3 Reasons Menopause is a Silent Passage
3 Reasons Menopause is a Silent Passage My local library has so many resources. One of them being a book by Gail Sheehy called “The Silent Passage – Menopause“ This blog is heavily inspired by her and I will be quoting this book a lot in this blog. But there are so many good reasons that menopause is exactly as she wrote it… a silent passage. Doctors don’t know enough about menopause… This book was written in 1992 and so I do believe we are getting more advanced with our studies. With the Internet and menopause coaches like myself, education around Menopause is growing. But something that I agree fully with Gail is, “And that means women must become informed, active consumers of good health care.” This is something I promote no matter what service I offer. Asking the right questions, and really get a feeling and understanding of what your body is trying to tell you. I remind you that you’re the only one who has lived within your skin. You are the only one who can understand you. She goes on to tell many stories of doctors that don’t hear women as they complain of ailments that clearly are signs of menopause. When I speak to women today, doctors aren’t listening. “You have anxiety, take these pills come back soon if you have any issues.” Now I write my knowledge from what I see here in Canada and health care might be different in different countries. But I think this is a good reminder that when you reach a certain age, don’t be afraid to ask for hormone level tests and if they ask why you tell them your reasoning and remind them you’re hiring them. The natural defense to menopause… One of the greatest weapons of defense is denial. The biggest thing we can say is there is nothing wrong, nothing is different and so on. Of course natural remedies even then were discussed and used like we recommend or suggest today. Dong Quai is one of the herbs mentioned in this book among others like Siberian ginseng, and primrose oil. Even recommending acupuncture for hot flash relief. But took me back was the following quote; “Therefore it is one of the utmost importance for any woman over forty five faced with high stress professional or personal demands to commit herself to some restorative relaxation measure.” Even back in ‘91 professionals were reminding women how important self care and stress relief was. And we think this is all so modern and woo… when in reality, it’s not. This is your reminder now to find something to restore your relaxation through whatever means it might be for you. Dancing around depression… I remind you that I’m only 23, turning 24 this summer, and sometimes I’m dated and my age shows when you read my work. Especially this when I talk of a book that came out nine years before my birth. I’ve grown up learning to make things less taboo and one of them being how we discuss and talk about certain aspects of women’s health and that includes menopause. I’m raised believing that depression was a more personal subject back then. Correct me if I am wrong… I will surely edit my work. The author carries women by discussing the dance around Menopause. She goes on to say; “Neurobiologically estrogen has chemical effects on the brain similar to those of antidepressants. The most experienced researchers say that when estrogen levels in the blood are very low, a woman might start to feel a bit sad or blue or notice irritability or mood swings, but not of a clinical magnitude.” But this can explain a lot for many women who mention feeling sad around this time in their life. Something I specifically work on is making sure women feel less sad about this time and see the positive things. But as I learn and grow I know that it’s not always a mental thing, it comes down to what the body is going through.
How to Navigate Perimenopause Using Holistic Measures
I remember the day I learned the difference between perimenopause and menopause, I was so shocked to learn that the symptoms we always hear about are actually perimenopause and that menopause is actually when it’s all over (a year after your last period to be exact). Perimenopause is the menopause we always talk about. Like hot flashes, chills, night sweats, and other familiar ones. What do doctors say you can do? Here we can do hormonal treatments to relieve symptoms but nothing to support you through this time. The holistic approach always has a few ideas up their sleeves to give you what you’re looking for. So now that you know what menopause is actually called, let’s talk about how you can navigate through perimenopause using holistic measures. Hormones With perimenopause, your hormones are slowly being less and less produced and that can make your body confused. One of the most commonly mentioned solutions with medical care providers is having hormone replacement therapy. As the primary “female” hormone, estrogen promotes the growth and health of the female reproductive organs and keeps the vagina moisturized, elastic (stretchy), and well supplied with blood. Estrogen levels generally decline during perimenopause, but they do so in an irregular fashion. In addition to estrogen, levels of other hormones produced by the ovaries—progesterone (another female hormone) and testosterone (a male androgen hormone produced at lower levels in women)—are also changing during your midlife years… NAMS Holistic Herbs There are a few that are recommended for menopause. Always a top contender and one I mention is Vitex. Another is Black Cohosh, Black Cumin, Fennel, and Lemon Ball to name a few more. I always say that I’m not a studied herbalist, or a medical care provider. Everything I state here is for you to learn more and come to an awareness of your own body. The Brain With the change of hormones and the age period where menopause can happen there are quite a few contending factors about the brain you need to be aware of. You might notice yourself having more brain fog as you go through these changes as well. Sleep Ah, don’t we just hate how sleep can be so difficult once menopause hits? You can thank a few things for your newfound insomnia but the one thing most women include are the night sweats and what they do to you. Here are a few things you can do: Do Nothing, and that means all responsibility for a day so you can sleep anytime your body craves it. Create a Bedtime routine Keep a Journal Lavender Oatstraw and Nettle to aid your sleep Sex Although age may be a contender and you might not be having any more children sex is still on the table. Firstly, even though your period is slowing down, you can still get pregnant. So if you’re like I don’t want anymore (and you haven’t done any operations to make that not happen) take precautions. Now onto the fun bits… you may have heard about how sex can become uncomfortable and even painful and you’ve dreaded the day of menopause diagnosis from the beginning. It doesn’t have to be! Hormones play into this as well (obviously) and one of the biggest things like with dryness. Use lubes or coconut oil when having fun. (Which you can make an erotic act as well). You’ll want to focus more on clitoral stimulation, as that will give you the most pleasure. So now that we’ve covered a few ways you can navigate through menopause holistically, remember that support is also a key factor. I offer coaching, and consider myself a menopause doula. You need to feel good about this and not like it’s the end of the world. Communicate with your partner, family, or friends about how you feeling and what you need from them.
