Menopause
Menopause waits for no woman!
Menopause has become more visible and current in recent years, perhaps because of social media, but also because society is changing, and we are no longer keeping silent about women’s health. There is a frightening and rather depressing thought about menopause that I discovered when I wrote my dissertation on the subject. The average life expectancy is increasing to such a degree that women are now living longer in peri and post menopause than before! It’s like adding insult to injury. We are first subjected to decades of cramps, bloating, mood swings and fatigue from iron deficiency anaemia caused by blood loss. If we then decide to further our species, our bodies are subjected to massive and sudden growth, followed by the pain and destruction that childbirth brings. We are the only species whose birth canal does not accommodate the cranium of its off spring!
After we have recovered from this trauma and our children grow, menopause waits, her arms open wide to greet us and take us into our next forever of fluctuating hormones! We can look forward to the plummeting oestrogen levels, leaving our bones to crumble, our hair and skin to thin and dry out, our digestive system to develop intolerances to everything but fresh air and our joints to seize up! We have oestrogen receptors everywhere which is why any part of our body can be affected by menopause. We also lose testosterone and progesterone, causing a drop in sex drive and change in mood, motivation, outlook. The endocrine system becomes our worst enemy!
There is help though, thank goodness! There are so many resources now, to inform and education women and men! Let’s not forget, that while they don’t experience menopause first hand, they may cohabit with a woman in menopausal crisis! This is not for the faint hearted! Menopause Matters is a great website with lots of information about the condition, a great introduction to those of you who are entering into this life cycle. Louise Newson is a doctor who specialises in menopause and she too, has a website and books about menopause. Her information is up-to-date and evidence based and she demonstrates a true passion about women’s health, exploring the wide range of treatments, both pharmacological and natural.
There are so many issues for women to consider when they reach the menopause, including what treatments might work for them, what side effects there are, what risks are associated with treatment and what happens if no treatment is given. There was a time, certainly while I have worked as a health care professional, where patients have reported to me that previous clinicians have been afraid to prescribe HRT, because of associated health risks like breast cancer, and blood clots.
I learned, after doing my dissertation, that there are other risk factors that far outweigh the risks of HRT and these conditions. Obesity, alcohol and smoking, are much higher risk factors for breast cancer and other conditions than hormone replacement. Studies showed that the incidence of breast cancer as a result of taking HRT was much less than previously reported, back when the Million Women Studies were conducted in 2002.
As I often say, when talking about health, it is always safest to organise a consultation with your own NHS GP or clinician, when exploring ways to treat menopause and your decision will be unique to your own experience and your own health. What works for one woman, may not for another. What keeps the husband of one menopausal women safe, may not be effective for another. My husband enjoys a relatively stable life with the help of my marina coil and oestrogen gel. These two treatments also keep my bed dry at night (I’ve happily waved goodbye to the hot sweats) and help me get a better night’s sleep.
