Menopause in the Philippines: the numbers, with sources

• Hot flushes: 48.1%, the most common symptom in a 2012 community sample of Filipino women (Matsuo et al., Kobe J Med Sci 2012).
• Shoulder stiffness: 31.6% and lower back pain: 31.6% in the same sample (Matsuo 2012).
• About 32% of women in Paete, Laguna felt menopause symptoms hurt their quality of life, with the somatic (body) domain most affected (Opulencia-Banayo and Habana, PJOG 2024).
• An older Filipino study, cited at the October 2025 UP Manila and PGH symposium, found headache the most common symptom and hot flashes the least prevalent (UP Manila 2025). Results differ by study and by how symptoms are asked about.
• Filipina-American women in a US study reported vaginal dryness (39.4%) and hot flashes (37.6%) as the most common estrogen-related symptoms, and generally viewed the transition positively (PubMed 10374216).

• Menopause is confirmed after 12 months without a period (UP Manila 2025).
• Menopause before 45 is called early menopause, and before 40 is premature ovarian insufficiency (POI), as defined by the Philippine Society of Climacteric Medicine (PSCM).
• Average age at menopause in Filipino women: 48.9 years in the 2012 community sample, which was small (79 women), so treat it as a rough guide, not a national figure (Matsuo 2012). Worldwide, most women reach menopause between 45 and 55 (WHO).
• perimenopause lasts about 4 years on average and can last up to 8 years (Cleveland Clinic).

• For most healthy women with symptoms who are under 60 or within 10 years of menopause, benefits of hormone therapy exceed risks, and there is no need to stop routinely at 60 or 65 (The Menopause Society 2022).
• In the original Women's Health Initiative combined estrogen plus progestin arm, there were about 8 more invasive breast cancers per 10,000 women per year, under 1 per 1,000 (Rossouw et al., JAMA 2002).
• The 18-year WHI follow-up found hormone therapy was not associated with higher all-cause, cardiovascular or cancer mortality (Manson et al., JAMA 2017).
• In November 2025 the US FDA announced removal of boxed warnings on cardiovascular disease, breast cancer and probable dementia for menopausal hormone therapy. The endometrial cancer warning stays for systemic estrogen-alone products (RAPS 2025).
• PGH OB-GYN faculty advise starting HRT when symptoms appear or within five years of diagnosis (UP Manila 2025).

• No published PSCM or POGS clinical practice guideline on menopausal hormone therapy was found online as of October 2026 (our research, checking PSCM).
• Estradiol patches: not found at any Philippine retailer we checked. Estradiol gel is ₱1,185.50 per 80 g pump pack (Watsons). Micronized progesterone is ₱85.75 per capsule (Watsons).
• A specialist teleconsult is about ₱699 per 15 min (Doctor Anywhere, Medifi), an estimate from a secondary source (Moneymax).
• DXA bone density scan (spine and hips): ₱2,400 per scan (Exact Check).

Prices checked October 2026. For monthly tracking see our Menopause Cost Index.

Monthly Google Philippines searches, October 2026 (Google Ads data via DataForSEO): menopause 27,100, perimenopause 12,100, menopause symptoms 12,100, menopause age 6,600, stages of menopause 2,900, signs of menopause at 40 1,900, sintomas ng menopause 590. Some of these come from third-party keyword tools and are estimates.