Yes.
I've personally developed models to make this accessible, but I believe that education is key. I think that we need to educate women so that they learn to pay attention to themselves, listen to the language of their bodies and trust themselves. We also need to teach health care professionals to take a more comprehensive approach. As I said, this isn't a disease and the symptoms affect multiple systems.
I'm really glad that we talked about mental health. One of the main reasons for consultations during perimenopause isn't irregular periods, but rather irritability, premenstrual syndrome and anxiety. These mental health issues have a major impact on the quality of life of women, on their relationships and also on their work.
I think that we need to start educating women so that they can pay attention to what's happening in their bodies and become aware of it. That way, they will understand the impact of hormonal changes. I call it the “living laboratory”. The human body never lies and the language of the body is important. Awareness and knowledge put women in a better position to discuss these issues with their health care providers. A great deal of work must be done to dispel myths and educate patients, the general public and health care providers. We need to team up with a variety of health care professionals. In my view, the multidisciplinary approach is extremely important.