This topic is one that was suggested to me, but one in which I’m surprised I hadn’t written earlier. I did give it some thought recently that the majority of my clients are either at the age of perimenopause or menopause and as much as I empathise with clients when it is their time of month and consider their training intensity, I realised I needed to have a deeper understanding of what my other more mature female clients go through in terms of their side effects. So, as much as this is for you, the amount of research I did for this was vital for me and to prepare myself for what I will expect when I get to an age of being perimenopausal.
So ladies, you’ve been through what seems like a lifetime of heavy periods, stomach cramps, increased hunger and then you wake up one day in your 40s and you start to suspect you may be going through the change. One of the first things you may start to notice is that your periods are not as regular as they used to, and you may even feel a little nit unnerved by this-partly because you are having to face up to the fact that you aren’t the spring chicken you used to be.
Although this stage in our life is inevitable to all of us women, the one big takeaway from this is that research has shown that diet and exercise does help the symptoms.
PERIMENOPAUSE
The word actually means ‘around menopause’ and therefore we are now talking about that time leading up to your last period. This phase can be a few months, it could be 10 years but usually it lasts about 4 years. So, you’re now aged between 40-50 and your oestrogen production is going down rapidly. You could experience any of these symptoms:
· Weight gain-especially around the stomach!
· Hot flushes or night sweats
· Trouble sleeping at night
· Poor memory
· Anxiety
· Depression
· Mood swings-outbursts of anger or crying for no reason
· Heavy bleeding
· Vaginal dryness
· Sore breasts
· Headaches
· Low libido
· Extreme tiredness
· Incontinence-an embarrassing wee when you laugh or sneeze
· Dry skin/hair
Great stuff huh? Remember, symptoms are dependent on person to person so you may experience some or only a handful of these. The intensity of these are also dependent on the woman. I listened to a very interesting podcast Going for Goal (the Women’s Health Magazine podcast) recently on the menopause and one thing that shocked me was that the Editor explained that she was experiencing these symptoms from aged 39! I guess it shocked me that 1. I’m getting older and 2. That I’m only 7 years away from this. Growing up seeing my aunty having hot flushes as a young girl I never really knew why but I remember it being a funny thing especially at family gatherings. But seeing my mum getting them now knowing more now at this age I certainly feel more empathy.
MENOPAUSE
They say if you’ve gone a year without a period then you’ve officially hit the menopause. The average age is around 51 but again, this can be different woman to woman. At this point, your body has stopped releasing oestrogen. Believe it or not, your genetics, your environment and your overall health determine when you start the menopause. The symptoms are very similar to the Peri but lower in intensity and these usually last 4-5 years.
WHY DIET AND EXERCISE IS VITAL
Remember, your hormones are completely out of wack so it is vital that you are doing your very best to look after your body to relieve the common symptoms. Eating whole foods, hitting your protein intake and training hard is one step closer to being kind to your body, although the changes are inevitable. Younger women should be taking this on board now, as whatever you are doing now will benefit you later on in life.
Osteoporosis which you are more prone to in older age is even more of a reason why you should be doing weight training, considering it increases your bone density and reduces weaknesses. Being Peri and Menopausal your lower oestrogen level makes you more prone to lower bone density. Fact: 20% of bone loss can occur in the first 5 years of menopause.
That fat around your belly that you never had on your wedding day? Well, remember most women are prone to put on weight there, even more so with the menopause so this is an even better reason to start training and eating well. This is due to the higher adipose (fat tissue) in the abdominal area. Science has also proven that visceral fat increases 3-4 years before the menopause. All of these should be good enough reasons to start training. Training also helps with the sleep deprivation symptoms that some women experience.
HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy)
What’s interesting is that the podcast I listened to explained that every woman’s Peri and Menopausal journey is different and it is down to the individual. HRT although helpful is not the be all and end all. The GP on the episode explains that younger women need to adopt good health and lifestyle habits earlier on in life. This is not to say that HRT is not helpful. So many people are so against it due to the risks in breast cancers etc but in my opinion, what people fail to realise is that being overweight, obese, living sedentary lives and having bad eating habits all mean you are at higher risk, not to mention heart attacks and diabetes. HRT was particularly helpful for one lady who said she would not have been able to run her business if she wasn’t taking it due to the extreme tiredness and being able to function on a daily basis. There is no limit to taking HRT. I believe it is down to the individual woman whether they choose to take it or not. But, I do believe from what I know and have researched, if it is affecting your life too much to the extent that you are finding it too hard to cope, than I certainly think it should be taken into consideration. The risks of HRT are still being reviewed every year and there has been a lot of good feedback from woman who have chosen this path.
NATURAL REMEDIES FOR SOME SYMPTOMS
Not going the HRT route? These are some things to consider:
· Weight gain-especially around the stomach! Weight train and start counting your calories!
· Hot flushes or night sweats Carry a flannel and small water bottle around with you. Have a fan handy.
· Trouble sleeping at night Have a good bedtime routine. No phones an hour before sleep, no late night eating, a bath, some herbal tea and a book before bed
· Poor memory Buy some post- its and set reminders on your phone
· Anxiety/ Depression: Do things that make you feel good and relax you. 10 Deep breaths, meditation, yoga/pilates, go for a walk, keep a diary
· Mood swings-outbursts of anger or crying for no reason Count to 10 as well as 10 deep breathes. Really think about whether that thing is worth being angry about. Apologise if you have overreacted. Always communicate honestly with people around you.
· Headaches Ensure you’re drinking 2-3 litres, carry paracetamol
· Low libido Have that conversation with your partner OR get a fit Toyboy Hahaha
· Extreme tiredness Accept it, take a nap when you need. Eat high iron foods.
· Incontinence-or an embarrassing wee when you laugh or sneeze Tenor lady?
· Dry skin/hair Supplements Eg multivitamin, moisturiser. Coconut oil is great on the hair!
MY LAST THOUGHTS
I certainly sympathise more with my mum knowing she is going through this. No woman should feel bad about going through either Peri or Menopause. But, it is worth noting that from what I have heard some women really do suffer; their mental health suffers, some have had to quit their jobs because of all the mistakes they are making and not to mention the stress and extreme tiredness they feel (depending on their job). Relationships have even broken up due to this. What really makes me think is that women are not really educated enough about it. We teach Sex Ed in schools, we teach how to avoid teenage pregnancy through various forms of contraception but no one really teaches girls about what happens to them later on in life. If it wasn’t from research and podcasts how else are younger woman meant to know without looking for the information themselves? If you’re a mother reading this, it may be worth having that chat with your daughter, especially if you yourself are going through these changes so they fully understand why mummy has transformed into Mrs Hyde! On a more serious note, be aware of your symptoms, start training, eat well and always communicate honestly with loved ones.
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