Medical experts have urged Nigerian women in their late 40s and early 50s to get sensitised on the symptoms of menopause, noting that many of them who are unaware of the physiological changes of the menopausal syndrome are mistaking it for typhoid.
According to the experts, even some educated women have poor knowledge of menopause symptoms and therefore mistake it for typhoid fever and sometimes malaria
Speaking in an exclusive interview, the experts, an obstetrician and gynaecologist at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano State, Dr. Labaran Aliyu; and a public health physician, Dr. Austine Aipoh, explained that while menopause symptoms could be mild, moderate or severe, it is an experience that every woman will go through once she starts having the withdrawal of female hormones like oestrogen and progesterone.
The experts pointed out that women confuse menopause symptoms for typhoid fever because of some similarities in the symptoms of the two conditions, noting that proper sensitisation can help to clear such confusion.
Menopause, the experts said, can occur between the ages of 45 and 52 among women in Nigeria. They, however, added that, in rare cases, menopause can occur between the ages of 36 and 40, which is referred to as early menopause.
Aliyu, who is an associate professor at Bayero University, Kano, said the confusion surrounding menopausal symptoms can compound health issues for women at this stage, if not properly managed.
