Making sense of MENOPAUSE
WHEN IT COMES TO MANAGING MENOPAUSE, THERE’S NO ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL APPROACH
The choice to use hormonal replacement therapy (HRT), herbal remedies, or nothing, can polarise even the greatest of friends. But it’s important you do whatever is right for you and leave other people’s judgements at the door. Considering the average life expectancy 200 years ago was 30 to 45 years, menopause didn’t even exist!
Most people will agree we can thank modern medicine for our ability to outlive our ancestors. However, this extended life span now means women live well beyond our reproductive years, and here enters our wonderful new friend... menopause!
THERAPY OR NOT?
There’s some debate that using any type of therapy interrupts the ‘normal’ ageing processes. But what is the normal ageing process when we already manipulate it daily with such things as blood pressure medications and antibiotics? As a doctor, I am on the fence.
YOUR OWN JOURNEY
The main person I’ve watched go through menopause (my mum) did so with relative ease. She joked about the hot flashes and grumpiness, and I remember the awkward conversation about vaginal lubricants after I was snooping and found a tube of lube in her bedside dresser. Mum didn’t need therapy.
Similarly, I trained with this extraordinary woman at my local gym who had difficult symptoms. She was determined not to use any hormonal therapy and scoured the internet, developing her own diet and exercise program, with a strong focus on strength training.
I have also had the privilege of working with patients whose symptoms interfere drastically with their daily life and for whom they choose to seek out treatment.
EVERYONE’S DIFFERENT
I think the best advice that I can give is to remember menopause is different for everyone! We all need to keep in our own lane and decide what is best for our bodies.
If you or a friend are experiencing debilitating symptoms, go and see your family doctor who can discuss all your options. They can arm you with information on non-prescription options like CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) and exercise, or non-hormonal medications like clonidine, which is an antihypertensive known to also reduce hot flashes.
Then, if you and your doctor feel it is needed, consider HRT, which consists of estrogen replacement only (if you have had a hysterectomy), or combined with progestogen replacement (if you still have your womb to protect from overgrowth of the uterine lining). If you continue to have debilitating symptoms, your doctor can refer you to a gynaecologist that specialises in menopause.
CHECK BONE HEALTH!
A big one I would be remiss to forget is a quick comment on bone health. Ladies over 50, please ensure you are taking measures to reduce the impact of osteoporosis. This includes adequate calcium, protein, sunlight, resistance exercise and trying to avoid smoking, excessive alcohol and obesity.