Q&A: Stigma, fear drive spread of menopause misinformation on social media
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Key takeaways:
- Social media harbors low- and high-risk menopause misinformation not backed by science.
- Health care providers should promote evidence-based information at patient visits and on online platforms.
SAN FRANCISCO — Health care providers must combat menopause misinformation on social media by providing evidence-based information at visits and on online platforms, according to presenters at the ACOG Annual Clinical & Scientific Meeting.
More than 90% of women will have their final menstrual period between age 45 and 55 years, and the mean age of menopause onset is 52 years in the U.S. As social media use has increased, so has the prevalence of online misinformation. According to Monica Christmas, MD, FACOG, MSCP, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology and director of the Center for Women’s Integrated Health and the Menopause Program at the University of Chicago, there are 4.8 billion social media and 5.18 billion internet users, with the average user visiting seven different sites monthly.
Christmas and Stephanie S. Faubion, MD, MBA, FACP, MSCP, IF, director of the Mayo Clinic Center for Women’s Health and medical director of The Menopause Society, discussed menopause misinformation on social media platforms and how misinformation influences patient education and treatment.
In their presentation, Christmas and Faubion said patients who look for health care guidance online encounter advertisements from industries and influencers promoting and selling beliefs and products not always backed by scientific evidence. Many of these products are unregulated and present unbalanced views with a strong focus on the negative aspects of menopause, but patients are willing to believe misinformation due to desperation for relief from their symptoms, according to Christmas.
“If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is,” Faubion told Healio. “There is no cure-all for menopause. There is no anti-aging remedy for menopause to put you back to the way you were when you were in your 20s.”
Healio spoke with Faubion and Christmas about misinformation surrounding menopause and how clinicians can use evidence-based research to combat this misinformation.
Healio: How does social media play a role in spreading menopause misinformation?
Christmas: [Menopause has] become such a commercialized entity right now. Unfortunately, everyone is trying to capitalize on menopause by either selling something, marketing something or promoting themselves. Because of lack of regulation, social media is ripe for misinformation. Anyone can deem themselves a self-proclaimed expert, especially if they look official, or if they have a platform that looks official. Then, it doesn’t matter what they are saying, even if it’s all false.
When it comes to menopause care in particular, because there is a stigma around aging, fear around what happens when someone goes through menopause is amplified. It’s easy to be enticed by treatments or services promising weight loss, luxurious hair, taut skin or return to youth. If the advice or service is low to no risk, then there is no harm if it actually doesn’t work, other than a hit to the bank account. But, when you have people or companies promoting, for example, hormone therapy that one can obtain through the mail after a virtual visit without ever being examined, that’s problematic, especially if they have any contraindications or they’re at high risk. It is important to provide evidence-based information, so that people can advocate for themselves and empower them to navigate all of the information that they’re inundated with.
Healio: What are some of the most common menopause misconceptions or areas of misinformation?
Faubion: A lot of over-the-counter supplements, herbs and products that are marketed by celebrities that say they work for menopause symptoms are popular. Frequently, people will come in and the reason I’m seeing them is because [the products] didn’t work. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be seeing me if everything was taken care of by these products. It’s also often not just the hot flashes and night sweats, but all the other things associated with menopause and aging, including the weight gain. They say, “I want something that’s going to help me lose the weight that I gained,” or “my hair is thin” or “my mood is terrible,” “my skin is thinning,” “I don’t look the same as I did.” I can’t tell you how many people want to show me a picture of themself from when they were 25. That’s great, but all of us looked better at 25. There’s that expectation, and I do think that’s because of many celebrities getting in on it and being the “face” of menopause.
Healio: Social media has benefited endometriosis awareness tremendously. Can that be said of menopause to any extent?
Christmas: Social media provides a platform for people to seek information and find a community of other people experiencing similar symptoms. Historically, menopause has been a taboo topic of sorts. It can be embarrassing discussing vaginal dryness, urinary symptoms or even anxiety. Even when people overcome their embarrassment and discuss concerns with a clinician, they can often feel unheard, especially if not offered a treatment or solution for their bothersome symptoms. Maybe I’m perimenopausal and they told me that my hot flashes weren’t related to menopause because I technically wasn’t in menopause. If I go to social media, and I see that, “Oh, my gosh, there are other people experiencing this and what I was told was wrong,” that gives some empowerment to be able to seek additional care.
I’m also using social media to engage people in the research process. Through the Menopause Priority Setting Partnership, or MAPS, we are asking people with the lived experience of menopause and providers who care for them what their questions are about menopause that research could answer. In addition, menopause advocacy groups are using the platform to spread evidence-based information.
Faubion: And think about things like premature menopause, where women maybe 30 years of age are entering this transition and not understanding it. They think there’s no one else out there that’s experiencing this. They may not even know what it is and may not know that they should go see their health care professional to get an evaluation for why they’re skipping their periods.
Awareness of what’s normal, what is usual and maybe what’s outside the norm, such as premature menopause, is really important. I think [premature menopause is] probably more common than we think it is. You can find other people experiencing what you are using social media. It can provide a sense of community to people who may feel they are the only ones experiencing certain symptoms. There are going to be people who say, “I don’t want to be on hormone therapy,” for whatever reason, but they can find resources and information on social media for other things that may help them with their menopause symptoms.
The trick is to try to separate truth from garbage, and sometimes that is hard to do. We just want to make sure that women know where to go for accurate, evidence-based information. Sometimes that is challenging with all the misinformation out there, but menopause.org is a good place to start.
Healio: What are some ways to educate clinicians on evidence-based practices to protect their patients from menopause misinformation?
Christmas: Professional organizations, like ACOG and The Menopause Society, provide resources to clinicians through courses, podcasts, blogs, position statements, presentations at annual meetings and creation of patient-facing information. One of the missions of The Menopause Society is to educate clinicians, including physicians, nurse practitioners, physician’s assistants, psychologists and researchers, on best menopause practices. Our patients have shown us that they value social media as a resource for their health care. It is important that we provide up-to-date, factual, scientifically based information on menopause to our patients in this space.
Healio: Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Christmas: I try to stress to my patients the importance of being intentional about what we fuel our bodies with and how we use our minds and bodies as we age. The message should be how we can empower people to live their best lives and be more autonomous and independent as we get older and better in many ways, not how we reverse time, because we don’t have the magic pill to do that.
Reference:
- Faubion S, et al. Combating menopause misinformation with evidence-based practices. Presented at: ACOG Annual Clinical & Scientific Meeting; May 17-20, 2024; San Francisco.
For more information:
Monica Christmas, MD, FACOG, MSCP, can be reached at mchristmas@bsd.uchicago.edu.
Stephanie S. Faubion, MD, MBA, FACP, MSCP, IF, can be reached at Faubion.stephanie@mayo.edu.