let’s start talkinG about menopause

Why are we silently suffering through Menopause?

Not the sexiest topic. As such, no one really talks about it. Entering this stage of life is a time of confusion and frustration and uncomfortableness for many of us. 

For the past several years, many of my friends and I have woken up feeling like something has literally taken over our bodies: hit with multiple hot flashes that seem to come totally at random and with no pattern or warning; sleepless nights, weight gain for no obvious reason; and a consistent feeling of agitation and crankiness.

It was a normal occurrence for me to be driving my daughter’s soccer carpool in 10 degree weather to feel the impulsive need to completely strip down to a tank top while gulping air from the open car window to then a moment later needing to bundle back up.  Hot, cold, hot, cold…my body seemed so confused.  Attending a friend’s 50th birthday pajama party in silky pjs was another HUGE mistake - having multiple hot flashes and having to stick my head into the host’s freezer. I literally wanted to crawl out of my skin.  

At the time of these “ changes,” I was in perimenopause, that chaotic time where our bodies are beginning to shift into menopause.  To be more precise, perimenopause is where our bodies slowly stop producing the menstrual cycle hormones that allow us to get pregnant.  During the menstrual cycle, estrogen causes the uterus lining to thicken each month and without conception, it is eliminated as a period.  Then progesterone is produced which continues to thicken the uterine lining.  As we get older, a woman’s body produces fewer of these hormones until our period ceases.  And once we no longer have a period for 12 consecutive months, we are considered to be in menopause.  Many women, however, have irregular periods for years before they are fully in menopause.  And irregular periods just touch the surface; some other symptoms of low estrogen include:  dysregulated temperature, urinary issues, mood fluctuations, thinning of vaginal tissue and decreased moisture production, weakening of bones and memory loss, amongst others.  

For decades, women never talked about the changes they were experiencing.  And shockingly years later, we are still not talking much about it! In part, perhaps many women just think this is a natural part of getting older, and as such that they just have to deal with it.  In addition, some medical practitioners wave their concerns off saying things like: “It’s just normal.” Yet nothing about this feels normal at all!  In my case, I remember bringing it up to my former endocrinologist and she told me that we could do something if the symptoms were “really bad.”  So for years, I would tell myself to “toughen up,” as if my discomfort or inability to deal with how I was feeling was because I was weak.  As a holistic health coach, I decided to take this matter into my own hands and looked for a holistic approach.  And for some, these solutions could work:  I added evening yoga and light meditation to my self-care routine.  Engaging in relaxation techniques that decrease stress and tension can often help decrease menopause symptoms.  I added bee pollen to my smoothies; research showed that some women who took bee pollen supplements or added bee pollen to their foods experienced less frequent hot flashes while experiencing other health improvements as well, such as better sleep, reduced irritability, less joint pain and improved mood and energy.  I subsequently started taking black cohosh every morning.  I had learned that taking black cohosh could potentially help reduce night sweats and hot flashes.  This herbal supplement had been used since ancient times, but only recently has it come to be known as a possible relief against those common and uncomfortable menopause symptoms. I slept only under a sheet and retired my warm winter sweaters for many years.  After trying every kind of sleep aid from magnesium to melatonin and CBD gummies, I began to take a sleeping pill once or twice a week to just get a good night's sleep.  

And then I put my foot down.  I wasn’t suffering because I was weak; I always knew that there was a treatment for all of the symptoms that I was experiencing, hormone replacement therapy (HRT), but it was not readily offered to me in the past.  I knew that the therapy carried some risk, as do many medications that people take to relieve serious discomfort.  But because of some misleading information, many women, including myself, regarded HRT as dangerous.  In the early 2000s, researchers who studied HRT found that it could increase the risk of stroke, breast cancer and clotting.  They announced their findings before developing a clear sense of how it affected women of different ages.  Today, most menopause experts believe that for healthy women under 60 suffering from those nasty menopause symptoms, the benefits largely outweigh the risks.  When our hormone supply is low from an age-associated decline, we can experience a severely diminished quality of life.  Numerous studies show that HRT can improve many of the “quality of life” issues and even reduce some chronic heart issues if HRT is begun soon after the onset of menopause in otherwise healthy women.  The health benefits can be great, especially the ripple effects of quality sleep and being able to have sexual relations without pain.  HRT can often prevent hot flashes, rectify the thinning and dryness of the vaginal tissues and can reduce the risk of osteoporosis.  

And today there are a variety of options that may work for you.  When we can no longer make enough hormones naturally, taking hormones will replace the estrogen that your body is no longer producing. For women who haven’t had a hysterectomy, a doctor may recommend taking estrogen and progesterone together to keep the lining of the uterus thin and reduce the risk of developing uterine cancer.  Most doctors will prescribe just enough to get rid of hot flashes and protect the uterus.  In addition, some doctors will suggest testosterone supplementation for menopausal women with low sexual desire if HRT alone is not effective.  Depending on the symptoms, hormones come in different forms like pills, creams, gels, injections or transdermal patches.  Many doctors will prescribe bioidentical hormones, which are one type of man-made hormones that are chemically identical to the ones your body makes, so you can absorb them easily.  There are also natural hormones made from natural sources like yams and soybeans–but it is important to know that even natural hormones require a lot of processing for them to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration.  Additionally, some health practitioners offer compounded bioidentical hormones. The appeal is that they are a blend of hormones tailored to the individual. But there is a risk involved with this method, because when these hormones are blended, a saliva sample is taken at the time to test certain hormone levels to determine what the best combination is the most suitable.  But saliva doesn’t always indicate the actual hormone levels and custom hormone blends are usually not FDA-approved.

Don’t get me wrong: I am a huge proponent of engaging in practices that will help us maintain a strong body and sound mind.  I would encourage anyone feeling some sort of hormonal imbalance to try to bring more balance to their lives by first focusing on eating nutritious food, improving the quality of sleep and managing stress.  Bottom line: Despite doing all the right lifestyle things, sometimes we still may need a little extra help. Don’t be afraid to speak up and explore your options with your practitioner—they’re out there and can really make a big difference!