Menopause care is life-saving care: Susan’s Story

Content warning: This personal story discusses suicidal ideation and other mental health challenges. Please take care while reading.  

Susan has been a psychotherapist for more than 40 years. She’s helped countless people navigate the ups and downs of life challenges and transitions. But even with all of the mental health knowledge and resources she had at her disposal, she wasn’t prepared to navigate the physical and mental toll of menopause.

When Susan turned 50, she stopped sleeping. No matter what she tried, she couldn’t get more than three or four hours of sleep per night. She was prescribed an antidepressant, even though at that point, she didn’t have any symptoms of depression. Her family doctor didn’t mention the possibility of menopause, but Susan learned later that certain antidepressants can be used to help with menopausal symptoms. For a while, it seemed to work.  

But, a few years later, her periods started to become more irregular and eventually, stopped. She was in menopause. The sleep problems returned, only now she was lucky to get two hours of sleep on any given night. She went back to her doctor, who switched her to a different antidepressant, but it didn’t do anything to help with her sleep-related symptoms.  

Susan was so exhausted that she couldn’t focus in her therapy sessions. She took months off work because she couldn’t responsibly provide care to her clients due to constant sleep deprivation. She stopped driving because she was afraid that she would cause an accident. She felt entirely defeated and her mental health declined significantly.

“I felt hopeless. Out of control. Rageful,” recalls Susan. “I went to see a psychiatrist to help me navigate all these feelings because I was in a dark place, and I didn’t want to go over the edge.”

Around this time, Susan was also diagnosed with uterine fibroids, a kind of abnormal growth that occurs in the uterus that can cause pelvic pain, heavy menstrual bleeding and other uncomfortable symptoms. Susan had heard about the Menopause Clinic at Mount Sinai Hospital, now part of the Centre for Mature Women’s Health, and the expertise available to help women with more complex needs like herself. She asked her doctor to make a referral and joined a waiting list for the clinic.

“When I finally got to see the folks at Mount Sinai and they put me on the estrogen patch, they literally saved my life,” says Susan. “Before that I couldn’t work, I couldn’t think, I couldn’t drive – I couldn’t live my life. I was in such a state of despair. So, when I say that Dr. Wendy Wolfman’s unit saved my life, I’m serious. I don’t think I would have made it if I had not found her team.”  

Today, Susan is doing much better. She’s back in her chair as a therapist, doing what she loves – supporting people through their own mental health journeys. When she thinks about other women who are navigating this transition, she’s painfully aware of the toll it can take on their well-being and of the urgent need to expand access to menopause care.

Seven years ago, when Susan needed treatment, the waitlist for Mount Sinai’s Menopause Clinic averaged six months. Now, demand has increased so much that the average wait time for the clinic is two years or more. It is this urgent need that drives Sinai Health’s commitment to not only invest in increasing clinical capacity, but also to advancing research and education efforts.  

Through the Centre for Mature Women’s Health, Sinai Health plans to extend our menopause training programs and equip more health practitioners with the information and knowledge they need to provide high-quality care to individuals coping with menopause symptoms, across Toronto and beyond. Susan is deeply grateful for the care she received through the Menopause Clinic and firmly believes that this kind of training and education is not only urgent – but life-saving.  

“I’m a person who had all kinds of support around me. I have an education, good friends, a wonderful husband and kids who care – and I was struggling to navigate it all. But think of all the women who don’t have those supports. It’s really terrible. I think every physician should have to do training on how to care for women in menopause. This is life-saving care. When people donate, they are helping to save women’s lives.”  

You can support Sinai Health’s efforts to address women’s health inequities and improve access to care today. Please consider making a donation towards the Centre for Mature Women’s Health, to help women like Susan get the support they need to thrive in midlife and beyond.

Please note that if you are, or become, concerned about your mental health, there are resources and support available. If you need help in an emergency or are in crisis, please visit your local emergency department or call 911 or contact a distress centre in Ontario near you.