60% of men say relationships negatively affected by menopause

Menopause has become a hot topic in recent years, which greater supports available for women experiencing it and more understanding about the processes that take place during it.

More people are aware of the strain it can put on a woman's life, but what about how menoapause negatively affects the lives of their male partners?

A new survey by The Menopause Hub reveals that nearly 60% of men in Ireland believe menopause symptoms have impacted their relationships, with almost half reporting negative effects on their sex lives. CEO of The Menopause Hub, Loretta Dignam, joined Drivetime to share more about these findings.

When she opened the first dedicated menopause centre in Ireland in 2018, Dignam says, "nobody was talking about menopause, really. My goal at the time was to educate and provide treatment to women who are going through menopause because they didn't really know what was happening to them and to make menopause mainstream."

Since 2021, when Liveline lifted the lid on women's experiences of menopause, and public figures like Davina McCall began speaking more openly about the effect it had on her life, menopause has become a far less taboo subject than it was for previous generations.

The Menopause Hub carries out workplace training on menopause and Dignam says she's seen the "appetite men have" for more information about it.

When it comes to the results of the survey, she notes that while 60% of men said their relationship was negatively affected by the menopause, this is almost the same figure as women reported last year.

Where it differs is on the topic of sexual relationships: 48% of men said their sexual relationships were negatively affected by it, compared to 74% of women reported the same.

"The point is, that menopause can affect relationships and the sex life", Dignam says. She adds that almost 10% of men interviewed said they considered ending the relationship because of the menopause.

There is a clear wish among men for more information about menopause, she says: "95% said that men should be more informed about menopause, over 7 in 10 said there wasn't enough information publicly available for them to learn and about 6 in 10 said they were willing to learn more through educational programs or online workshops.

"I think, as the generations progress these topics are so much less shameful, so much less taboo and so much less seen as just women's issues." One area the men suggested was GP surgeries, social media and short online courses.

"But I think in relationships women need to open up and confide and bring on board male allies", she adds.

"In the home, for the next generation coming through, mothers and fathers should be speaking to their children - once they're a certain age, I suppose - about these things, so that they're not seen as shameful. I know my own children who are now adults, they talk openly about periods ... to their friends, they talk about contraception, they talk about all sorts of things in a way that I would never have done when I was their age.

"I think things are changing, but I think it takes the men and the women to engage."

As for what's next, Dignam points to "millen-opause", which refers to the millennials who will go through menopause in coming years.

"They are very vocal about their experiences in life in general, and social media is much more awash with these things".

To listen back to the full interview, click above.