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 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.
The Menopause Exchange Blog
MENOPAUSE ‘ASK THE EXPERTS’ QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
November 1st, 2019THE MENOPAUSE AT WORK
October 25th, 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
September 25th, 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.
PRESCRIBING OF HRT
September 20th, 2019Women prescribed HRT often say: “I’ve got my life back”. As a doctor, this is a hugely rewarding phrase to hear. Achieving good midlife health is a holistic process. Underpinning this is HRT’s ability to even out rollercoastering hormones. This guide to HRT prescribing aims to provide knowledge of when, why and how HRT is prescribed, how to adjust it and when to stop, as well as touching on vaginal health and contraception. Hopefully, you’ll be empowered to work with your healthcare professional to manage your individual HRT needs.
BLEEDING PATTERNS AND THE MENOPAUSE
September 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.
BLOOD PRESSURE – THE SILENT KILLER
June 8th, 2019We don’t only cover menopause – related topics in our newsletter. We cover general health topics too – anything that will be of interest to women of menopausal age.
Almost one in three adults in the UK has high blood pressure – that’s around 16 million people. In addition, over five million adults have high blood pressure but don’t know it. That’s because high blood pressure doesn’t have any symptoms, which is why the condition is known as the silent killer.
DOES LIFE BEGIN AT THE MENOPAUSE? NORMA GOLDMAN’S VIEW
June 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.