And on another topic again...

Edition 25

Hello lovelies!

Thank you for choosing to spend a few moments with me.

The Substack posts of a friend of mine (Maggie from Scratch) have inspired me to be more personal in my posts. My natural (or learned) reserved nature and background as a communications officer makes me uncomfortable about doing this, but here goes…

Me at Wireless Hill, captured by halleymiranda.com.

Two conversations earlier this year got me thinking about menopause.

One friend told me she’d recently gone onto HRT (or MHT as it’s now called) and found her migraine symptoms had eased, as well as a number of other symptoms which I had NEVER thought to be related to perimenopause, menopause or post-menopause. Another friend told me she was sure her joint pain was as a result of menopause.

So, these hormonal changes in our 40s, 50s and 60s may do WAY more than give us hot flushes and make us moody. Some of them, like joint pain, you may have associated with ‘getting old’. Or you may have thought your increased anxiety was caused by other stuff going on in your life. Or that your skin is itchy because of environmental triggers. But they might be due to hormonal changes.

Those two conversations made me find out more. The first book I bought was The New Menopause by Dr Mary Claire Haver and includes a list of 66 different symptoms. This blew my mind.

That list from The New Menopause

This book is good, but written for the US market so Dr Haver spends a lot of time on how to navigate the US medical system, and medications approved for the US market.

That said, what I was reading about menopause made me ANGRY. Because I remember going to several GPs in my early 50s and asking about HRT and being fobbed off each time. No-one provided me with any information - not like this book does. Looking back now, I realise that was when my migraines started and I also had a serious anxiety/panic attack that was at least in part related to these hormonal changes. No-one in the medical system ever made those connections.

But that said, HRT/MHT does not have to be the solution. There are other ways of easing symptoms. And even understanding more about what is going on (ie you’re not going crazy or making this up) and why, can be helpful.

The two books that finally helped me make sense of it all.

More recently I’ve come across another book, The Hormone Repair Manual by Lara Briden (from a Canadian/Australian/NZ perspective) which I highly recommend. This is suitable for any woman heading into her 40s, 50s or 60s. I’m at a point where I need to make a rapid decision about HRT as it has more risks if started 10 years after menopause (all explained in the two books).

This is serious!

As you saw in the list above, there are many impacts of hormone changes, but here are 4 really important ones:

1. Increased risk of osteoporosis and broken bones (I broke my wrist two years ago which had a big impact on my life, but how incapacitating would a broken hip be?)

2. Loss of muscle mass which means when you fall, you’re less able to stop yourself and this increases the risk of broken bones.

3. Increased risk of heart disease.

4. Increased risk of mental health issues.

Please, if you’re of this gender and in this age group, read up about this, and the earlier the better. If I’d understood the risk of osteoporosis post-menopause, I may have been taking supplements and doing serious exercise earlier, which may have resulted in a better outcome for me.

There are some easy, inexpensive changes that you can make (dietary changes, supplements, drinking less alcohol, increasing exercise and changing the exercise you’re doing) that could make a big difference to living a healthier and more active life for longer.

It’s never too late to start!

Weight-bearing, strength-training and balance exercises can decrease the chance of falls and broken bones. Because I also have other issues, my GP referred me to a fantastic physio who put together programs for me to do at the gym, but a personal trainer might be able to do the same for you.

And, if your GP is not too keen on doing anything for you - go and find another one! Ladies, we have the right to be listened to and looked after properly! We are 51% of the population after all.

Me again by halleymiranda.com

Maybe next time I’ll get back to books and writing!

Till then,

Rosemary

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