Fortunately, the familiar questions women have about menopause symptoms—like hot flashes, mood changes, memory blocks, and sleep problems—are being researched and openly discussed, especially during October, which is Menopause Awareness Month. But what about the menopause symptoms that women are embarrassed to ask about—even with their physicians? Here are some of those questions and answers, so you know that these concerns are not uncommon and that you are not alone with your symptoms.

You don’t have to be a professional singer to notice an increase in hoarseness and lower register when you are speaking. The muscles we use when speaking tend to shrink, and cartilage may thicken and harden. A deepening voice and lower pitch may be less noticeable for men, or even a change they appreciate. For women, on the other hand, voice changes can be more obvious and more likely to make us feel uncomfortable.

More research is still needed to determine if the changes are inevitable.1 In the meantime, try voice warmups in the morning, steaming and humidifiers to counteract some of the membrane dryness, avoid smoking, excessive alcohol, and pollutants to protect your larynx, and treat acid reflux to avoid additional irritation.2

If you are crossing your legs when you laugh or cough, you are not the only one. Almost 50% of women report that they have bladder leaks during their menopause transition. Age alone doesn’t account for these bladder problems; they are another frequently embarrassing symptom associated with menopause. But the good news is that this one is somewhat manageable:3

Although women often discuss vaginal dryness with their physicians, and even their friends, clitoral changes are not usually discussed, although they are common, too. A few of my patients have read that women who have sex more tend to have milder cases of vaginal dryness and associated clitoral atrophy because arousal increases blood flow and lubrication to the genitals. But this is more........

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