Photography: Freestocks.org sourced from IStockphoto.com
Life is constantly evolving. The only certainty is change. The same applies to menopause, a cycle of physical and emotional upheaval. No matter what stage you are in, there are always feelings and symptoms. In everyday life, you’d think it would be simple. Nothing is more natural than to be afraid or in pain. But why is it okay to suffer in silence?
1 in 10 women experiences suicidal thoughts because of menopause. A study in the Health and Her menopause app found that ¾ of women had never experienced any mental health problems before going through the first stage, perimenopause. These unrecognisable physical and mental symptoms can lead to hidden losses to an individual’s health, relationships, and careers. In many cases, it can occur at any age, so there is no clear reason. This is the end of a woman’s menstrual cycle, so unfortunately the calendar cannot prepare a woman for what is about to happen. However, it is very important to stay informed and keep your mind and body ready.
Bali Johal, 51, a member of “The Chilled Menopause” Facebook group, from Birmingham, England, shared her experience during menopause. It wasn’t always easy for her, but she was able to strengthen herself for the difficult challenges ahead.
“Soon after my 40th, I began to notice slight changes in my body. I started getting more joint pain, mood swings, and the rare hot flushes. As I got older, it gradually started getting worse and worse. My family were noticing my mood swings and my mood changes. It was more so them talking to me or getting rather frustrated that it brought to home that something needs to be done about this. I got told I looked weak and didn’t seem myself. When you're always moody, you don't notice that one second you are angry and the next you are upset. That was when I first went to my GP to get sort some sort of help regarding it”, she said.
Bali also talked about the help she received from her GP during menopause after deciding not to take antidepressants and instead looked for alternatives. She has found that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) patches help reduce side effects, especially mood swings. When it comes to her sanity, she found a way empathise with people who are going through the same to relieve herself that she’s not alone. After she joined Facebook group, “The Chilled Menopause”, she found that there are always people can provide advice for one another with no filter or judgement in sight.
“When I go on the Facebook forums, people are always asking for advice from each other, people that have actually gone through the experience. I would recommend going on to any menopause groups for any information as nobody is there to judge you. I have mentioned on the group how HRT patches have helped me and what symptoms they've reduced. It is not something for everyone as there are risks that many women fear due to HRT and that is okay. It is all about finding what is right for you and what isn’t, that’s what I have learnt through my journey. There are still a few little things here and there but if the main issues that were affecting me have gone, I'm happy with that”, She added.
Sourced from Facebook Group: The Chilled menopause – including light humour and one to one support for one another.
Story of Menopause and its significant symptoms:
YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctwFqZXtfmk
Menopause GPS – Advice and awareness
It is common for women to think that the life changes they are going through, is what is making them feel unpleasant. Many women attribute it to external factors and are often unaware that they’re menopausal or perimenopausal. For example, many women have an older child who escapes from the nest and goes to university, known as empty nest syndrome. Other women have problems with work, employment, and marriage and can cause a lot of stress and anger. There are all kinds of life changes that women experience in the idea that menopause goes undetected.
Medical Director and Private GP at West Midlands Health, Dr Rupa Parmar gave an insight on the stages and symptoms of menopause.
“Symptoms of menopause can start with something as simple as poor sleep. Once the sleep cycle is affected, women can start to forget things, their memory can suffer a little bit, and they can start to feel mood swings. These mood changes can be recognised when women are being less tolerant, less patient, or angry, and more volatile. The first signs can be subtle, often some of the latest signs are hot flushes and changes of period cycles. Later ones can be things like hair thinning, hair loss, dry skin, vaginal irritation, irregular periods, heavy menstrual flow, loss of libido (less interest in sex and intercourse).
Photography source: IStockphoto.com
All these factors can be really debilitating for women, especially low mood, and increased anxiety. Due to this aspect, women go to their GPS about how they’re feeling and end up on antidepressants. It often is due to hormone imbalances that women feel low. As opposed to antidepressant medication, woman need to have a review of their hormones”, she said.
Dr Parmar continued to provide her views and knowledge on understanding and coping with menopause. She discussed on women and their experiences with hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
“I've had additional training on menopause, I've been to courses, and I've trained with some very eminent people who know about this field. Whereas not all GPS feel comfortable with prescribing for menopause or haven't had the additional training to support their patients. There is a real variety across the country in terms of knowledge and skills around prescribing for women going through menopause.
I think some of the previous studies and medical research around risks of breast cancer has put a lot of women off HRT. Medical professionals that aren't recently trained in HRT can often rely on old information or data. However, we know that the newer data and information around different types of HRT, particularly HRT that we give for the skin, is safe to use and doesn't carry the same risks of things like breast cancer, as older HRT preparations would such as tablets”, she added.
Menopause Societies and subjects:
Menopause can appear to be an invisible, inexpressible topic in society. However, that does not stop internet forums and organised support groups form working their magic in uniting women’s suffering together. Another society that has brought much help to over 30 thousand women, is Perimenopause Hub. It is both a website and Facebook support group, bringing together lots of experts who help women in menopause.
Emily Barclay, runner of Perimenopause Hub, discusses menopause and how it affects women in the workplace.
“Women do struggle in the workplace. This is extremely difficult as you must present yourself professionally and not to bring any personal struggles with you. I hear a lot of stories about women who have a hard time at work until they eventually started taking HRT. However, on the part of employers and colleagues, I recommend establishing an open line of communication. I know it can be hard for everyone but the more people who know what’s going on, the easier that conversation, that support, and that understanding becomes. Women who are going through perimenopause, menopause, should be given more flexibility in terms of their working hours. If you are struggling with insomnia and must get to work at the same time every morning, it is a lot harder when you have no energy. If you're having horrific periods, you might find that toilet breaks are more frequent, but a little understanding around why that is can be of great help. Menopause in the workplace should be as routinely recognised as pregnancy. When a woman is pregnant, we know that we make some allowances and some accommodations for her. So, menopause shouldn't be treated any differently”, she commented,
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