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News
Perimenopause is trending, but misinformation is too. Harvard's Dr. JoAnn Manson breaks down the myths — from unreliable hormone blood tests to unproven compounded therapies — and explains why there's no gold standard treatment. Meanwhile, a large survey found over a third of midlife US women aren't even sure if they're in perimenopause, highlighting a major gap in clinical awareness and patient education.
Perimenopause is dominating women's health conversations, fueled by Millennial awareness, social media, and a growing wellness industry eager to sell solutions. But Harvard's Dr. JoAnn Manson, a past president of The Menopause Society, urges caution: many widely promoted treatments are unproven, and some carry real risks. She emphasizes that perimenopause is a clinical diagnosis — primarily identified by irregular periods near age 45 — not a lab result.
A large mixed-methods survey of 7,640 US women reinforces the urgency: more than a third were unsure whether they had even entered perimenopause, with uncertainty peaking among women aged 40–44. Many struggled to distinguish perimenopausal symptoms from stress, thyroid disease, or other midlife conditions — a gap that clinicians can help close by proactively opening the conversation.
Key Takeaways:
Why it matters: With demand for perimenopause care rising and misinformation rampant online, clinicians are on the front lines of helping patients navigate a noisy, often misleading landscape — making proactive, evidence-based counseling more important than ever.
