My menopause journey
October is Menopause Month so maybe it’s a good time to tell the story of my own journey to oestrogen deficiency.
I was in my forties when I realised that I was heading towards what used to be whispered about as ‘the change’. But it took several more years to work out what that entailed since public conversations about menopause were strictly verboeten until celebrities, such as Davina McCall and Mariella Frostrup had the courage to get it all out in the open - for which I thank them heartily.
Nowadays, you can’t move without encountering remedies for hot flushes, radio discussions about brain fog, sleep Apps and parliamentary debates about how employers should look after menopausal employees. Awareness has never been greater. Yet, still, menopause remains a personal journey for women. Some get the all-out symptoms of hot flushes, night sweats, brain fog, anxiety, weight gain, mood swings, gut upsets and muscle loss. Others get off more lightly.
In my case, it started with fires. Not real ones, of course, but fears about fires which usually started 10 minutes after I put out the lights to go to sleep. No amount of rationalisation could shake the fear of the house burning down, leading to frequent tests of the smoke alarms and checks to ensure the dogs were safe. Then I started waking up around 3am too hot (covers off) then too cold (covers on) until I felt like I was only catnapping. My daytime concentration levels plummeted, and every member of my family was castigated for some imagined misdemeanour.
After finding out that I was iron deficient, despite eating red meat and plenty of greens, I realised that I needed medical help and my GP put me onto HRT which fixed the sleeping issues within weeks. But that was only the beginning of my troubles. After a routine ultrasound, a very large uterine fibroid was discovered which grew alarmingly over the following months until it finally blocked my urethra. NHS delays meant that I would have to wait months for a hysterectomy, despite now having a catheter fitted. It was time to dig into the savings and go private. I realise that I am lucky to be able to afford this – many women wait too long to have gynae issues sorted out.
Four months post-op, I’m feeling great! I’m back at the gym doing CrossFit and can comfortably touch my toes without feeling like I have a football wedged in my abdomen. The free NHS ‘couch to 5K’ App helped me build up my running until I was ready for Parkrun again. So, what helped me during menopause and hysterectomy?
Never join Facebook pages about hysterectomy – they are typically full of negative stories that will scare the bejeebers out of you.
Book an appointment with a homeopathist pre-op. I am sceptical about alternative remedies but, on the suggestion of a close friend, I tried it and it seemed to work for me. My incision healed quickly, and I was able to get on top of anaesthetic-related side effects such as nausea and gut discomfort.
Get as fit as possible before you hit menopause. Age-related weight gain can be minimised if you are already exercising regularly. Resistance training, like weights or CrossFit, is essential as it helps build and maintain lean body mass and strength. It’s also great for bone density. As a guide, each week I aim for three runs of around 5 to 10K and do three CrossFit classes.
Take your mental health seriously – sometimes it’s not just ‘grumpiness’ or ‘moodiness’. Talking therapies are great for the anxiety, depression and loss of self-confidence that are sometimes experienced during menopause. Or consult your GP.
Sort out your diet, not by following fads (keto, Zoe, Paleo etc) but by minimising alcohol and nutrient-poor, low fibre snacks/meals and maximising fruit, vegetables, wholegrains, lean meat and fish, eggs, yoghurt, tap water, tea and fermented foods. Supplements, such as vitamin D, B complex and magnesium, are worth considering.