Did you learn about menopause care in med school or clinical training?
I didn’t. Not much anyway.
But menopause is finally having a moment.
For years, women were told to “just deal with it”… the hot flashes, the mood shifts, the weight changes, and the sleepless nights.
But now there’s a quorum of us female physicians going through perimenopause and menopause ourselves…
Which is leading to a movement of clinicians getting trained in menopause care and women demanding better solutions.
When I spoke with Dr. Andrea Matsumura MD, a sleep medicine physician and women’s health expert, we both agreed: this new era of menopause care is long overdue.
We’re seeing more open conversations, better research, and a growing recognition that sleep disruption during this stage of life isn’t just hormonal, it’s multifactorial.
This week’s video rounds out our 3-part series on melatonin with a focus on menopause.
In this 6-minute episode, I’m sharing:
- How melatonin can help restore circadian rhythm and sleep continuity in midlife women
- When to use immediate vs. extended-release formulations
- What the data show on melatonin for menopausal insomnia
- Dosing and timing strategies for different sleep presentations
- Melatonin isn’t a cure-all for sleep issues, but it’s an important piece of the puzzle, with emerging research suggesting it can improve sleep quality and timing when used correctly.If you’re helping patients navigate menopause (or navigating it yourself), this short episode will give you practical, evidence-based tools to use right away.
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References:
Caretto M, Giannini A, Simoncini T. An integrated approach to diagnosing and managing sleep disorders in menopausal women. Maturitas. 2019 Oct;128:1-3. doi: 10.1016/j.maturitas.2019.06.008. Epub 2019 Jun 28. PMID: 31561815.
Jeon GH. Insomnia in Postmenopausal Women: How to Approach and Treat It? J Clin Med. 2024 Jan 12;13(2):428. doi: 10.3390/jcm13020428. PMID: 38256562; PMCID: PMC10816958.
