World menopause day 2022 study reveals 73% of women believe menopause was a contributing factor in their divorce

New research released on World Menopause Day 2022 shows a clear link between menopause and divorce.

This alarming research from The Family Law Menopause Project and Newson Health Menopause Society shows that menopause and perimenopause have a huge impact on separation and divorce.

The study found that 7 in 10 women (73%) blamed menopause for a breakdown in their marriage. Similarly, 67% of women claimed that menopause increased domestic abuse and arguments.

The report showed that even though many women believed menopause was a contributing factor to the deterioration of their relationship, only a third of all women had been offered treatment or HRT. The report suggested that this demonstrated the lack of care available in the NHS to women suffering from menopause. 

It was also suggested that despite many women seeing the correlation between their menopause and their deteriorating relationship, many believed they could not speak about this issue.

The study found that of the more than one thousand respondents involved in the study, 86% did not feel comfortable raising the issue of perimenopause/menopause in discussions with their lawyers. In addition, 97% said that their family lawyer did not raise or explore how menopause how many have affected their relationship dynamics.

What do the experts say?

Farhana Shahzady, the founder of the Family Law Menopause Project and director at London and South East family law firm, said, "This ground-breaking survey of women confirms the link between menopause and divorce and further highlights the lack of understanding within the family law profession of the impact of perimenopause and menopause."

Farhana added that there was a serious financial implication that has been established because of this data. "Of deep concern to me is that more than half of the respondents said that perimenopause or menopause had (or will) make it harder for them to save for retirement and/or reduce their ability to save into pensions. This means that women may face real financial hardship as they approach retirement, post-divorce/separation. It is clear that the family law profession, as in wider society, needs to appreciate the reality of menopause and that we must be better equipped to support the many clients who are profoundly affected by menopause."

Louise Newson, GP, Menopause Specialist and Chair of Newson Health Research and added, "Working with The Family Law Menopause Project to create this report is a fantastic opportunity to highlight the correlation between the menopause and relationships."

The doctor said that this study also highlighted an important link with deteriorating mental health link for women at that stage of life. "Whilst the physical symptoms of the menopause are well-known and often discussed, the mental health impact is often ignored and can be catastrophic for many women, having a deeply negative effect on their work, relationships, and finances as a result. Our mission is to improve the health outcomes for perimenopausal and menopausal women through further education and research, and this research does just that."