Women, We Need To Talk About Menopause
Here's what I knew about menopause until only a few months ago.
I knew that my mom, sometime in her 50s, started experiencing some hot flashes, and then she went on some hormone replacement therapy. That's pretty much all I knew.
When we think about menopause, we hear a similar story. You may or may not suffer for decades, and then, your period stops, and life continues.
There's so much more to menopause than we've learned.
At 36, I started getting heavy periods, so I went to my doctor and got an IUD to stop them altogether. I didn't know what else to do. Then, in my early 40s, I started experiencing some brain fog and noticing significant changes in my body. I gained about 20 pounds in two years. Nothing had changed in my diet or lifestyle, so it was a bit of a shock. I couldn't blame it on COVID (but I tried).
The most significant change I noticed was that I stopped sleeping through the night. I'd fall asleep fine but wake up around 1:00 a.m. and couldn't get back to sleep for hours. Then, I'd get up at 5:00 a.m. feeling exhausted — which is two hours before I usually wake up.
I thought my iPad and nighttime television were to blame. To some extent, they were because we know that the blue light from electronics isn't good for us. I'd also watch trashy TV or like exciting or stressful shows — not helpful before bedtime.
Making some lifestyle changes helped — but not as much as I hoped.
Over the past six years, I started drinking more water, exercising, and watching even more closely what I ate. I tried diets, which lasted three days max. And at 44, I left my job because I felt so stressed and burned out. I had these cognitive issues where I thought I was experiencing dementia. I thought for sure I needed to see a neurologist.
Now, fortunately, with stress reduction in life and lifestyle changes that have helped a lot, it has come back a lot, too, but I had no real explanation for this myriad of symptoms. It seemed like the lifestyle changes I was making weren't helping.
Discovering the book The New Menopause by Dr. Mary Claire Haver opened my eyes to what I'd been missing. I found her through this Mel Robbins podcast episode.
With menopause, we hear a lot of different experiences — and I wanted a science-based approach.
One of the issues is that menopause and perimenopause haven't been studied extensively. Every woman will go through it if they can be lucky enough to live to this age. And since it affects all of us and affects us mentally so completely, it's so important that we get good information. And to know that what we're experiencing is normal.
Menopause Defined:
Menopause is defined as having no period for one year due to a decline in reproductive hormones. For some women, their periods will come and go and eventually come to an end. For others, it will simply stop. The average age of menopause is 51, with it generally occurring between ages 45 and 55.
Now, there's also perimenopause — the time period during which your body makes the transition to menopause, where the amount of estrogen generated by the ovaries begins to decline erratically through your 30s and 40s. Menstrual cycles can become longer or shorter than what's typical for you; you can start skipping periods, and the flow may be lighter or heavier.
When we think about menopause, hot flashes might be the first thing that comes to mind. Many doctors have been taught about hot flashes but have little other training. Because of this, some women might visit their doctor an average of ten times before finally being diagnosed with menopause.
Since there are no tests for menopause or perimenopause, doctors diagnose this based on listening to patients' symptoms and ruling out other causes.
Beyond hot flashes, some other perimenopause symptoms can include:
Insomnia
Weight gain
Increased visceral/belly fat
Hair loss or charges (thinning hair, hair grows on face)
Memory issues and general fogginess
Vaginal and bladder problems
Mood swings
Impatience
An increased risk of depression
Health risks such as heart attack and stroke
Changes in sexual arousal and desire
The list is long, and the good news is that there are lots of things we can do.
Perimenopause is often diagnosed by symptoms alone. There is not a perfect "blood test" to determine if a woman is in perimenopause due to the widely fluctuation hormone levels.
Talk to your doctor about possible treatment, including changing your eating and nutrition, possible over-the-counter supplements, and potential hormone therapy.
We need to share this information with our friends and our daughters.
How To Build Your Menopause Toolkit
I've been implementing what I've learned from Dr. Mary Claire Haver's book, and it's been life-changing!
Here are the highlights:
An anti-inflammatory approach to food. This helps reduce symptoms like weight gain, bone loss, and the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. She subsequently created The Galveston Diet, which focuses on healthy fats, lean meats, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. It was a huge lifestyle change for me, as I no longer rely on sugar and processed foods for fuel. Small, intentional changes can start making a big difference.
Exercise. Essential for energy, mood balance, brain fog, and multiple other benefits. Resistance training 3-4 times a week can help you develop and maintain muscles and bones, while aerobic exercise works to strengthen your cardiovascular system. Walking, jogging, or running at least 150 minutes per week. Also, incorporate stretching and balance work, like yoga or pilates. If this is new, start walking. Then pick up some weights—exercise to be strong, not skinny.
Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). There aren't many widely reported studies on HRT. In the past, it was thought to cause cancer. There are very few situations in which HRT would not be advisable, and it turns out that it's protective in the ten years post menopause when many issues develop. The lack of estrogen causes problems, and we can protect our hearts and bones and decrease symptoms like hot flashes and mood imbalance if we take HRT. It may be helpful to take estrogen with progesterone, and there are several types of estrogen, so talk to your doctor about which is right for you.
Stress Reduction. Creating a mindfulness and meditation routine, seeking counselling to help you set realistic expectations and adopt more functional thoughts.
Quality Sleep: We need 7-8 hours, nightly. Create a bedtime routine and make it a priority!
Community: Social support and friendships can reduce stress and improve mental health. It can also help support your healthy lifestyle changes.
In the Courageous Leaders Masterclass, we talked about thought and lifestyle changes that you can get a jump start on so that you will leapfrog ahead in your journey.
This is a time of life that requires you to put your health and wellness first. These lifestyle changes can make you feel vibrant, energetic, and excited about this stage of your life.
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