• Menopause

Menopause: How is it Perceived Around the World?

Medically reviewed and edited by Lauren Cramer, PA- C

Published: October 21, 2025
Updated: January 07, 2026
4 mins

The menopausal transition is a natural biological process every woman experiences generally starting in their 40’s through their 50’s. In some places around the world, including the U.S., menopause is perceived as a medical phenomenon that women can manage with the help of medical treatment and guidance from a healthcare provider. However, in different parts of the world, cultural traditions can change how women approach this transition.

Cultural traditions around health, wellness, and womanhood can affect the accessibility of treatment available for pre- and postmenopausal women. Some cultures emphasize community support and rest for women approaching menopause. Others may see menopause as a transition towards greater wellness and harmony. While there’s no one way regions across the world approach menopause, there are some similarities. 

The following analysis of menopause perceptions in different cultures is generalized for understanding. Still, there are many intricacies and unique views within cultures around the world beyond what’s discussed in this article alone. 

What is Menopause?

Menopause is defined as the point in time when a woman has gone 12 consecutive months without a menstrual period, due to a natural decline in ovarian function and estrogen production (the average age is around 51). Perimenopause is the transition phase leading up to menopause, when hormone levels fluctuate and periods become irregular, often accompanied by symptoms like hot flashes, sleep changes, and mood shifts. Postmenopause refers to the entire stage of life after menopause has been reached, when periods have permanently stopped and estrogen levels remain consistently lower.

Around the world, women may experience the following common perimenopausal symptoms:

• Hot flashes

• Irritability

• Mood swings

• Joint pain

• Night sweats

• Trouble sleeping

• Vaginal dryness

Menopause in the United States

In the United States, the menopausal transition has long been misunderstood in a clinical context. Hot flashes are a much more common perimenopausal symptom among women in the U.S. than in other parts of the world.

Culturally, attitudes toward this transition are varied because of the diversity of cultures in different parts of the country. Generally, most women of all cultures in the U.S. see perimenopause, menopause and postmenopause as a health condition. HRT (hormone replacement therapy) and other menopause treatment options have expanded in recent years, and awareness is slowly improving. However, there is still a major research gap: women’s health – especially perimenopause and menopause – has been dramatically under-studied compared with men’s health. As a result, we still need far more high-quality, U.S.-based research to fully understand menopause and optimize treatment across diverse groups of women.

African-American and Hispanic women in the U.S. are less likely to receive treatment for menopause. This is due to several factors, including a distrust of the healthcare setting due to systemic racism and oppression present in the U.S. healthcare system. Health experts have also found that African-American women may be more likely to experience vasomotor (affecting the nerves and muscles) symptoms for longer periods of time.

Menopause in East Asian Cultures

Many East Asian cultures perceive menopause as a natural part of the aging process. Studies suggest symptoms like fatigue, depression, and mood swings may be more common menopausal symptoms for women in China. 

Some Chinese cultures turn to natural herbal products and supplements to manage menopausal symptoms. However, studies suggest that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) treatment is underutilized in China. This could be due to several factors, like social stigma related to the menopausal transition, the availability of alternative methods to manage these changes, and a lack of exposure to HRT for all phases of menopause among women in the country.

In Japan, “konenki” is the word for menopause. The word “konenki” is commonly understood to be related to aging and renewal. Generally, in Japan, menopause is regarded as a natural progression for women. According to health experts, hot flashes are much more common for menopausal women in Western countries than in China and Japan.

Menopause in South Asian Cultures

Studies suggest South Asian women tend to approach menopause slightly earlier than other cultures. The average age at which South Asian women go through menopause is around 48 years old.

Many South Asian cultures regard menopause as a loss of fertility and femininity. South Asian women may be less likely to receive menopausal treatment due to the social stigma around menopause culturally.

Menopause in African Cultures

Treatment for menopause in traditional African cultures has often been passed on through word-of-mouth medicinal practices. In some parts of South Africa, menopause is regarded as a loss of attractiveness and beauty. However, some countries in West Africa regard the menopausal transition as the end of pregnancy.

Similar to South Asian women, health experts found the average age of menopause in women of African descent to be earlier than women in other countries. The average age of the onset of menopause is around 49 years old in women of African and Caribbean descent. 

When it comes to menopausal symptoms, health experts suggest women of African descent have an increased risk of sleep problems, weight gain, and mental health changes during menopause.

Menopause in Middle Eastern Cultures

Menopausal symptoms vary in Middle Eastern countries. Generally, joint pain, irritability, and fatigue were common symptoms for women in Middle Eastern countries. 

More studies are needed on the experiences of women with menopause in Middle Eastern countries. Cultural factors in some Middle Eastern countries, like Pakistan, may reduce how frequently women seek treatment for menopausal symptoms.

Menopause in European Cultures

In Europe, the average age of menopause is around 50 years old. Postmenopausal women in Europe experience common symptoms like fatigue, hot flashes, mood swings, and others similar to other countries. Similar to the United States, Europe has seen a resurgence in HRT use for managing menopause.

Menopause in Native American Cultures

Research on the experiences of Native American women with menopause is extremely limited. In some Native American cultures, there is no uniform word for menopause. Menopause is acknowledged as the period where the menstrual cycle ceases across multiple cultures. 

Studies show more than 70% of Native American women are less likely to have a health screening for menopause and other health conditions in a traditional healthcare setting.

When it comes to health and well-being, Indigenous tribes like the Navajo model wellness after principles like self-identity, self-respect, self-care, protection of self, and resiliency.

Older studies found that Navajo women in New Mexico may experience mild menopausal symptoms. Health experts found hot flashes, night sweats, increased heart rate, and other vasomotor symptoms to be common.

How Discussions About Menopause are Changing Globally

Due to the different cultural responses to the menopausal transition, it’s important for healthcare providers not to make assumptions or generalizations about patients. It’s not uncommon for women to feel ostracized or misunderstood in healthcare settings. However, there are health experts around the world attempting to change medical and social expectations related to menopause.

Like much of women’s health, menopause care is still significantly under-researched. Many women around the world are never told about the effectiveness of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and other evidence-based options for managing menopausal symptoms and protecting long-term health. On top of that, outdated fears about cancer from early studies still linger. More recent, higher-quality research shows that for most healthy women who start HRT around the time of menopause, can outweigh the risks when therapy is individualized and monitored by a knowledgeable clinician.

HRT increases estrogen and progesterone levels in women to help alleviate common menopausal symptoms. HRT can be administered as an injection, patch, vaginally, or in creams. In some cases, HRT can also reduce your risk of developing certain chronic health conditions.

Where Can I Learn More About Menopause?

The LifeMD Women’s Health Program was crafted with perimenopause and postmenopausal women in mind. With LifeMD, you can receive guidance from a licensed healthcare provider for HRT and other forms of menopausal treatment from the comfort of your home.

Get started today by taking better care of yourself as your health needs change.

Lauren Cramer, PA- C

Lauren is a passionate and dedicated board-certified physician assistant. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology and Exercise Science from SUNY Cortland — graduating magna cum laude while competing as a three-sport collegiate athlete in indoor and outdoor track and cross country. She went on to complete her Master’s degree in Biological Sciences and earn her Physician Assistant degree from Daemen College in Buffalo, New York. Lauren has years of focused experience in perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause care, specializing in hormone replacement therapy (HRT), bone health optimization, and a functional medicine approach to women’s wellness. She integrates evidence-based hormone therapy with lifestyle, nutrition, and metabolic strategies to support long-term vitality, cognitive health, and bone density. In addition to her women’s health expertise, Lauren has a well-rounded background in allergy, asthma, otology, laryngology, and rhinology. Functional medicine has always been a passion of hers, and she continues to pursue advanced certification to deepen her ability to deliver personalized, root-cause care to her patients.

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