A new GreenShield survey conducted by Ipsos has found that 33 per cent of Canadian women “wait more than two years for effective menopause care.”
The survey states that this is due to “a complex series of barriers ranging from confusion over symptoms and dismissed concerns to not knowing where to turn for help.”
“Women generally understand what perimenopause and menopause are, yet this awareness coexists with a substantial and disruptive symptom burden, and relief can take months or years to find.”
According to the Menopause Foundation of Canada’s 2022 research report, 46 per cent of Canadian women “feel unprepared for this stage of life and, in a world where no topic is off limits, more than half (54%) believe menopause is still a taboo subject.”
The Ipsos survey found that although 40 per cent of surveyed women consult a general practitioner, 39 per cent say they, “didn’t know where to go,” to receive supports and care.
Twenty-nine per cent of surveyed women believe symptoms “are normal and not treatable,” while 26 per cent “not recognizing symptoms as being part of a hormonal transition,” although this number lowers in Quebec at 23 per cent.
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Nineteen per cent of women also reported “uncertainty about where to seek help,” while 21 per cent reported having their symptoms dismissed.
Even when identifying symptoms, only 25 per cent of surveyed women received “effective treatment within the first three months.”
The survey states that the most common symptoms, fatigue (74 per cent), hot flashes (68 per cent), mood swings (65 per cent), weight gain (58 per cent), and brain fog (53 per cent), “demonstrate the extent to which menopause affects day to day functioning.”
As a result, many women state that “their symptoms directly affect their work performance.”
Surveyed women also stated that these symptoms result in reduced productivity (16 per cent), needing time off (eight per cent), needing to take a short-term leave (six per cent), or considering leaving their job due to their symptoms (six per cent).
Sixty-four per cent of women say symptoms affect them at least some of the time and is lower among Quebec residents at 61 per cent.
Fifty-five per cent of surveyed women say their employer provides “no support,” with just 13 per cent reporting “meaningful supports from their employer,” while seven per cent say “supports exist but fall short.” Twenty-four per cent are unsure.
On Feb. 26, 2026, Quebec Liberal MNA Jennifer Maccarone briefly halted a parliamentary commission to say she was experiencing symptoms of menopause, telling colleagues in French that she was having a hot flash and noting that menopause can happen even during legislative work.
“It’s like somebody turning the furnace on to 120 degrees and it’s distracting,” Maccarone later told Global News in an interview, describing the sensation.
“We should talk about this openly.”
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