) The average age for menopause is 51.<\/p>\n

Perimenopause is the period leading up to and following menopause, where fluctuations in sex hormones (predominantly estrogens but also progesterone and testosterone) can cause physical and psychological symptoms. As sex hormone receptors exist in most organs, the symptoms vary widely both within and between individuals. Nearly three dozen symptoms are recognized, but over 100 have been described. Most women (80% to 96% in the literature) experience some symptoms, which can vary from hot flashes and itchy ears to sleeplessness and anxiety to muscle weakness and joint pain, with no predictable pattern or consistency. Perimenopause lasts, on average, for eight years but can persist for decades.<\/p>\n

Even among women who experience no symptoms \u2014 some find this stage of life liberating \u2014 there are still significant underlying changes to organ structure and function. If the changes are not addressed through the perimenopause period, the likelihood of serious health conditions increases later in life and includes stroke, urinary tract infections and incontinence, pathological fractures and dementia.<\/p>\n

So, I urge all individuals with ovaries to take proactive preventive action through lifestyle adjustments that can boost health and longevity in their older age.<\/p>\n

The Workplace Crisis<\/h3>\n

Here\u2019s some stark data for you:<\/p>\n