As a woman's risk of sleep apnea increases around menopause, so does the likelihood she'll mistake sleep apnea symptoms for menopausal ones. Women and their HCPs may assume signs like frequent waking are related to menopause without considering other causes. "There's sound research that the symptoms of sleep apnea are frequently misinterpreted or underappreciated, not just by patients but also providers," said Dr. Kristen Zarfos, a breast surgeon, women's health advocate and WHAC member. "When a woman is awakened at night drenched in sweat and she happens to be the age that menopause could be occurring for her, it seems the symptoms are either discounted, or they're just assumed to be menopause," Zarfos said. Patel agrees. "Women may often go undiagnosed or be misdiagnosed, especially if they don't present with classic sleep apnea symptoms," she said.