You may not be able to get a face-to-face appointment with your doctor at the moment, unless your problem needs immediate attention, but doctors are still conducting virtual and telephone consultations with their patients. If you want to speak to your doctor about your menopausal symptoms, it is important to prepare in advance. If you are worried about any symptoms, whether or not they are related to coronavirus, it is essential to call your GP surgery for advice.
The Menopause Exchange Blog
THE MENOPAUSE AT WORK
May 5th, 2020Women usually experience the menopause between the ages of 45 and 55, with 51 being the average age in the UK. The employment rate in the UK has grown substantially for women aged 50 to 64 in recent years. With around 75% of women experiencing menopausal symptoms, which last on average for four to eight years (and sometimes up to ten years), it’s not surprising that the menopause can have a significant effect on women’s working lives.
MENOPAUSE ‘ASK THE EXPERTS’ QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
April 20th, 2020The following ‘Ask the Experts’ questions were sent in to The Menopause Exchange by our members, the answers were provided by our ‘Ask the Experts’ panel and included in issue 82 (autumn 2019) of The Menopause Exchange newsletter. If you would like to read the questions and answers in the latest issue of The Menopause Exchange newsletter sign up for FREE emailed newsletters.
ALL ABOUT OSTEOPOROSIS
April 17th, 2020Currently it’s estimated that more than three million people in the UK have osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a condition that causes your bones to lose strength, which means these can break easily following a simple bump or fall.
ARE YOU THINKING CLEARLY?
April 1st, 2020One of the harder-to-define symptom areas of the menopause is the mixture of cognitive function (thinking) impairment – the ‘poor concentration, memory loss and general brain fog’ described by many women. It’s harder to specify a pattern compared to other menopausal symptoms, but this can be just as disabling.
HRT AND CANCER
March 25th, 2020The term ‘cancer’ can cause fear and worry but it’s not well understood. At the beginning of the cancer process, cells lose control. They become abnormal and multiply without their usual checks and balances. There are many different types of cancer and these are classified by the type of cell that gave rise to them. The effects of HRT vary for different types of cancers, as you will see below.
DOES LIFE BEGIN AT THE MENOPAUSE? NORMA GOLDMAN’S VIEW
August 8th, 2019Norma Goldman BPharm. MRPharmS. MSc.
Founder & Director of The Menopause Exchange.
Going through the menopause certainly hasn’t stopped me enjoying life. And I hope my story will inspire and encourage women to ‘have a go’ and take opportunities as they arise.
I have a degree in pharmacy. I obtained a Master’s degree in health promotion and I am a qualified health promotion specialist. In 1999, I founded The Menopause Exchange, which is an independent organisation for anyone with an interest in menopausal issues.
I present talks and workshops on all aspects of the menopause to both women and healthcare professionals. I am highly attuned to the concerns of women facing the menopause and I enjoy meeting them at the talks that I present, interacting with them and hearing about their menopausal experiences. I am often interviewed by journalists for newspapers, journals and magazines.
Since I founded The Menopause Exchange, my life has become more hectic than ever. I am married with two daughters and three grandchildren, so I also enjoy spending time with my family.
MENOPAUSE POEM
November 10th, 2018Boiling Betty and Freezing Freddie
A poem by Roger Bulgin, husband of a member of The Menopause Exchange
Boiling Betty is a woman of a certain age, whose children have grown up and moved away.
Though still an object of desire, her body now creates a different fire.
So when she goes out, her coat stays undone, and she carries a fan in case of the sun.
While Freddie’s collar is up and his cap pulled down, he wears his scarf and gloves while he walks through the town.
For where once Betty’s eggs were laid and hatched, her hormones have left for the coast, their bags all packed.
At night she steams with her sleep often broken, and even in winter the window is left wide open.
While Freddie freezes under blankets and pyjamas, he thinks his wife has gone bananas.
“Freezing Freddie,” she calls in her night sweats, “if you’re cold, just go put on another vest!”
So while Freddie shivers like ice beneath the duvet, Betty sizzles like a pancake on Shrove Tuesday.
“I’m boiling,” cries Betty. “I think I’m on fire!” “I’m freezing,” thinks Freddie. “Can we turn the heating higher?”
So like all good marriages built on give and take, they moved to the middle of the bed to arbitrate.
Where Betty is embraced by Freddie’s cooling arms, and Freddie is warmed by Betty’s enduring charms.
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MENOPAUSE CLINICS
October 16th, 2016Most women with menopausal symptoms are seen and successfully treated by their GP or practice nurse. However, sometimes they may need to go to a menopause clinic for special advice. This may be because they have had breast cancer, have medical conditions that make treatment difficult or have experienced a premature menopause. Sometimes a menopause clinic can offer treatments not available to GPs.
If you currently attend, or have attended, a menopause clinic (NHS/private), or you work at a menopause clinic, please email norma@menopause-exchange.co.uk with the clinic’s name and address details.