Menopause

'Brain fog' during perimenopause is real, and it can disrupt women's lives and careers. It's one of many cognitive impacts of the transition to menopause. 

Patients have told ABC NEWS they're concerned about a lack of informed consent over Australia's most common osteoporosis drug, and are sometimes "scared into" taking it. 

Maddie was 19 when the hot flashes and mood swings started.

Having recovered from some misreporting around increased breast cancer risk in the early 2000s, menopause hormone therapy, once known as HRT, is having a resurgence.

All Fours threatens to shake up and change not only because of the quality of the writing but because July reaches deep and finds the small grain of universal truth at the heart of her fantastical story, so much that even its most unhinged parts start to seem possible.

Experts are warning of an explosion in ineffective and potentially harmful menopause supplements, with a parliamentary inquiry into menopause due to report this week. Here's what you need to know.

The silence around menopause has long been the norm in rural Australia — now a new generation of women are trying to reshape attitudes and services around this normal, natural phase of life. 

While many people don't recognise symptoms like headaches, rage and "brain fog" to be related to perimenopause, frustratingly they're often missed by health professionals too.

These specialists realised there were gaps in menopause and other women's health issues in regional South Australia. Now people travel to see them.

Ads for products purporting to address the symptoms of menopause and perimenopause are flooding social media — but many of the claims "are not substantiated", a Senate inquiry is told. 

Many women don't realise perimenopause can begin as early as in their 30s, and that symptoms such as depression and "brain fog", can last for 10 to 15 years.

When Jennifer entered perimenopause, three doctors and a gynaecologist initially ruled out the diagnosis. She and other women tell a Senate inquiry they are frustrated by the medical community's lack of understanding.

Australian women with menopause are leaving the workforce early over a lack of support, Australian unions tell a Senate inquiry into menopause and perimenopause. They're calling for 10 days paid leave to help keep them at work. 

Em Rusciano burst onto the national stage as an advocate for ADHD women. But when she asked a doctor to investigate autism, it was a flat-out no. Ahead of a national tour, she shares the reality of being a late-diagnosed neurodivergent, perimenopausal woman.

Lack of data about the impact of cancer treatments on fertility and ovarian function is an "enormous oversight" and a "disservice to women," experts say.

From mood swings and anxiety to full-blown psychosis, many women experience significant changes in their mental health in the years leading up to menopause, but experts say a holistic approach can be key to alleviating the symptoms.

Superannuation funds warn that tens of thousands of Australian women are being left tens of thousands of dollars worse off in retirement due to career breaks triggered by severe menopausal symptoms. 

Menopause has become "over-medicalised" and treated like a "disease", Australian researchers are arguing, saying some women are getting unnecessary treatment. But it's a controversial opinion.

Women experiencing pelvic pain related to conditions like endometriosis say their concerns are often dismissed. We asked the experts for their advice on being heard.

From full body aches and pains to burning hot flushes and wild, anxious mood swings, the twists and turns Anne Berthelsen-Murray's body takes through the worst of menopause are no trivial annoyance.