What Many Get Wrong About Menopause
If you are female and plan to live into your 60s, you WILL go through menopause! As old Ben Franklin is credited to say, “In this world, nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes!” But I would argue: death, taxes, and menopause (if you’re living beyond your early 50s). Women starting to actually talk about the issue, has jump started a revolution…one where women are taking control of their midlife health and aiming to have better quality of life through their 70s and 80s.
One of the many things that most get wrong about menopause is: When do symptoms start? The Myth: Menopause Starts In Our 50s
The answer to this question is: usually 10 years prior to actual menopause (a 12 month timeframe where you haven’t had a period/spotting).
For some women, this can mean symptoms start in their mid-30s! And often, when symptoms start this early, they are not addressed or are blown off at regular doctors’ visits. Things like feeling more fatigued, more anxious, achy shoulders, new inflammation, weight gain, changes in blood pressure readings or cholesterol despite not changing anything about your diet or exercise, just to name a few.
Why is this happening? The Myth: It’s Natural So You Just Have To Get Through It
Research reveals that estrogen receptors are everywhere in our body-in our brain, in our gut, in our blood vessels. Think of circulating estrogen like a cap on top of a boiling pan. As long as that cap stays on, there’s nothing to worry about (so inflammation is in better check, serotonin, insulin, and other circulating hormones stay in their regulated lanes), but when that estrogen level decreases and there are less caps on the boiling pan, things that weren’t a problem now become a problem. No longer are things staying tidy and in place.
Who can help me? The Myth: My GYN, PCP, or Endocrinologist Will Know What To Do!
Chances are…they don’t. Every medical provider is taught about menopause but the truth is, it is abysmally small amounts and generally doesn’t cover the many issues that women will face during the menopause transition and into their menopausal years. The general medical education usually gives clinician about 4 hours of dedicated menopause education. In 2017 the Mayo Clinic published a report that only 20% of OB/GYN residents felt “adequately prepared” to manage women in menopause! And another study found just 6.8% of all clinicians (remember estrogen receptors are everywhere!) felt adequately prepared to address menopause issues.
So, who are women supposed to see? The good news is we are starting to fill in this HUGE gap! Clinicians are seeing the value of having more education and a large thanks goes to the Menopause Society (NAMS) in North America and also our counterparts around the world. They offer trainings, continuing education and even certification to help clinicians be more informed in this area. Any woman with a computer/smartphone can search their database to find providers in their area. And if you are reading this, you have already found one! The menopause transition isn’t a one size fits all solution, women don’t have to just grin and bear all the potential issues they encounter, and how we handle the transition has a direct effect on how our quality of life is in our 70s and 80s.
Where do I start? The Myth: You Can Only Do Hormone Therapy and If You Do Hormone Therapy, It’s For The Shortest Time Possible, At The Lowest Dose.
The truth is, there is a wide range of options, hormone and non-hormonal, that can help women through this phase of life. We are getting new medications, like Veozah, to the market as we speak and with the Gen Xers not going quietly into menopause and much more social awareness of options, we will drive further breakthroughs in this category of meds. Supplements, diet and exercise, therapies like pelvic floor PT, CBT, and talk therapy have all been found to be helpful.
The truth is, you are an individual! Your transition into menopause is individual and what works for one person may not work for another. However, you deserve to have your concerns address and not be taken for granted! You deserve options to helping you thrive through this time of life! We are changing the way women will go through midlife for generations to come and it is so exciting to see my patients taking control of their health and really feeling better than they though was possible.
If you are looking for a provider that can really listen and hear YOUR issues and work to improve your health goals, book an appointment with Lisa today!
