Last week everyone has been talking about #MentalHealth, and this week it is #menopause. It’s time to talk about it and really #makemenopausematter!
I decided to start talking about my experience with #menopause and as it’s impossible to tell all four years in one page, this will happen over few weeks and more than one #blog.
Part 1
I am 45 years old and have been suffering with menopause symptoms for the past 3-4 years; possibly longer, now I think about it. Although it is thought that daughters should generally follow their mothers’ menstrual cycle and inherit the same patterns, I entered perimenopausal stage of my life 10 years earlier than my mum entered hers. Possibly, as I suffer from epilepsy and my medication may have affected the hormonal balance. Possibly because of different way of life. Either way, I have been suffering for few years and have been trying to deal with it in many ways; not yet trying #HRT.
Menopause is a natural condition and should be embraced and accepted as such. However, the symptoms of menopause can sometimes be so debilitating that just accepting and embracing it isn’t enough (although it helps greatly).
I have read so much in the past few years and have talked to many people about it. Some of the websites (and indeed people and organisations) advocate that menopause has been portrayed as an illness by the media and is ‘medicalised’. This in a way undermines the condition and the suffering of many women! Although menopause is a natural condition, the emotional roller coaster that a woman may go through because of the fall in oestrogen levels and other related symptoms may eventually turn into an #illness if not treated. There are far too many #women suffering from menopausal #symptoms that it is time to talk about it and take it more seriously. Having one day or a week devoted to the menopause will hopefully turn everyone's attention to it and maybe the #GP surgeries will provide more training for their staff specifically related to menopause (and I hear many are doing it, although the training is purely voluntary).
There are 34 known symptoms of menopause and not every woman will go through all of them. Some will suffer less than others or not at all and their transition will be almost unnoticeable.
I originally started with #low #fertility at the time when we were planning extending our #family and after a bad #missed #miscarriage I was lucky enough to undergo a healthy #pregnancy after and give birth to my beautiful daughter who is now 4 years old. But soon after birth (not even a year after), my #periods stopped abruptly for several months. During this time, I started suffering with #hotflushes. This was second indicator.
I’m not generally someone who suffers in silence but I remember it was difficult to hide the sudden onset of sweat at work followed by feeling cold (which, later I found out, was very common as the body adjusts its temperature). After first #embarrassing moments, I decided to see my GP (I was fortunate to have a private GP, one of the perks of being employed by a financial institution). The test confirmed the #perimenopausal stages. Although a private practice, #alternative #therapies weren’t mentioned. Immediately, I was offered #HRT. Now, I’m not against medication (and I will prove this in my thinking later on) but 4 years ago HRT was still receiving #bad #press. And I’m a strong #woman, a #mother, a #yogateacher who can deal with it all!! So, I didn’t take HRT then. My #periods started again and hot flushes disappeared. This again is very common, during #perimenopause, the periods will become less frequent eventually completely disappearing 12 months after which the woman enters the menopause stage.
So, as it’s also very common with many women, I didn’t just decide to ignore the doctor’s advice, I decided to ignore my body and carry on with my life. My periods re-started and it was as if the menopause had disappeared. Oh, I was so wrong! I ignored or never noticed many other menopause symptoms that are on the list of 34!
And a year later, I suffered a #nervousbreakdown …