plusOne Releases "The Silence Report - 2026": Revealing
the Unspoken Realities of Menopause and the Critical Gaps
in Women's Healthcare

Newton, MA — June 28, 2026 — plusOne, a leader in intimate wellness, today
announced the release of The Silence Report - 2026, a comprehensive white
paper alongside its companion blog piece, "Nobody Warned Us: What Women
Really Experience During Menopause." Conducted in conjunction with Walmart, with
research by Nielsen Consumer LLC, the in-depth qualitative study captures the
candid, lived experiences of 51 women ages 40 to 55 navigating perimenopause and
menopause.

The report addresses a profound silence surrounding menopause, highlighting that the
lack of preparation women receive during puberty continues straight through one of the
most significant transitions of their lives. The findings reveal that millions of women are
navigating this complex life stage largely alone—piecing together information from
Google searches, friends, and exhausting trial-and-error.

Key Findings from The Silence Report Include:
The Understanding Gap: Women frequently experience a web of overlapping
symptoms long before they formally name it "menopause." Without a clear starting
line, and facing frequent medical dismissal where symptoms are attributed to stress
or aging, women internalize these changes as a loss of their familiar selves.

An Interconnected Symptom System: Menopause symptoms do not arrive one at a
time. The report identifies a "symptom spiral," where sleep disruption leads to fatigue,
which fuels mood changes and brain fog, ultimately affecting relationships, intimacy,
and identity.

Self-Navigation as a Last Resort: When the healthcare system falls short, women
are forced to become their own researchers. Friends often provide the most practical
guidance and a vital sense of community that clinical appointments lack.

The Retail Reality: The in-store search for relief only adds to the burden. Products
are scattered across multiple aisles with no clear connection. Women are demanding
clear, normalizing signage and products organized by actual symptoms, rather than
clinical lifecycle labels they haven't yet claimed.

The companion blog post, Nobody Warned Us, distills these findings into a powerful
narrative directly echoing the participants' voices. It emphasizes that the ultimate ask
from women is not complicated: they want honesty over hype, plain language, and for
menopause to be treated as a normal part of life rather than a niche medical problem
managed in the margins.

The release of this white paper is part of the plusOne Intimate Wellness Series,
reinforcing the brand’s ongoing commitment to honest, evidence-informed dialogue
about the female body at every stage of life.

To read the blog post and download the full Silence Report - 2026, please visit
https://myplusone.com/blogs/news/nobody-warned-us-what-women-really-experienceduring-
menopause.

Media Contact:
plusOne Public Relations
[email protected]
MYPLUSONE.COM
About plusOne®
plusOne is dedicated to intimate wellness for every body. Through evidence-informed dialogue, inclusive product
development, and comprehensive research initiatives like The Silence Report, plusOne strives to normalize
conversations around all stages of female health, from puberty through menopause and beyond.