UW Study: Menopause More Challenging For Women In Rural Areas

According to a new study from the University of Washington, women in rural areas struggle more with menopause than their urban counterparts.  Rural women, the study found, reported more symptoms like joint pain and mood swings in one of the first studies to look at menopausal rural-urban discrepancies.

Author and program director of the University of Washington Women's Reproductive Health Research Center, Doctor Susan Reed, says she's not surprised by these results.  She added the study is a signal that medical providers need to do better for the rural population.

"If people transition through this period in a healthy fashion, they live longer, they have fewer cardiovascular problems and perhaps better brain aging."

Reed said there's decreased access in rural places because of the long distances people often have to travel to receive care.

"People providing menopause health care in rural areas, many of them are really passionate and do a good job," Reed said.  "There just aren't enough of them."

Reed noted that other studies have shown women in rural areas are struggling with higher mortality rates and other health issues like higher suicide rates and obesity.

Click Here to read that UW study focused on menopause.

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