Hot flashes, vaginal dryness and brain fog — menopause is accompanied by many unwanted and uncomfortable symptoms that can also disrupt sleep and negatively affect mood and cognitive function.

Unfortunately, few women seek relief for their symptoms from their healthcare providers, and doctors often don't recognize and adequately address menopausal symptoms, a study by researchers at the Mayo Clinic has found.

“This gap has real consequences for women's health and quality of life, and it's time we address it more proactively,” Ekta Kapoor, lead author on the study, told TheDoctor.

Treatments for menopause help women manage symptoms and the ongoing conditions associated with aging.

The team analyzed survey responses from almost 5,000 women with an average age of 54 years. Thirty-four percent of participants described their symptoms as moderate, severe or very severe, yet about 87 percent of the women said they did not see a provider for their symptoms.

Only about one in four women were receiving treatment when they completed the survey. Most of the women said they were either too busy or unaware of effective treatment options. Others said they wanted to manage their symptoms naturally.

Many women stopped going to their provider for menopause-related issues and many providers were reluctant to prescribe hormone replacement therapy after data from the Women's Health Initiative in 2002 suggested hormone replacement therapy increased women's risk of cardiovascular disease and breast cancer.

“It was a self-perpetuating cycle in which women were not well-informed and providers were not convincing in telling them hormone therapy was safe,” Kapoor, an endocrinologist and menopause specialist at the Mayo Clinic, explained. Given the concerns about hormone replacement therapy contributing to breast cancer, women probably thought going to their provider was a waste of their time, she added.

Since then, however, most of the myths about hormone replacement therapy have been dispelled, and the pendulum has almost swung the other way. “We have people coming into the clinic asking for hormone replacement therapy for things you would never prescribe hormone replacement therapy for!” Kapoor said.

Many women stopped going to their provider for menopause-related issues after 2002 data from the Women's Health Initiative suggested hormone replacement therapy increased women's risk of cardiovascular disease and breast cancer.

Treatments for menopause help women manage symptoms and the ongoing conditions associated with aging. The Mayo Clinic website has a page that discusses treatment options for women going through perimenopause or menopause.

There are other treatments in addition to hormone replacement therapy for managing the symptoms of menopause. These include vaginal estrogen for dryness and antidepressants. Gabapentin, a drug approved for seizures and pain relief, has also been found to help relieve hot flashes in some women.

The study is published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings.