Episode
The Menopause Experience for Women of Color: What Midlife Really Looks Like | Dr. Kudzai Dombo
- Published
- Aug 28, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 3136
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Summary
Dr. Kudzai Dombo is a board certified OBGYN, educator, and one of the leading voices in elevating conversations around women of color and their healthcare journey. We start with the SWAN study, a 25-year longitudinal multiracial, multi-ethnic cohort study that enrolled over 3,300 women between the ages of 42 and 52. It remains one of the most important sources of information we have on how menopause affects women differently across racial and ethnic groups. What it found is striking: Black women are more likely to experience worse vasomotor symptoms, their hot flashes last on average 10 years compared to 6.5 for white women, and they tend to enter menopause about 1.2 years earlier. Hispanic women also enter the menopausal transition earlier, with symptoms lasting on average about 9 years. These are not small differences. We talk about why these disparities exist, including the concept of weathering, the chronic stress load carried by Black women navigating systemic racism that accelerates biological aging, and what allostatic load actually means in the body. We get into social determinants of health, what they are, how they shape who gets equitable care and who does not, and why implicit bias is not a character flaw but a phenomenon every clinician needs to examine continuously. We also get personal. Dr. Dombo shares what it felt like to be on the other side of the system she works within, and we talk honestly about what patients can do when they feel dismissed, and what clinicians can do before they even walk into the room. This is a conversation about science, equity, and advocacy. And it is one every woman and every clinician needs to hear. Key Takeaways The SWAN study, established in 1996, followed over 3,300 women for 25 years and remains the most comprehensive so…