Fact: You don’t have to white-knuckle perimenopause and menopause! For many women, the unnecessary suffering that is brought on by the hormonal hurricane that is menopause can be avoided or at least mitigated. It really can! Leave it to Generation X (known for being independent and resourceful) to lead the charge in menopause education and advocacy. The conversation is heating up and it’s no longer just about hot flashes. Understanding menopause is about education, yes, but it’s multi-layered and can be a very complicated time of life. We see you and we’re here to share with you everything we wish we knew sooner.
Busbee Style subscribers have access to Your Complete Guide to Navigating Menopause. This printable PDF resource offers greater detail about symptoms, relief, and medical options, and Erin shares some of her personal menopause experiences. It’s an invaluable guide!
Understanding Menopause
In a perfect world, the universe would hand us a Meno Memo or Meno Manual on our 35th Birthdays with a clear-cut outline of everything we’ll experience in the next decade (or two or three!) in anticipation of perimenopause and menopause… because it’s A LOT. Having the knowledge would greatly change how we perceive our physical and mental health when our reproductive kill switch starts to short and flip. Unfortunately though, so many of us got in our menopause boats without a captain, a map, or a paddle.
Navigating your perimenopause and menopause journey starts with being able to identify your symptoms and exploring treatment options. What makes this extra tricky, is that no two women will experience menopause or perimenopause in the same way. Your journey will be uniquely yours. And the plot thickens because most medical professionals are not adequately trained in menopause care. So, self-advocacy really is SO important. In today’s post, we’ll explore the symptoms (there are more than you might think), the facts, and treatment options for perimenopause and menopause. So, you’ll hopefully feel empowered to change how you think about “the change”.
Symptoms
There are over 35 known symptoms of menopause. We might remember our mother’s hot flashes, moodiness, and weight gain. But lesser-known symptoms like thinning hair, heart palpitations, digestive issues, and memory loss (just to name a few) may not have been on your radar. In fact, your healthcare provider might have been treating your menopause symptoms (like depression, anxiety, or poor sleep) without understanding the root cause…perimenopause, menopause, and erratic hormone fluctuations.
The estrogen we’ve had in our bodies since birth is a significant piece of what makes us tick. But when we lose all or most of it suddenly or inconsistently, it’s no surprise our bodies go into freak-out mode. Menopause specialists recommend getting baseline bloodwork to have your hormones checked as a first step in perimenopausal and menopausal care. Then, you’ll likely need to have bloodwork reevaluated every 3 to 6 months. There’s a possibility that instead of treating each of your symptoms independently with different types of medications or modalities, just balancing your hormone levels could alleviate all or most of your symptoms.
Symptom Relief
Now, let’s talk about getting relief for your symptoms. The first important step is to find a menopause specialist or provider. This really is critical! Why is this so important? Recent studies have indicated that only about 20% of OB-GYN residency programs provide ANY kind of menopause training. Similarly, according to a 2021 New York Times article, medical school students may spend as little as one hour learning about menopause. Crazy right? You definitely want an informed and experienced healthcare provider when it comes to getting a treatment plan underway.
Start by having a conversation with your OBGYN or GP for guidance about whether they can recommend a specialist, or you can ask your friends for referrals. You can also use the North American Menopause Society (NAMS) searchable directory to find a specialist near you.
For some, finding a virtual menopause specialist and booking telehealth appointments vs in-person office visits might be a more accessible option. Many of these providers are covered by insurance, but you’ll need to do a little homework there. Midi Health is one telehealth resource a Busbee Team member used for her treatment plan, and she found them to be very knowledgeable, compassionate, and helpful. For a full listing of other options, be sure to gain access to our free resource by becoming a subscriber here.
Understanding Menopause Treatment Options
Hormone Replacement Therapy
One of the most widely used and effective treatments for perimenopause and menopause is HRT or Hormone Replacement Therapy. Whether it’s in pill, patch, cream, or troche form, HRT replaces hormones that the body no longer produces in sufficient quantities. But HRT really got a bad rap for decades. This happened because the results of a Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) study in 2002 created panic and fear about HRT. The study indicated that HRT had more risks than benefits and could even cause breast cancer. This study scared so many women and as a result, many opted not to take HRT.
Although that study was later refuted by several other studies, the initial communication that HRT could cause breast cancer scared so many of us. That WHI study was really “loud” but the results from the less damning subsequent HRT studies were more muted. So, unfortunately, many women have been suffering needlessly for years. This is a conversation you’ll have with your specialist, but most women are in fact candidates for, and could benefit from, some form of HRT.
HRT Alternatives
If you and your menopause specialist determine HRT is not the right course of treatment for you, there are alternatives. Certain supplements have been shown to alleviate symptoms, bring relief, and improve your quality of life. Knowing your options is key!
Supplements
Supplements are regulated by the FDA, but the rules and regulations for supplements are very different than those for drugs. Be sure to always consult your menopause provider before taking any supplements. The dose amount and how regularly you take them can be individually specific.
Here is a list of some of the most recommended supplements by menopause specialists that may improve symptoms:
Fiber – Improve weight management, energy, and mood
Magnesium – Better sleep
Vitamin D – Bone health
Calcium – Prevent bone loss
Black Cohosh & Siberian Rhubarb – Hot flashes
Omega 3 – Joint pain, stiffness, and heart health
Pre/Probiotics – Better overall gut health and digestion
Flaxseed – Night sweats
Turmeric – Inflammation and anxiety
Creatine – Increases energy and muscle mass
Vitamin K2 – Bone, heart, blood, and brain health
*Veozah* – A prescription drug that exclusively treats hot flashes
Getting the right cocktail of HRT and/or supplements can take time. Patience is the secret sauce!
Menopause Diet & Exercise
One of the many unfortunate symptoms of menopause is unwanted weight gain, especially around the middle. It can be so incredibly frustrating and even lead to feeling shame or embarrassment. You might find that whatever diet and exercise plan worked for you in the past, no longer seems to be giving you the same results. Hormone changes can change how we react to and tolerate certain foods. While we go into greater detail in our Empowered Through Menopause Resource (remember, you can gain access here) there are a few things we wanted to mention…
Diet
Adding foods to your diet that are rich in protein and fiber while avoiding processed foods and sugar are generally most recommended. You’ll also want to increase your water intake. Certain studies indicate that drinking the number of ounces that is equal to about half of your body weight is a good general rule of thumb.
Exercise
Most experts recommend strength training and walking for perimenopausal and menopausal women. Lack of estrogen has been linked to bone density loss. Strength/resistance training helps you maintain muscle mass, balance, and agility, and improves bone density.
Walking is highly encouraged by many doctors and some suggest using a weighted vest. Even just going about your daily household tasks like laundry or emptying the dishwasher while wearing a weighted vest can vastly improve your balance, endurance, and strength. In the beginning, you’ll want a weighted vest that is no more than about 10% of your body weight. You can always increase the weight as your strength levels improve.
In case you’re wondering, ‘What can I do today to dress my body in the most flattering way and feel more confident?’…we share 5 easy, slimming style secrets in this post.
Menopause Communication
Lastly, we wanted to briefly touch on communication. It really is an incredibly important piece of the menopause puzzle. Changing the “she’s just going crazy” narrative about women and menopause to one of understanding, education, sympathy, and empathy is vital. Our daughters and nieces should understand the facts…that hormonal changes will naturally occur in their bodies, treatment is possible, and wanting and expecting to feel good is something we all deserve. But shouldn’t we also educate our partners, husbands, and sons? Maybe then the “coming unhinged” stigma changes to one of care and compassion.
Don’t forget to subscribe to the Busbee Style newsletter for access to Your Complete Guide to Mitigating Menopause. We created this resource just for YOU!
COMMENTS