• Posted April 11, 2025

Most Women Aren't Clear When Menopause Might Start

Early symptoms of menopause will first appear when many women least expect them, a new Ohio State University poll reports.

Hot flashes, mood swings, weight gain and insomnia are all symptoms of the hormone changes related to menopause, researchers say.

Sixty-one percent of women (3 in 5) think they will hit menopause and start experiencing these symptoms in their 40s, according to poll results from the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

But that just isn’t so, doctors say.

In fact, most women won’t see their menopause start until their early 50s, while some will begin to experience symptoms as soon as their 30s, 

“Perimenopause is when the menstrual cycle has started to change, and it is persistent,” Dr. Lauren Baker, a specialist in obstetrics and gynecology at Wexner, said in a news release. “The formal definition is periods fluctuate by at least seven days for at least 10 months.”

Women shouldn’t shrug off symptoms just because they think they’re too young for menopause, Baker said. Every woman’s menopause is different, and that’s why it’s important to bring any changes or concerns to a doctor’s attention.

On the other hand, half of the women surveyed (52%) think diet and exercise can help treat menopause symptoms — and that’s spot on, experts say.

“Having a diet that's rich in calcium and vitamin D is really important for bone health,” Baker said. “Fiber and protein are also helpful from a weight management perspective. And then making sure you're getting whole foods, lots of fruits and veggies also is really important.”

The survey also found that 1 in 3 women are concerned about the long-term health effects of menopause, including physical symptoms (25%) and mental health issues (18%).

Younger women were more likely to cite mental health as their top menopause concern, about 25% among 18- to 29-year-olds versus 10% among those 65 and older, results show.

“Problems in the workplace, adverse effects on one's quality of life and adverse health events all have been associated with menopause, too,” Baker said. “There are effective treatments and ways to feel better to not only survive but thrive.”

The poll of 1,068 women was conducted online and by phone between Feb. 7-10 and Feb. 21-24. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.

More information

Johns Hopkins Medicine has more about perimenopause.

SOURCE: Ohio State University, news release, April 8, 2025