The 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 83 (winter 2019-20) and issue 84 (spring 2020) 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.
The Menopause Exchange Blog
MENOPAUSE ‘ASK THE EXPERTS’ QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
September 23rd, 2020THE MENOPAUSE AT WORK
September 10th, 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.
CAM FOR THE MENOPAUSE
August 13th, 2020Concerns around hormonal therapy lead most women with bothersome menopausal symptoms to examine the evidence for other ways of managing them. This article will briefly cover the options available from common complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) treatments, although only phytoestrogens (plant sources of weak oestrogen) may address many menopausal symptoms. Bioidentical hormones aren’t discussed here as they should be considered as sex steroid replacement with their own risks and benefits for health.
STOPPING HRT
July 23rd, 2020Women shouldn’t be advised to stop taking HRT after any arbitrary time limit,’ say the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines that help healthcare professionals provide the best and safest care at the menopause. Yet the myth that you should stop HRT after five years is still one of the most common reasons why women stop taking HRT. This is often because their doctors refuse to continue to prescribe it, in the mistaken belief that taking HRT has a maximum five-year safety limit, regardless of a woman’s age or why she’s taking it.
DIABETES AND THE MENOPAUSE
May 25th, 2020Diabetes is a serious condition in which people have too much glucose (sugar) in their blood. Having glucose is essential – it’s what gives us our energy. We get glucose when our bodies break down the carbohydrates that we eat or drink and that glucose is released into our blood.
COFFEE AND TEA AT THE MENOPAUSE
May 17th, 2020Recently, coffee has hit the headlines several times, with an apparent turnaround from coffee being ‘bad for us’ to coffee being ‘good for health’. Media reports suggest that tea is good for us as well. What is the truth about how much coffee or tea we should be drinking each day, and are there any effects of note for menopausal women?
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.