It may have been the norm for previous generations to consider menopause a taboo subject and adopt and ‘grin and bear it’ approach. Fast forward to 2020’s and it seems like media is awash with menopause awareness and experience stories.
Not to mention the ‘celebrity’ books from Andrea McLean, Mariella Frostrup, Lisa Snowdon, Davina McCall…to name a few.
While raising awareness, normalising menopause, and honesty around just how hard it can be for some women will always be welcome, we need to be careful that the information being propagated is evidence-based, achievable and accessible.
Hand in hand with the increased public focus, there has been an explosion of supplements and products being targeted at women that may not be supported by evidence – leading to a new word, ‘menowashing’!
So it was our pleasure to speak to registered nutritionists Dr Laura Wyness and Lynn Burns, who are continuing to raise awareness while offering evidence-based, practical advice by the recent publication of their book Eating Well for Menopause – Advice and recipes to improve your health and wellbeing.
You can listen to the podcast here or in the usual places or read on to find out more about this critical area of women’s health, which alarmingly, is under-researched.
If research (or lack of it in this case) gets you excited, you may be interested in a book by Caroline Criado Perez (Invisible Women – Exposing Data Bias In A World Designed For Men which Laura made us aware of and which exposes the lack of data on women.
As we support International Women’s Day on 8th March 2024, when we are encouraged to “raise awareness about discrimination” and “take action to drive gender parity” (https://www.internationalwomensday.com) under the hashtag #InspireInclusion, calling for parity in gender research and targeted research in women in the menopausal age range sounds entirely reasonable!
While we await the long game of gender parity, let’s focus on the here-and-now and start with clarifying definitions.
What most women refer to as menopause is actually perimenopause. Menopause is a defined point in time – the absence of a menstrual cycle for 12 months. The symptoms in the lead up to this point are multiple and varied (did you know there are currently over 40 recognised perimenopause symptoms?), and each woman will experience a different range of symptoms, and at different severity. So each perimenopause journey is unique.
However, there are multiple health factors for all females to consider at this stage of life, even if you breeze through menopause without breaking a sweat (1 in 5 women have very few symptoms).
Did you know for example:
- 77% of women aged 45 to 64 have raised cholesterol, predisposing to heart disease
- Heart disease kills more women than breast cancer
- Hormone fluctuations can impact blood pressure
- Gut microbiome influences menopausal symptoms
- A lot of the health problems are interlinked eg the gut microbiome may impact mood, sleep and heart health
- Menopause can exacerbate urinary issues, which, if not managed, can contribute to reduced activity (a health risk in itself), increased social isolation and even future falls; all of which can impact independence later in life.
The good news is that awareness of these potential problems is precisely what can empower us to mitigate the health risk at this unavoidable life stage.
Diet offers a key vehicle for this, and Laura and Lynn’s book outlines a full range of diet tips and recipes.
Over and above diet, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) offers a medical solution – speak to your GP and find out more at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/menopause/treatment/.
We are left with no doubt that more targeted research in women in the perimenopausal age range is needed, and tighter regulation of claims and marketing around products being targeted at this demographic.
Regardless of whether menopause is some way off, you’re inching towards it, or already in the thick of it, take time to evaluate your health behaviours, know your numbers (cholesterol and blood pressure) and put yourself and your health centre-stage.
For further information and support:
- Listen to the podcast
- The book: Eating Well for Menopause – Advice and recipes to improve your health and wellbeing
- Course for health professionals: Eating Well for Menopause: A course for Health Professionals
- Course for women: Eating Well for Menopause – an introduction
- App: Balance – Menopause Support (Dr Louise Newson): Balance app
- British Menopause Society: https://thebms.org.uk/
- NHS: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/menopause/treatment/
Help us continue the conversation by sharing this with all the women (and men!) in your life. And if it’s within your gift to #InspireInclusion, please do!