OCTOBER 2019| The Australian Women’s Weekly 101
PHOTOGRAPHY BY GETTY IMAGES.
Health
Baffling,debilitatingsymptomsin our40scouldsignal“the
changebeforethechange”,reportsVickiBramley.W
henCanberraGPDr
KellyTeaglebecamea
newmum,herelationwas
sooncloudedbyirritability,
anxietyandpoorsleep.
Usinga MirenaIUDcontraceptivedevice
meantshenolongerhadperiods,soKelly
didn’tnoticeoneofthemoreobvioussigns
ofperimenopause:anirregularcycle.Still,
sheasks,“Asa doctorwhospecialisesin
women’shealth,howdidI notrealisewhat
washappeningtome?”ForBritishwriter
LizEarle,sleepdisturbancesenther
scramblingtoherGP.Themotheroffive
canhandlewhatlifethrowsather– with
a goodnight’ssleep!
“Ithinkit’sfairtosaytheperimenopause
takesmostofusbysurprise– wemayfeel
in thepeakofgoodhealth,onlytobecome
awareofniggling,troublesomechanges,”
shesays.“Thereareliterallydozensof
symptomsassociatedwithperimenopause,
includingitchyskin,weightgain,hotflushes,
nightsweats,sleepdisruption,depression,
anxiety,waterretention,poormemory,
brainfog,changeofbody shape, dry eyes
andachingjoints.”Perivsmenopause
Whensomeonementionsmenopause,you
probablypictureflushing,forgetfulnessand
temperflares.Yettheseusuallybeginin
perimenopause– thebeginningoftheend
ofyourperiods(butnotyourlife!).
Mostwomenenterperimenopause
between 45 and 55 yearsofageandit
usuallylastsfourtosixyears,thoughcan
lastupto10.“Thinkofperimenopause
almostasa secondpuberty,”saysDr
PetaWright,a gynaecologistinBrisbane,
Australia.“Theovariesarerunningoutof
eggsbutthepituitaryglandstartsworking
overtime, pushing the ovaries to ovulate.Thiscanresultinhormoneswings,
shortercycles,heavierorirregular
periods,hotflushes,vaginaldryness,
libidochanges,muscleaches,sorebreasts
andbrainfog.”
Symptomstendtodissipateasyou
approachmenopausearoundage52.
“Twentypercentofwomenwillmove
throughperimenopausesmoothly,but
50-80percentwillexperiencesymptoms
rangingfrommildtosevere,”addsDr
Wright.There’snosimplebloodtestto
pinpointperimenopause,soif something
is botheringyou,seeyourGP.ToMHTornottoMHT?
In2002,menopausalhormonetherapy
waswronglylinkedtobreastcancer.
Expertsnowstressthereis noincreased
riskfromtakingoestrogenandnatural
progesteroneandthathormonetherapyis
safeandeffectiveforthevastmajorityof
women.“Otherbenefitsarea decreasein
osteoporoticfracturesandcardiovascular
diseaseandpossiblepositiveeffectsonthe
menopausalweightshiftfromthehipsto
theabdomen,”addsDrWright.
“Modernformsofhormonereplacement
therapy,suchasgels,patchesand
micronisedprogesteroneallcomefrom
thewildyamplant,aremolecularlybody
identicalandcanbeconsideredtobe
simplya naturaltopping-upofthatthe
bodyhadearlierinlife,”addsLiz,whose
downloadTheTruthAboutHRTis
availablefromlizearlewellbeing.com.Lifeafterperimenopause
Forthefirsttimeinhistory,mostwomen
willlivefor 30 to 40 yearsaftermenopause,
notesLiz:“So,myadviceis toappreciate
whowehavebecomeand what we may
still achieve.”AW WYourholistic
peri
prescripton“Aconversationabout
perimenopauseshould
alwaysstartwitha
holisticapproach,”says
DrWright.“Healthy
habitscangoa longway
toimprovingoreasing
yoursymptomsbefore
youevenlookatMHT.”
Heradviceis tochoose
a Mediterraneandiet,
addingthatsome
womenfindeating
phytoestrogen-richfoods
(suchastofuandsoy)
helpful,“although
evidenceis minimal”.
Alsotryto...
EXERCISEtokeepyour
bonesandcardiovascular
systemhealthyand
promotepositivemoods.
MEDITATEorpractise
mindfulnesstoease
moodchanges
andanxiety.
SLEEP7-8hoursa night
tokeepyoufeeling
yourbest.
LAYERclothes
andbeddingin
breathablefibres.
CONNECTwithfriends/
familytohelpyoucope
andkeepmoodsstable.
TAKECAREofyourself.
Don’tbelastonyourlist
becausestresscan
exacerbatesymptoms.
QUITassmokersmay
gothroughmenopause
earlierandsuffermore
fromhotflushes.
DETOXasendocrine
disruptorssuchasBPA,
phthalates,parabens
andpesticidesmay
belinkedtoearly
menopause.