PAUSE: A Patient-Centric Tool to Support Patient-Provider Engagement on Menopause

Abstract

There are powerful demographic, political, and environmental trends shaping women’s health. Increases in life expectancy, literacy, and empowerment are fueling expansions in education and advocacy. Research and development focuses on women’s health and fertility across an expanded age spectrum. There is also a cultural emphasis on antiaging and aesthetics. In parallel, the digital revolution is changing how health care is accessed by and delivered to women. A women’s journey through menopause is at the crossroads of these transformations. Medical and social platforms encourage women to embrace menopause as a pivotal life stage. Yet, many women are reticent to discuss “the transition” due to embarrassment about its symptoms, lack of awareness of its physical manifestations, or fear of aging. We introduce a patient-centric framework to support patient-provider engagement on menopause: prevention, anxiety, urogenital symptoms, vasomotor symptoms, and education. Although not comprehensive, PAUSE represents an acronym and reminder to focus a portion of the medical interaction on menopause.