Managing menopause
In this episode of 51%, experts break down everything you need to know about menopause, menopause content creators have a transparent conversation about their menopause journeys, celebrities speak out, and we learn some very surprising symptoms.
Transcript
[UPBEAT MUSIC]
Everybody's like, oh, menopause. Hormones are horrible. It's perimenopause where the problems can start. [UPBEAT MUSIC]
Menopause is an acceptable diagnosis at age 45. But before we get to menopause, there's
what's called perimenopause. Roughly 7 to 10 years before the ovaries quit-- that's what menopause is, stopping ovulation--
this is when periods can start to get irregular. Maybe your cycle is getting longer, or maybe it's getting a little bit shorter.
When we get into that late-phase perimenopause, that's the 12-month sprint to your final period.
This is where we definitely can start to notice the brain fog, the hot flashes, the anxiety really starting to amp up.
This is a stage in life where women are more likely to be prescribed some kind of mood-altering medication, anti-depressant,
anti-anxiety medication, because our mood is starting to be affected. In this late stage, we've got to think about using progesterone therapy because progesterone isn't just
about helping with, you know, the periods. It's also about your mood, your anxiety, still feeling connected to people in your family.
It is something that has been underutilized, as we now look back retroactively in women's medicine.
[UPBEAT MUSIC] You don't have a period for 12 consecutive months, welcome to menopause.
The next day, you're post-menopausal. One of the big myths that I'm really seeing come up more and more I really
think we need to ditch in this society is the concept that perimenopause
should be hormonal hell, and menopause is a game over, a losing situation. There's many things that you can do to not just mitigate
perimenopausal symptoms, but also things that you can do so that you thrive. Even while hormones are declining, we can work to support the body naturally to transition.
And we can always pull in hormone replacement therapy, if needed. But you know, as I'm talking about this, another big myth is that once you're in menopause,
you're no longer going to be sexual. You're not going to be interested in sex. Like, I really hate that. And I will say to anyone, wherever
you are in your journey, I've heard time and again how much better sex gets in menopause. And a big reason is there's no longer this concern
for an unintended pregnancy. You no longer have to worry about that. And that is something that can release, you know,
what is called a sexual inhibitor or a break and really help you embrace your sexuality even more.
You know, it can really be a wonderful time in a woman's life. That really flies in the face of what society tells us
or what it even shows us. [UPBEAT MUSIC]
It's like this ebb and flow through this period of time where your body is just changing.
[UPBEAT MUSIC]
At the time, I actually didn't realize that I was going through menopause. And I think that that was one of the challenges
is that I had no idea. Nobody could kind of give me a definitive answer that the symptoms that I was having are actually
the menopause. I went to 18 different doctors, two world-renowned medical facilities. And still, no one mentioned nutrition,
nor did they mention menopause. I couldn't function. The symptoms were just not your typical symptoms
that you hear about all the time with the hot flashes and the night sweats. I did have those, to an extent. But they weren't my main problem.
The brain fog, and the headaches, and-- and vision loss, a lot of the head symptoms are--
aren't-- were and are still my main issue. I had a ton of the brain fog as well.
And it's still a part of who I am every day. And it's super, super frustrating. Not being able to sleep at night, twitching in my eyes,
migraines, vertigo, auras, numbness in my hands and feet. It's a lot for a woman to go through.
What I personally would like to see is that when a woman starts coming into her 40s, that her hormones are checked
and the-- you know, things. They're made more aware that symptoms that they may start having, or if they start feeling
a little bit off, you know, just have in the back of your mind, is this the beginning of the menopause? Because I think that the more awareness and information women
have as they start getting into that age group, the better. I love the fact that you said that you didn't realize that it
was actually menopause because I thought I was the only person [LAUGHS] that didn't know. I'm like, what the heck? What's going on?
Having conversations with your girlfriends that are of similar ages and to see what experiences they're
having, that really helps. I think it's just-- there's just something comforting in knowing that you're not the only one.
Because when you feel alone and like you're the only person going through some of these things, it's really hard. But I think one of the other things that really
helped me as well was going beyond my GP and finding private help. If you feel like you're not really getting anywhere
with your own doctor, they're not really listening to you, then seek help elsewhere. Seek help elsewhere because the help is out there.
[UPBEAT MUSIC]
Why is such a critical part of women's health being ignored? [UPBEAT MUSIC]
Just 20% of OB-GYN residency programs provide any kind of menopause training. And nearly 80% of the medical residents
admit that they feel barely comfortable discussing or treating menopause. [UPBEAT MUSIC]
The mood swings, the night sweats, the migraines, all of these things converging, and no information
and no community. Literally, it was like somebody put a furnace in my core and turned it on high.
[UPBEAT MUSIC]
Did your life change once a month because of your period? Did your life completely change because of menopause? Still using pads?
Still getting hot flashes? Let me tell it to you straight. Some women have a type of menopause that solely affects their mood.
Maybe they don't have a hot flash. But all of a sudden, they're anxious. They're depressed. They're insomniacs. They don't know who they are anymore.
Just taking the time, being your own advocate. We don't have to go through things alone.
We can really talk about it with people and our friends and not suffer silently. [UPBEAT MUSIC]
It's one of those things that no one ever talks about. [UPBEAT MUSIC]
you would think that going to medical school, I was really versed in midlife, and menopause,
and perimenopause. But I'm gonna tell you the truth. There's a whole generation of doctors that did not receive the in-depth knowledge that we
needed. No one ever talks about that 25% of women in perimenopause will have such severe musculoskeletal pain
that they really can't do their activities of daily living. You would not believe the relief on the faces of the people
that I talked to, and I say to them simply, you are not falling apart. Your hormones are fluctuating.
And what we really need to do is focus on how to stabilize those or, frankly, replace them.
You just need to know that this is part of the perimenopause cycle, that there are things we can do about it.
And you must ask the questions. And if you don't find a clinician that can answer those questions, keep looking, keep asking,
because you are not falling apart. And you are not crazy. [UPBEAT MUSIC]
menopause
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