It's good to talk

They say it's good to talk so let's open up a whole new debate on Menopause.



Do you have two Agendas when you go to see your doctor? I know I did. Hot flushes (flashes), night sweats, they're the common ones but what about sleeping badly, aching joints, leaking urine and stressful times when you have to cross your legs so tightly because it feels as if you are about to pee your pants (and sometimes you do).



This happened to me at home, on my own, and I was still embarrassed. I ended up wearing sanitary pads when I went out, just in case.



You don't have to do this! Get instructions for strengthening your pelvic floor muscles and talk to your doctor about a locally applied low-dose estrogen. It really hits the spot, helps muscle control and prevents vaginal dryness (that's something else you don't want to know about). See elsewhere on this blog.



Take a look at my website http://www.simplyhormones.com/ for stacks more information on this and so many other subjects concerning menopause.



Please share your experiences. It will help others more than you think. You're not alone you know, millions of women around the world are currently going through this. And in silence!



Time to talk! Do it!

Menopause Survival Kit

On the website at http://www.simplyhormones.com/ you will find a Menopause Survival Kit. I've put together instant fixes and a list of symptoms that will come to haunt you if you don't do something about what's going on in your body.

Things like: stress incontinence and vaginal dryness.

Don't want to know, I hear you cry ... "I'm not old enough!" Look, now is the time to get a life. These two symptoms are easy to fix. You don't have to suffer. Keep your sexual relationships happy and healthy with locally applied low-dose estrogen from your doctor's surgery.

If it's too embarrassing to talk about, write him/her a note, but talk about it you must. It will save your sanity.

If you're still having the odd period, you could become pregnant. So many do fall into the trap at 'the change'!

You must have an opinion on this. Come on, be the first to let me know

Lost Confidence?

It is a truism that women lose confidence at menopause. Why is that? It has been written, and I concur, that through all the years of being a 'carer', women get so used to putting themselves at the back of the queue that they literally 'get lost'.

I am pleased to note that younger women are successfully encouraging their menfolk to share the care, allowing women to sustain their personality. Long may this continue.

For the rest of us older women and I'm talking 40+ here, you were brought up with the mindset that women did all the caring. Caring for husband/partner, kids, elderly relatives, oh, yes, and you probably have a fulltime job.

The reason most women are not in a mental home by the time they are 50 is probably because they do work outside the home. A part of your personality exists in the workplace. You make your own decisions. Back at home. Who are you? But even working outside the home has its own stresses and strains. The whole period of menopause can be a nightmare. Knowing a bit about your body can help ease the problems.

That question, 'Who are You?' was asked of me quite recently: "I know the businesswoman, I know the wife, I know the mother, but who are you?" I burst into tears.

This is where you have to learn a little introspection. Learning to find out who you were and who you are now and who you would like to be and it ain't easy.

None of us wants to age, do we? But how can you do anything about it? You wouldn't believe how much my own health has changed for the better since taking the time (or rather forced to take the time as I was diagnosed depressed) to look at me, my lifestyle (diet, alcohol, the works) and by making small changes I lost 2stone (28lbs) and feel full of beans and full of confidence.

Women go through a metamorphosis. There is life after menopause. There's even life during menopause if you know how to find it.

Through my own problems, I set up a website to help others. Take a look www.simplyhormones.com. My new motto is Take Courage. Take Action. Take Control.

What do you think about this? I get so many emails from women who have been nearly suicidal or they've been told they need a hysterectomy only to find out from www.simplyhormones.com that actually you have choices there, too.

What choices would you like to see?