COURSE survey. What the biggest study on menopause ever done in Romania shows. “Menopause is treated with shame and irony”

For 7 out of 10 women, menopause begins when they are professionally active, and for 68% the first signs of menopause appear by the age of 47, according to an opinion poll conducted by CURS, at the end of 2025, on 1,067 Romanian women, aged between 40 and 65. The survey was presented during the event “Beyond the silence: the urgency of a national action regarding menopausal women”, organized at the Parliament Palace, by the Association “Sunt La Menopauza” and supported by the Queen Maria Health Network. The specialists present said that dedicated medical services and support measures in the workplace are required so that women at this stage of life can function in optimal conditions. Romania has approximately 5 million women between the ages of 40 and 65.

“I would like to talk to you about the women who come to the office. They are between 40 and 50 years old and they say that they are stuck. That their mind is no longer working. They say: “There is something wrong with me.'' with personal resources they manage to benefit from the treatment”, summarized Dr. Irina Radu-Rădulescu, psychiatrist primary doctor, the experience at the office with menopausal women. The psychiatrist's statement was made at the launch of the CURS survey carried out in October/November 2025, at the national level, about perimenopause/menopause in Romania.

“Menopause is treated with shame and irony”

The survey was not easy to carry out, pointed out, for her part, Andreea Domșa, CURS (Urban and Regional Sociology Center) sociologist. And this, because, for Romanian women, menopause is a sensitive subject. “For 7 out of 10 women, menopause begins when they have important roles. Menopause is experienced, but not diagnosed. It is an experience managed on the go. For 68% of women, the first signs of menopause appear by the age of 47, and 63% have at least one health problem,” pointed out the CURS representative.

Ileana Badiu, president of the Association I am in menopause and one of the communicators who has openly undertaken a public discourse on the subject, says that it is not the symptoms of menopause that are the biggest burden, but the fact that no one wants to address the subject. “Women do not know that there are explanations and solutions. They are not supported at work, menopause is treated with shame and irony. Whenever we discuss the subject, waves of hatred appear – people say that there are no symptoms, that it is a personal problem. We are talking about an experience that affects millions of women in Romania”, drew attention to Ileana Badiu.

The first signs of menopause, before the age of 50

The CURS survey included 1,067 respondents, women between the ages of 45 and 65, and showed that the first changes that herald menopause or associated symptoms – such as hot flashes, irregular menstruation – appear, for most Romanian women, under the age of 50.

Thus, 13% of respondents indicated the age of 45 years for the appearance of hot flashes or irregular menstruation, while 11% indicated the age of 48 years. Significant percentages of women – respectively 7 and 8 % faced the same situation at the age of 40 and 42 respectively, according to the source cited above. For 8% of Romanian women, menopause occurs before the age of 40.

More than half of respondents – 51% – said they had not received a diagnosis of perimenopause or menopause (defined as 12 consecutive months of no periods) from a doctor.

The survey also shows that 20% have in their medical history a treatment or a surgical intervention that had the consequence of stopping menstruation, such as operations on the ovaries or uterus, 32% declaring that these interventions took place during the last three years, respectively 2023, 2024 and 2025.

Among the diseases present in the people participating in the survey, autoimmune diseases, such as autoimmune thyroiditis, rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, ranked first – 17%. The second place – 12% – was occupied by cardiovascular diseases – hypertension, dyslipidemia, coronary heart disease, while the third place – 7% – was occupied by liver diseases – steatosis, hepatitis, cirrhosis.

Of all the participants in the survey, only 15% declared that they follow long-term treatment that addresses the manifestations of menopause.

What symptoms are more common?

As for the recent physical and cognitive signs, mood swings, sleep disturbances, severe fatigue and decreased sexual desire were indicated as the most common – more than 30% each. Low appetite or vice versa, excessive eating, as well as difficulty concentrating have also been indicated as very common symptoms that occur during this period of transformations in the woman's body. At the same time, 34% of respondents declared that it is difficult for them to relax.

65% of women participating in the survey also said that they almost always wake up several times during the night and that they do not feel rested in the morning, while 83% of participating women are active in the labor market. However, 80% of women did not miss even an hour of work due to menopausal symptoms.

Regarding intimate life, most women complain of vaginal dryness and discomfort during sexual intercourse.

8% of women stated that the symptoms of menopause had very severely affected their work performance in the last seven days, while 29% stated that this impairment was severe. The proportion of those who declared themselves not affected at all was 15%.

At the same time, almost 40% of the participants also said that the energy level during the day and the ability to concentrate and make decisions are difficult because of these signs.

Gynecologists and endocrinologists, the first specialists in demand

The survey also shows that most women – 36% – did not feel the need to hide their difficulties from colleagues, while 33% said they often hide it from colleagues. 61% of women did not discuss these symptoms and schedule adjustments at work.

Of those who brought up menopausal symptoms at work, 16% found understanding for a more flexible schedule and adapted conditions – air conditioning, clothes or extra breaks. 8% were given permission to work from home.

In terms of access to care and treatments, gynecologists and endocrinologists rank first among the specialists consulted regarding the difficulties that women go through during this period. In the top of treatments accessed by women, in first place – with 32% – are food supplements, while only 6% accessed synthetic hormone therapy. Other solutions that women turned to were topical treatments/lubricants and phytotherapy. Most patients stated that these treatments were effective.

How much money is spent on treatments

For treatments, supplements and consultations, most women – 32% – spend between 50 and 200 lei per month, while 28%, between 201 and 500 lei. A proportion of 13% of women declared that the amounts spent reach 1,000 lei per month. 14% do not allocate any leu.

High costs and the lack of qualified specialists are the main barriers encountered by women in accessing medical services, indicated by 37% of the participants. 14% said they were afraid of synthetic hormone treatments and only 3% said they did not go to doctors because they were ashamed. More than three-quarters of the women surveyed said they would access dedicated services if they existed.

Regarding access to information, almost 80% of the participants stated that they know about the signs of perimenopause and menopause, 27% from accessing the Internet and medical websites. 19% get their information from their gynecologist, 18% from social networks, 9% from family and only 2% from radio and TV.

A situation to which we must adapt

The lack of integrated care services is reflected in the workplace. “Women support the work system, but the system does not support them”, drew the attention of lawyer Otilia Sava, founding member of the Association “I am in menopause”. It is necessary, the lawyer also said, for public policies to be modified and a road to be built where there is none. “What should we do? Let's change the Labor Code very quickly to make workplace adjustments in favor of menopausal women. Work hours should be flexible, adjustments should be reasonable – fans in the office, flexible hours, natural uniforms, access to rest areas, menopause room, be able to change after going through a buffet. Now this is happening somewhere in a toilet. Also, hormone replacement treatments should be compensated in the system public”, the lawyer listed a series of measures that can be taken to support menopausal women.

Menopause should not be seen as a problem, but a physiological situation to which we must adapt, said the Minister of Health, Alexandru Rogobete, who was present at the event. “Our role is to provide monitoring mechanisms. I think that the future national screening programs that come into force with this year's budget (for breast cancer, cervical cancer, colon cancer) will come as an important segment of medical services. Consider that you have support in the Ministry of Health and in me,” concluded the Minister of Health.

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