Dr Sarah Jarvis
My Weekly’s favourite GP from TV and radio writes for you
If we live long enough, the menopause happens to most women. Not everyone gets hot flushes, night sweats and vaginal dryness, and some women breeze through this natural phase in their lives, but some of us need a little extra help.
The average age to go through the menopause is 52, but anything from 45-55 is normal. About 80% of women get hot flushes and night sweats, lasting 7 years on average. The most effective treatment is HRT, or hormone replacement therapy. This does increase the risk of breast cancer, but the risk is small if you just take HRT for a few years and drops when you stop it.
Lots of my patients complain that they gain weight after the menopause.
IF YOU REACH MENOPAUSE BELOW 45, SPEAK TO YOUR GP – YOU SHOULD TAKE HRT UNTIL YOU’RE AT LEAST 50 TO PROTECT YOUR BONES
Some women do, but it isn’t inevitable. As you age, your metabolism slows, often because you’re less active in your day-to-day activities.
This not only leads to weight gain, but also reduces the firmness of your muscles, making it feel as if you’ve put on more weight. Also some women are more prone to weight gain round the midriff after menopause.
Bone health is key after menopause. You can’t feel it, but bones become less strong from your 40s and this process speeds up after menopause. This puts you at higher risk of breaking a bone due to osteoporosis. Regular exercise, avoiding smoking and excess alcohol, a daily 10mcg vitamin D supplement, and increasing calcium in your diet (dairy products, tinned fish with bones, and green leafy veg) will all help.
Other risk factors for your bones include going through the menopause before the age of 45, taking regular steroid tablets, having rheumatoid arthritis or bowel disease (Coeliac or Crohn’s disease), being very immobile, having osteoporosis in the family and being very underweight.
After the menopause, lower levels of the female hormone oestrogen mean you make less collagen, making you more prone to wrinkles and sagging jawline. Protect your skin from the sun and opt for a hydrating moisturiser rather than soap, which can dry skin out. Avoid long, hot baths, be liberal with body moisturisers and choose a facial moisturiser designed for mature skin.
Thinning hair is a fact of life for some women as they get older, and it can run in families. It’s worth ensuring you have enough protein and iron in your diet as being short of either of these can affect hair quality. Avoid bleaches and perming lotions that damage hair, but a regular shampoo and blow-dry, or even giving your natural colour a helping hand with hair dye, is fine.
It can be hard to exercise if you’re suffering from hot flushes, but it’s more important than ever after menopause. It helps keep weight down, tone muscles, improve balance and guard against osteoporosis. Swimming is great for keeping you cool but it’s not weight-bearing exercise, which is important for keeping bones strong. But you don’t have to sweat in body-hugging Lycra to get fit. Try alternating swimming with other aerobic exercise (the kind that makes your heart and breathing rate rise) like brisk walking, tennis, keep-fit classes or dancing. Find an exercise buddy to reduce the chance of giving up, or join a rambling club. Next week: Hay fever update
NATURAL ALTERNATIVES TO HRT INCLUDE INCREASING SOYA IN YOUR DIET OR TAKING A BLACK COHOSH SUPPLEMENT SUCH AS MENOHERB