A study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) in January 2019 found that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) hormones absorbed through the skin are safer than HRT hormones swallowed as a tablet or capsule. The large observational study, based on women in the UK aged 40 to 79 years, provided information on the risk of a blood clot in the legs or to the lungs (venous thromboembolism) in women taking different types of HRT. This study showed that transdermal HRT (absorbed through the skin) isn’t associated with any increased blood clot risk. With oral products, however, there is a risk of blood clots; this varies with type of oestrogen, type of progestogen and the doses used.
The Menopause Exchange Blog
SHOULD ALL WOMEN BE ON NON-ORAL HRT?
November 25th, 2019THE MENOPAUSE AT WORK
November 15th, 2019Women 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.
NON-HORMONAL PRESCRIBED TREATMENTS FOR MENOPAUSAL SWEATS AND FLUSHES
November 1st, 2019Hot flushes and night sweats are experienced by most menopausal women for an average of seven years, and for some, these can last a lifetime. HRT is the first choice of treatment but some women with certain medical conditions shouldn’t be prescribed hormone-based treatments. By caring for breast cancer survivors, doctors have extended their experience in prescribing alternative medicines for the menopause.
BLEEDING PATTERNS AND THE MENOPAUSE
October 20th, 2019The perimenopause is the time between when a woman starts to experience the first signs of the menopause and when she has had 12 months without a period. Although some women will have an early menopause, finishing their periods before their mid-40s, half the women in the UK go through the menopause by the age of 51/52. Eighty percent of women will have stopped having periods by 55.
YOUR GUT BACTERIA BALANCE
October 10th, 2019We live in a close relationship with the bacteria that are on us, and inside us – and while we usually think of bacteria as harmful, there are in fact countless different bacteria that help us. You may feel slightly queasy thinking that around 100 trillion bacteria are living on and inside your body right now – in fact, you’re made up of 10 times more bacterial cells than human cells! Some live on the
surface of your skin, inside your mouth, nose and vagina – but the biggest number are living inside your gut, particularly your colon. The gut flora – also called the gut microbiota – refers to the community of bacteria living inside your digestive tract.
MENOPAUSE ‘ASK THE EXPERTS’ QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
October 10th, 2019The 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 issues 79 (winter 2018/19) and 80 (spring 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.
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.
Copyright © The Menopause Exchange
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.