BENGALURU: Doctors have raised concerns over 98 percent women in Karnataka in their menopausal age consult them only for issues related to heavy bleeding and vaginal discharge, while avoiding other symptoms, a recently released report showed.
Gynaecologist and obstetrician, Dr Ameya Kulkarni-Kanakiya, Co-Founder of Elda Health, a Bengaluru-based company released the report titled ‘State of menopausal health in India’ on Friday. Of the total 25,000 women across India enrolled under their programmes, 5,000 were from Karnataka.
With the report stating that over 98 percent of them hesitate to consult doctors over issues like hot flashes, period health issues, sleep problems, urinary issues, and mental health challenges, Dr Ameya said, it is crucial for women to understand that regular exercise, quality sleep, and a balanced diet can make their menopausal transition smoother and reduce the severity of symptoms. Neglecting them can worsen a person’s condition.
The stigma around menopause continues to be a barrier to open conversations, many women fear that their families or workplace will not understand their state of being, the report said. Women are advised to engage in regular exercise and consume nutritious diet as it creates a significant impact on the severity of menopausal symptoms.
The report also highlighted that while 24 percent of the women suffer from sexual health concerns, only six percent seek help for them. They also suffer from fatigue, sadness, hair fall, weight gain, anger, anxiety, various types of body pains, insomnia, memory loss, and skin issues.
Swathi Kulkarni, Co-Founder and CEO of Elda Health, said that Bengaluru women, both employed and homemakers, should be focusing on taking care of their health. She added that despite lifestyle issues like obesity they were indulging exercises in everyday life.