Thats menopause for many women.
Menopause is simply puberty in reverse.
But while puberty is celebrated, menopause is ignored.
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It can negatively impact quality of life and even lead to serious health consequences.
Take hot flushes (also known as hot flashes or vasomotor symptoms), for example.
Imagine if we had that same attitude with age-related vision changes?
Dr. Jennifer Gunter’s forthcoming book, The Menopause Manifesto: Own Your Health with Facts and Feminism, will be published, May 25, 2021.
Sorry, maam, its normal to become shortsighted with age.
Maybe you need longer arms?
As a gynecologist I had a unique advantage entering menopause.
I was aware of how my body would be changing.
It shouldnt take an act of feminism to understand whats happening to your body.
When we exclude menopause from our discourse, we say it doesnt matter.
But Im here to change that.
However, many peoplemyself includedoften use the term menopause to describe this entire continuum.
In the postmenopause phase hormone levels are stable, the hallmark being low levels of estrogen.
Just because its normal to experience hot flushes doesnt mean you have to suffer through them.
Biologically speaking its triggered by a narrowing of the thermoregulatory zone.
Basically the brains thermometer goes wonky and believes the body is overheated when your temperature hasnt actually changed.
And yes, your body gets hot to the touch in the process.
Hot flushes are often accompanied by palpitations and nausea.
They can feel like an anxiety attack, only adding to the discomfort.
For some women this cycle of intense heat and shivering can happen 30 or more times a day.
For me the wave of heat was as intolerable as the unpredictability.
The menopause continuum doesnt just expose women to symptoms; it opens the door for many other medical conditions.
Most notably cardiovascular disease (heart attack and stroke), osteoporosis (fragile bones), and dementia.
This is one of the most needlessly controversial treatments in womens health.
The headlines were dramatic and scary, and the use of MHT plummeted.
Lets contrast that with another risk factor for breast cancer: age of pregnancy.
If preventing breast cancer is the goal, why target only women after menopause with terrifying headlines?
The most effective medical therapies for hot flushes are estrogen, some antidepressants, and some antiseizure medications.
And on top of that, some of these so-called alternative therapies have risks.
I also practiced cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for hot flushes.
Menopause shouldnt be a mystery.
For many womenwomen like memenopause isnt just about the bothersome symptoms.
I knew my family history put me at high risk for osteoporosis.
My mother began developing fractures in her 50s.
Like many women, my mothers osteoporosis was ignored.
When I suggested she get screened for osteoporosis, she was told she didnt need it.
As women age their health concerns are often ignored as women themselves are expected to fade away into oblivion.
I opted for estradiol, which is the main bang out of estrogen made by the ovary before menopause.
Bioidentical is a quasi-medical term of varying definitions.
In other words, these terms are not medicalthey are marketing and are misleading.
There are serious safety concerns with compounded hormones.
With an FDA-approved prescription, I know exactly what Im getting and how much is absorbed.
We deserve to know exactly what were putting into our bodies.
What isnt needed are hormone tests.
Its important to remember that MHT or other prescriptions are just one piece of the menopause puzzle.
Its a lot, I know.
Menopause shouldnt be a mystery.
This isnt a peripheral concern that needs some kind of separate curriculumits simply womens health care.
