Menopause ….. Silence…… Every woman going through the stages of the Menopause would have been on the receiving end of this sound.
Upon mentioning the word “Menopause” and for daring to say that they have symptoms themselves and that they are menopausal. Why is there so much stigma and taboo surrounding this topic? For women this is a natural stage of their lives, some women are forced into this stage by surgical intervention or because of certain health/medical reasons.
#UndoTheMenoTaboo Personally, having had an early menopause I found the experience a very isolating and lonely time. There was no support groups from within the area I reside, during that time I had a very unhelpful GP who advised me that I should try alternative remedies.
I was aged around 41/42 years, suffering from insomnia, fatigue, irregular bleeding, weight gain, joint aches and now upon reflection mild anxiety. I was lucky to have changed GP’s and was given HRT to help manage my symptoms. When the perimenopause and menopause arrives, it comes as a rollercoaster ride of emotions as you experience a sense of grief and a feeling of a loss of identity. It happens at a time when you have absolutely no idea of what is happening to your body and overall wellbeing.
Having no one to talk to during this time was incredibly hard, as no one talks about it, not your friends, partner, work colleagues and even my GP at that time! Your confidence takes a real nose dive and you just do not want to tell the world all these weird feelings that are going on around and around inside your head. Also during this time for myself, a strong feeling of invisibility also hit me with a very powerful surge of feelings, that you suddenly feel very old, you’re over the hill and of no use to any one. It’s normal to feel like this, it’s ok.
Once you know what you are dealing with, it helps you to understand and accept this stage of life. You can no longer have children, you feel unfeminine which was the worst feeling personally. It is a big wake up call to ageing. “Menopause, surely not me? thats for old people!” It is extremely hard to convey all those feelings into a proper sentence without blurting out and crying, when your with your friends, partner and family members.
This is why education and awareness is so important to making the necessary changes for women to be educated about the menopause, so that women know what to expect and to also understand what is happening to their bodies at this stage of their lives. Firstly, starting in schools so the younger generation will have knowledge of what to expect and understand, to also educate the current menopause age generation as we will be working for much longer than the current older generation of women. Retirement is now the age of 66 years for a woman.
It is a very stressful, confusing and highly emotional time. But still no one talks about it and women as a result find themselves in a vicious circle of not knowing who to turn to for advice. First port of call is the health service and a visit to see a GP, you are very lucky if you see a Doctor who is trained in this field and is open minded and caring about the Menopause. For a lot of women they will stumble across an unhelpful GP, receive no treatments and will struggle on with sometimes debilitating symptoms and feeling absolutely dreadful, I can honestly say that this was the worst time of my menopause experience.
Not being taken seriously, with no one to talk to and the stress it caused to myself and everyone in my family. Let’s not be too negative, the menopause brings with it change and we need to celebrate this. Take a positive view on what the future holds, no more periods, no more childbirth, your freedom back so you can start to live your life for yourself. It is important that you take good care of your health and wellbeing, keep going back to your GP, ask for blood tests and check the NICE guidelines regarding HRT for the Menopause.
Keep notes, use a notepad to keep a track of your symptoms so when you ask for help from your Doctor, you are prepared and your Doctor can then help you to make an informed choice for your quality of life with the correct form of treatment that you may need. Most importantly talk to someone, don’t struggle on your own. A problem shared is halved! Join in the conversation, it’s time to #UndoTheMenoTaboo Share our Tweet on Twitter.
Share on Facebook and Instagram. Share on Facebook and Instagram Share the post with a comment to include; Your age If you are Early/Meno/Post Menopause Add our Hashtag #UndoTheMenoTaboo
Why not add a photo of you or a video, would be great! Let’s show the world that the Menopause is normal and the stereotype is not a taboo!
Lets get this conversation started! All women together, lets break down the taboo of the Menopause together!!!
Keep the conversation flowing all things Menopause and helping others at the same time.
Celebrate the Menopause!!!!
https://www.menopausedoctor.co.uk/menopause/the-importance-o f-nice-guidelines Have a great week, Menos.
Stay positive and share the hashtag.
