By LINDA A. JOHNSON
AP Business Writer
September 23, 2005, 4:54 PM EDT
When menopausal hot flashes caused sweat to run down Donna Cook's face
during business meetings, she joked to concerned colleagues, "I'm
having my personal summer."
But for executives like Cook, menopause symptoms such as profuse
sweating, nasty mood swings and memory lapses aren't funny. Cook, 54,
felt self-conscious when she had to blot up sweat while giving
presentations at System Planning Corp., an Arlington, Va., firm that
does scientific research and government contract work. She said she
would awake several times a night in drenching sweats after she
stopped taking hormone replacement medication, which she had been on
for about 10 years.
"I would oversleep in the morning. I'd miss the alarm. I'd be late for
work. I constantly felt like I was playing catch-up," she said.
Sometimes, she had trouble remembering how to do routine duties.
Two years later, her symptoms are less frequent and severe, but her
problem points to the embarrassment and loss of confidence suffered by
many women executives at midlife.
A survey of the National Association of Female Executives sponsored by
the maker of a menopause drug indicated 95 percent of the 843
respondents had suffered from the physical symptoms of menopause.
Insomnia, night sweats and daytime hot flashes were reported as the
most vexing problems, and 56 percent said they deal with symptoms
daily. Nearly 8 out of 10 reported mental or emotional symptoms such
as forgetfulness and irritability.
Forty-one percent had used hormone pills such as Premarin or Prempro
to control symptoms.
About half of the women reported lack of sexual desire and painful
intercourse due to vaginal dryness. That could explain why emotional
well-being and romantic relationships were ranked as the two areas
most affected by menopause symptoms, ahead of professional life, said
Dr. James Simon, a gynecologist and menopause specialist at George
Washington University in Washington, D.C., who helped design the
survey questionnaire.
Plenty of earlier studies have examined how menopause affects women in
general, said Simon, but "a generation ago, there weren't enough
female executives to bother" doing a survey of that group.
He said menopause symptoms may be more prevalent because of the
growing obesity problem. "Fatter women are more likely to have hot
flashes than thinner women," he explained.
Simon said he was not compensated for the survey by Barr Laboratories
of Woodcliff Lake, N.J. The company makes Cenestin, a synthetic,
plant-derived prescription drug for menopause symptoms. The survey was
conducted online by pollster Harris Interactive in February.
The results will be reported next week in San Diego at the annual
meeting of the North American Menopause Society, a doctors' group.
Simon is the group's immediate past president.
Amy Niles, president of the National Women's Health Resource Center in
Red Bank, N.J., said past educational campaigns about menopause have
not targeted women in the work force. They are more likely than their
mothers to have to deal with menopause.
"I think we've made great improvements over the last few years in
creating awareness that this is a significant issue" that women should
discuss with their doctors, Niles said.
Dr. Lauren Streicher, a gynecologist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital
in Chicago and author of "The Essential Guide to Hysterectomy," which
addresses menopause, said her lower-income, less-educated patients are
more likely to accept the strains of menopause as just another big
bump in life. Her well-educated professional patients are more likely
to seek help and often complain about lack of sleep, which leaves them
less motivated and less focused at work.
"This has an incredible impact on their ability to function in the
corporate world," she said.
Streicher said many women were confused and scared of hormone
therapy after federal researchers reported in 2002 that
estrogen-progestin pills sold as Prempro could increase risks for
heart attacks, breast cancer and strokes. Many doctors still recommend
short-term hormone treatment.
(Ed note: We here at
the Women's Menopause Health Center recommend natural hormone
replacement therapies for controlling hot flashes, like Preserve USP
Progesterone cream or Preserve.)
"In an executive position ... you have to look your best," and project
a calm, focused and capable image, said Rosalie Roberts, a 61-year-old
survey participant who owns an Omaha, Neb., public relations business.
She had moderate symptoms until several years ago but occasionally
would sweat enough during meetings that she would head to the restroom
during breaks.
"In my business, that's very, very unfortunate," Roberts said.
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Dosage & Ingredients
Product discontinued. Sorry
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- Helps normalize hormonal levels,
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