49.4% of US women aged 40 to 60 reported menopause symptoms in the past year, such as hot flashes, night sweats or sleep problems, in the national household health survey. It was highest at ages 52 to 55 (67.4%). Of women with symptoms, 15.6% were taking a prescription medication for them. The answers are self-reported, and some of the listed symptoms can have other causes.
The other side The US SWAN study, which followed 3,302 women through the menopause transition from 1996 to 2013, found frequent hot flashes or night sweats lasted longest in African American women, a median of 10.1 years, against 7.4 years for all women with frequent symptoms. In this survey, fewer Black women than white women reported symptoms in the past year. Avis et al., JAMA Internal Medicine, 2015
October 2026 · US · Checked by Yellow 26 October 2026
Who it covers
US National Health Interview Survey 2025, a nationally representative household survey; women aged 40 to 60 who were not pregnant, postpartum or in surgical menopause; the brief does not give the number of women; questions sponsored by the NIH Office of Research on Women's Health; authors from the National Center for Health Statistics and the NIH
This card reports what research found. It is not medical advice.