Menopausal Symptoms: "Hot Flashes/Flushing," "Irritability," and "Fatigue/Lethargy" Rank Highest. What are the Experienced Individuals' Countermeasures and Consultation Status?

■How much do you know about menopausal symptoms? Around the age of 40, you might start feeling unwell without a clear reason, suffering from hot flashes, fatigue, and irritability. While menopausal symptoms are something many people can experience, the current situation is that their reality and coping methods are not yet sufficiently known. Therefore, this time, in collaboration with Kyowa Yakuhin Co., Ltd., we conducted a survey on "menopausal symptoms" targeting 500 men and women nationwide aged 40 and over. *When citing the contents of this press release, please take the following actions. ・State that the source is "A survey by NEXER Co., Ltd. and Kyowa Yakuhin Co., Ltd." ・Install a link to Kyowa Yakuhin Co., Ltd. (https://kyowa-yakuhin.co.jp/) "Survey on Menopausal Symptoms" Overview Survey Method: Online questionnaire Survey Period: March 31, 2026 - April 3, 2026 Target Respondents: Men and women aged 40 and over nationwide Valid Responses: 500 samples Questions: Question 1: How much do you know about symptoms that can occur during menopause (such as hot flashes, irritability, fatigue, insomnia)? Question 2: What prompted you to learn about menopausal symptoms? (Multiple selections allowed) Question 3: Have you, your family, or your partner experienced menopausal symptoms? Question 4: What kind of symptoms did you experience? (Multiple selections allowed) Question 5: What countermeasures are you primarily taking (or have you taken) for menopausal symptoms? Question 6: Please tell us the reason. Question 7: Have you consulted anyone about menopausal symptoms? Question 8: Please tell us the reason why you haven't consulted anyone or find it difficult to consult. *In principle, numbers are rounded to the second decimal place, so the total may not always be 100%. ■37.6% Answered They "Know Well" or "Know to some extent" About Menopausal Symptoms First, we investigated how much people know about symptoms that can occur during menopause. As a result, "Don't know much" was the most common at 33.4%, followed by "Know to some extent" at 31.8%, "Hardly know" at 29.0%, and "Know well" at 5.8%. This highlights the reality that while menopausal symptoms can happen to anyone, awareness is still not widespread. ■The Most Common Trigger for Learning About Menopausal Symptoms was "Changes in One's Own Physical Condition" at 45.7% Next, we asked those who know about menopausal symptoms what prompted them to learn about them. As a result, "Changes in one's own physical condition" was the most common at 45.7%, followed closely by "Television, newspapers, magazines" at 45.2%. This was followed by "Internet/SNS" at 31.9% and "Conversations with friends/acquaintances" at 25.0%. While many people research or become aware of menopause only after experiencing changes in their own bodies, information from media such as television and magazines also plays a significant role. Furthermore, "Hospitals/Doctors" accounted for only 5.9%, indicating that people who learn about menopause through medical institutions are still a minority. ■65.4% Responded That They, Their Family, or Partner "Experienced" Menopausal Symptoms Next, we asked those who know about menopausal symptoms if they, their family, or their partner had experienced menopausal symptoms. As a result, 33.5% answered "I experienced it myself," 22.3% answered "My family/partner experienced it," and 9.6% answered "Both myself and my family/partner experienced it," totaling 65.4% who have experienced menopausal symptoms in some form. "Have not experienced" was 34.6%. This result shows that among those who are aware of menopausal symptoms, two out of three have actually dealt with discomfort. It was also found that many people became aware of menopause not only through their own changes but also through changes in close family members or partners. ■Top Symptoms are "Hot Flashes/Flushing" at 54.5%, "Irritability" at 49.6%, and "Fatigue/Lethargy" at 44.7% Next, we asked those who had experienced menopausal symptoms what specific symptoms they had. As a result, the most common was "Hot flashes/Flushing" at 54.5%. This was followed by "Irritability" at 49.6%, "Fatigue/Lethargy" at 44.7%, and "Sweating" at 43.9%. It can be said that the combination of physical and mental changes tends to have a significant impact on daily life. ■33.3% Responded They are "Not Doing Anything in Particular" for Menopausal Symptoms Next, we asked those who had experienced menopausal symptoms what countermeasures they were taking (or had taken). The most common response was "Not doing anything in particular" at 33.3%. It was found that one in three people is not taking specific measures despite feeling unwell. This was followed by "Rested as much as possible" at 19.8% and "Consulted a doctor" at 13.6%. We asked for the reasons behind each response, and here are some examples: "Not doing anything in particular" ・I don't know what to do. (Female, 40s) ・Because I don't know if it's menopause. (Female, 40s) ・I didn't want to rely on medicine too much, so I thought I just had to accept the symptoms and live with them. (Female, 50s) "Rested as much as possible" ・Because it was an immediate and inexpensive method. (Female, 40s) ・Because I just wanted to relax. (Female, 40s) "Consulted a doctor" ・Supplements didn't work, so I was prescribed Chinese herbal medicine at the hospital, but that also wasn't effective, so I stopped. (Female, 50s) ・I think it's the most effective way to find the cause. (Female, 50s) Among those not taking countermeasures, voices like "I don't know what to do" and "I can't tell if it's menopause" were prominent. It seems that many people are hesitant, unable to find methods that suit them, even with information available. On the other hand, some people are exploring their own methods, such as resting or visiting a hospital, indicating that coping strategies vary from person to person. ■55.6% Responded They Have "Never Consulted Anyone" About Menopausal Symptoms Next, we asked those who had experienced menopausal symptoms if they had ever consulted anyone. As a result, 55.6% answered "No," and 44.4% answered "Yes." It is clear that over half of the people have not consulted anyone about their menopausal symptoms. We asked for reasons why they haven't consulted anyone or find it difficult to consult, and here are some examples: Reasons for not consulting or finding it difficult to consult: ・It's hard to talk about because there are individual differences. (Female, 40s) ・Because it seems like I won't be understood. (Female, 40s) ・It's somehow difficult to say. (Female, 40s) ・There's no one to talk to. (Female, 50s) ・Because I think consulting won't lead to a concrete solution. (Male, 50s) ・Because it's embarrassing. (Male, 50s) Many reasons cited for not consulting included "consulting won't solve anything" and "I might not be understood." The significant individual differences in menopausal symptoms and the difficulty in verbalizing them seem to raise the barrier to consultation. Furthermore, comments like "there's no one to talk to" and "it's embarrassing" suggest that menopause is still a difficult topic to discuss openly. Responses from men also indicated difficulty in consulting, highlighting that it is a topic where individuals can easily feel isolated, regardless of gender. ■Summary This survey revealed that awareness of menopausal symptoms is still insufficient, with over 60% of respondents answering "Don't know much" or "Hardly know." Even among those who have actually experienced symptoms, one in three is not taking any specific countermeasures, and over half have not consulted anyone. Menopausal symptoms are not something that must simply be endured; there are various approaches such as supplements, Chinese herbal medicine, and reviewing lifestyle habits. Paying attention to changes in your own body and seeking self-care methods that can be continued without strain might be the first step towards a comfortable daily life. ・State that the source is "A survey by NEXER Co., Ltd. and Kyowa Yakuhin Co., Ltd." ・Install a link to Kyowa Yakuhin Co., Ltd. (https://kyowa-yakuhin.co.jp/)