This is the third blog post this Grandma has written on menopause. Menopause is in the news again but where are the advancements to address it?
In 2021, I wrote the following blog post which title is self-explanatory,
Previously, in 2019, I expounded on the “Best Four Tips We Boomer Women Should Share About Menopause and Beyond.” I still think that it is the best advice out there. That is sad because my only expertise is being a post-menopausal woman survivor of menopause. In the blog post, read more about:
Tip Number One: Talk about Menopause to Those You Love and Be Sure to Tell Them All About Your Menopause
Tip Number Two: Weight gain in Menopause Will Make You Crazy But Wait Until You Are Done To Try to Lose It
Tip Number Three: The Buddy System and Effexor will Get You Through Menopause Less Scathed
Tip Number Four: Talk About Life after Menopause With Those You Love and Be Sure to Tell Them All About Your Post Menopausal Experience
So, now in 2023, what do we adult women get?
“Women Have Been Mislead About Menopause,” by Susan Dominus, New York Times, February 5, 2023. You can listen to her podcast about “Hot flashes, sleeplessness, pain during sex: For some of menopause’s worse symptoms there’s an established treatment. Why aren’t more women offered it?”
On a trip together with friends, discussion led to menopause. Her women friends were baffled and had little information, and what they had was confusing, which was the impetus for the article. Susan Dominus talks about perimenopause, and menopause symptoms suffered by 85% of women, including, but not limited to, weight gain, abdominal discomfort, hot flashes, memory issues, which usually start in the late 40s. “How is it women do not have information about menopause?” is the question she asks in 2023!
Her article is about Menopausal Hormone Therapy (MHT), risks and benefits. Susan Dominus seems to not speak well of doctors treating women of menopausal age. She addresses the fact that we women think that if men suffered these symptoms of menopause, and got what women get from the doctors, including overlooked treatment, . . .would that even happen. In 2002, a single study found a connection between MHT and risks and the consequences were wide reaching in the reduction of use of the treatment. Susan Dominus talks about this and other treatments that were used and discarded. An observation is that our society still has a high toleration for women suffering. Okay, we women agree that men could not withstand childbirth.
There is now an NIH initiative on post menopausal women. Let’s see what that accomplishes.
In People Magazine, April 24, 2023, “Oprah Talks About Menopause, You Cannot Outfox the Big M. Most Women Will Face Menopause at Some Point, But Sharing Experiences and Seeking Expert Guidance Can Prevent Suffering in Silence,” in an article by Sheila Baylis. Oprah found relief through hormone replacement theory, “a treatment safely used by many women but widely misunderstood.” Still, misunderstood, in 2023. The article goes on to explain HRT, is it safe, does it cause breast cancer, what are the treatment options, side effects, when to start, who should not take it.
Oprah Winfrey is quoted as saying, “You cannot outrun, you cannot out-exercise, you cannot out-yoga, you cannot outfox the big M. The menopause train is coming, no matter what.”
In other words, and in conclusion in 2023, my advice is the same as in the first menopause blog post I wrote. Each woman should individually explore her own menopause journey. I found a Mayo Clinic study on Effexor for menopausal symptoms over twenty years ago on my own, and still share it. I found a gynecologist who specialized in menopausal women’s weight maintenance over twenty years ago from a friend. There are competent specialists to be found.
Just remember to ask your mother NOW when she began menopause (which is defined as twelve months without a menstrual period) and what her menopause was like. I hope she remembers. I hope she is available to ask. That gives you a roadmap to follow. Has anyone
even told you that?
Joy,
Mema
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