World Menopause Day - Oct 18
This year's theme: Menopause Hormone Therapy
If you haven't yet, have a read through our Menopause Wiki, it's updated all the time....just yesterday in fact to add links to more recent studies and expand on the definition of perimenopause (early and late stage). There's also things you can do to help mitigate symptoms, but it sounds like you're already doing a pretty good job of that!
Yeah we tried to get a bunch of us over from reddit, and it was difficult....change is hard sometimes. <sigh>
What are you looking for? There's a bunch of obgyn's out there offering advice. There's a good podcast with the authors of Estrogen Matters that's worthwhile.
It is hard to determine 'what is contributing to what' in menopause, and it's all a juggling act trying to balance out medications, vitamins, diets. It sounds like you are figuring it all out though! And it's great you found a doctor who is willing to prescribe T.
We always hear about voice deepening, more facial hair, or hair loss, which I think scares people off, but have you noticed anything different with muscle mass (like maintaining what you have, or building more)? Or feeling more energized?
It's great to know it's helping with libido!
UK Women wins payout after boss dismissed menopause "excuses"
Karen Farquharson, 49, was told to "get on with it" after being off work ill due to her symptoms.
>An office manager has won a £37,000 payout after her boss told her she used the menopause as an "excuse for everything".
>Karen Farquharson, 49, said she was told to "just get on with it" after being off work ill due to her symptoms.
Good on her! Anyone else experience workplace issues with bosses or coworkers?
PMS now could mean double the risk of early menopause later, study shows
How you experience PMS during your reproductive years may indicate how early you begin menopause, a new study says. And that can put you at risk for serious health conditions.
>It is important to note, since this is an observational study, that it cannot say that having premenstrual disorders causes early menopause. Instead, the results show that there is a correlation between the two, said senior study author Dr. Donghao Lu, an associate professor in the department of medical epidemiology and biostatistics at Karolinska Institute.
Link to the study: Premenstrual Disorders, Timing of Menopause, and Severity of Vasomotor Symptoms
Hormone levels don't really factor in during perimenopause. You could look at BCP/IUDs, or taking progesterone to help regulate/stop periods if bleeding is persistent. Otherwise, I suggest getting your iron levels checked as well.
The workplace can be rough for menopausal women. Employers are starting to step up
From hot flashes and heart palpitations to chronic insomnia and brain fog, menopausal symptoms may affect roughly 25% of the US working population at any given time — and now a growing number of employers are stepping up to offer more support.
It's great that they are getting this out here:
>"There is a menopause management vacuum,” said Dr. Stephanie Faubion, who is medical director for The Menopause Society and director of the Mayo Clinic’s Center for Women’s Health.
>Only 7% of medical residents training in family medicine, internal medicine, and obstetrics and gynecology said they felt adequately prepared to help women patients manage menopause, according to a 2017 Mayo Clinic survey.
>“Just because you’re a physician in obstetrics and gynecology doesn’t mean you learned about menopause and hormones,” Faubion said.
And state that:
>The goal is not to require that employees confide to managers that they are in menopause or for managers to approach employees they just assume are menopausal. Rather, it’s to make everyone at work aware that menopause is a common health issue, and that various medical and mental health benefits exist that may help employees manage their symptoms.
Some find the better placement is upper back hip, where it doesn't rub so much against clothing. Absorption seems to be better on fattier areas.
If you're hot flashes are not MUCH improved in the next few weeks, then that dosage is not right for you. What is the dosage? You're on the combipatch right?
You're welcome! It's a long read, but hopefully easier to navigate.
NEW Menopause Wiki is here!!!
Hey all, I have updated the menopause wiki! (it's listed in the sidebar) I figured it was time for a refresh. I have expanded a number of different sections, to go into better detail about some of the more common symptoms (frustrations, like weight).
Also the Resource section contains better organized lists so it's easier to find recommended books, essentials, links to research for various topics, etc.
I've kept it "research based", in that I've compiled almost everything from reputable sources.
Please read through and let me know if you want to see anything else specifically, or if there's any issues that need correction.
Yes! Good for you for advocating for yourself! The side effects of MHT are actually very mild, and as your doctor stated, are usually only present the first few weeks.
My advice, slap the patch on and forget it...like try not to think about it, or relate it to anything you might be feeling (weird twinges, or whatever). Just keep busy and then over the course of a week or two....see how you feel overall, don't focus on the day-to-day weird blips that come and go.
And keep us posted!
It's great that menopause is coming up in prominent news feeds, but "having a moment" seems a bit diminishing, like it's a temporary thing.
Hormonal testing only shows what your hormones were doing on the day the test was taken -- nothing more. So your levels don't mean anything really. You know you're post-menopausal after you've gone 12 full months without a period, and that's it. There's no other test that confirms this. It's just being w/o a period for 12 months.
So if you still have periods (even irregular), you are in perimenopause and not post-menopausal at all.
You never know, they may be feeling somewhat the same way, but just don't want to share that information. Talking about our vulnerabilities is hard and when we do, we worry about other's perceptions...like will they think I'm depressed? a whiner? So we put our best foot forward, smile and try to be in the moment, but it's hard. Then there's the person who seems perfectly put together, capable and exudes confident happiness. You just never know what's going on inside, what their fears or worries are. It's hard to stop making comparisons.
I like to think that knowing when to take a step back, and realizing you just want to be alone at home and feel whatever emotions....could be a superpower too. Like we enjoy our own company and that is enough.
I wonder if the more 'social' folk notice a distinct difference now in menopause. For me, I've always had a smaller social circle and preferred to be at home rather than out at different events, etc. I think the covid isolation contributed to being more of a homebody for a lot of people. Too much noise, too much stimulation, too much nonsense can really feel like an assault to our senses and our tolerance levels.
Well don't feel guilty for thinking those thoughts, I think we can all relate.
I would think that taking it every so often should be fine, but because the Mirena more than adequately covers the progesterone side of things, you may also get some negative side effects from the extra progesterone. (increased anxiety/depression/bloat). I don't think the progesterone tablet takes time to "build-up" in your system before it starts working, so you should notice sleepy effects shortly after taking it, but make sure you take it before bed.
Gen X is over having their menopause and sex concerns brushed aside
Recent Globe & Mail article.
>It’s Gen X and the women behind us demanding more. They’re not going to accept putting up with and pushing through symptoms that could last a decade or more
>Despite the current knowledge gaps about menopause, there is some optimism among specialists about the next crop of doctors. More physicians are using a simple, six-point questionnaire to help train medical students and residents on screening for perimenopause symptoms
Menopause at Work
Sarah & Jaqueline were introduced recently and immediately formed a connection through a shared interest in how Menopause affects women leaders in the workplace. They have a passion for promoting awareness, education, and the best support and care related to this stage in a women’s life.
Great info in this article...
- 516,000 workforce departures due to menopause symptoms.
- 1.7 million additional people at risk of leaving the workforce due to menopause symptoms.
Updating the Wiki
Hey all, I'm in the process of updating our Wiki (I know it's not yet posted here), but I can hopefully provide a link when it is.
There's some information that needs an update, new links to add, and some better information about treating certain symptoms (the new hot flash drug) and non-hormonal options as put out by the North American Society.
If there is anything specific you'd like to have included, let me know!
Menopause Cafe
Rachel Weiss started a menopause cafe and festival to break the silence around menopause
While this is a People 'news' article, I have heard about these Menopause Cafe's starting up in the UK before. Anyone ever been to one? Or thought about starting one up? To see what the Menopause Cafe is all about (and the upcoming #FlushFest23, Sept 8th & 9th in Edinburgh Scotland) definitely check their webpage!
>“The top two things women say when they leave are, ‘Now I know I’m not alone,’ ” says the mom-of-three. And, I know I’m not going mad.
How are you accessing lemmy, or reddit? (mobile apps, desktop?)
Let us know how you are accessing lemmy (or reddit). Both are going to see some big updates shortly, reddit in a negative way, while lemmy is only improving services.
I am putting together some information to help new users get the most out of lemmy, so that it feels user-friendly and easily accessible. Stay tuned
Practical Guide to Menopausal Hormone Therapy - Dr. Jen Gunter
This MHT Guide was just posted to Dr. Jen's blog, The Vajenda. It looks like she will be adding more chapters to help explain the pros/cons of MHT.
r/menopause
Just a quick heads up, that r/menopause (on Reddit) has been re-opened for the time being. In the coming days, it will be 'restricted' instead of being private.
As an internet user of more than 25 years, and a redditor of more than 12 years, I think it is important to continue fostering this community on Lemmy. It is currently the only publicly-owned and operated social media platform and has exploded in growth in just the last few weeks. For those of you missing the wiki here, we are just waiting for a software update that will allow for larger posts (the wiki is huge!)
Personally, I believe strongly in having a healthcare-focused community that is free from advertising and corporate and pharmaceutical interests. I sincerely hope I am not alone in this belief.
I know some of you may want to return to reddit now that r/menopause is re-opened, but I implore you to consider the road ahead.
More updates to come.
Healthy vascular fat in menopause may help protect against dementia
The composition of fat an individual has around the time of menopause can affect how likely they are to experience cognitive difficulties later in life, a new study suggests.
Okay this is different. Vascular fat has always been considered bad for us, but apparently not all fat cells are the same (white, beige and brown).
>White fat is denser than brown fat. But how brown and white fat distribution affects health postmenopause has previously proved difficult to study as imaging is difficult.
>Scientists took images using electron beam CT scanning of the heart and aorta and carried out tests to determine fat density at three different sites: inside the sac surrounding the heart, fat located outside that sac, and on the fat that surrounds the aorta, the body’s largest artery leading away from the heart.
>They discovered that the greater the amount of brown fat discovered around the aorta during midlife and menopause in the women, the higher the cognition of these women later in life.
Dr. Jen Gunter's Menopause Minute for today... Progesterone!
Welcome back to Instagram. Sign in to check out what your friends, family & interests have been capturing & sharing around the world.
On Instagram, Dr. Jen's Quick, straight to the point info about progesterone/progestin.
What's new?
Hey everyone, welcome my beauties!
We are working on bringing the wiki and other resources over to lemmy. The rules are posted, but we are relaxing some of them for now as we want you to jump in and post whatever is on your mind!
Ready, set go....!
How skin changes during Menopause
Menopause marks the end of a woman’s reproductive years.
>It is estimated that almost half of women experience skin issues during menopause. Reduced production of estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone, and increased production of cortisol during this period are responsible for the inevitable skin changes that women face.
Some things we might notice:
- Dryness and Itching
- Delicate skin
- Acne
- Flushing
- Facial hair
- Melasma
- Facial changes
Welcome menopausal reddit refugees!
2nd Update: Some well-known Lemmy servers are under heavy load from the reddit exodus. New users are encouraged to sign up at one of the following general interest Lemmy instead (in no particular order):
Most Lemmy servers are federated (linked together), so you can easily subscribe and participate here regardless of which Lemmy server you call home.
Welcome!
Hey everyone from reddit, welcome to our Menopause group! It's going to be a bit of an adjustment, but we are resilient, (we are after all, menopause folk) and we will endure!
Over the coming days, as we learn this new platform, we will be updating information as much as we can. Thanks for your patience.
To answer some of the more frequently asked questions:
- Lemmy is a decentralized, reddit-like platform that is open source (free as in freedom)
- Lemmy servers, called instances, can be hosted by anyone, so no single person or entity is in control of our communities
- There are many instances to choose from; see the top of this post for the latest servers that are accepting new users
- Most Lemmy instances are linked together, sharing communities under one collective umbrella
- You can create an account at nearly any Lemmy instance, including those mentioned above, and you will be able to participate in the communities hosted by other Lemmy instances as if they were all part of one big community
- Lemmy is part of the fediverse, a collection of open and decentralized social network platforms; Mastadon, a twitter-like microblogging platform that recently made international headlines is also part of the fediverse
For mobile users:
- The official Android app for Lemmy is Jerboa (jer-BO-uh) which can be found on the Play Store or F-Droid.
- The official iOS app for Lemmy is Mlem; it is currently in beta so you'll need to install Apple's TestFlight and then open this link on your phone
As thousands, or perhaps millions of users are currently transitioning to Lemmy all at once, please be patient and remain open-minded to new experiences. Nobody could anticipate such a massive migration of users all at once, and many Lemmy instances are under heavy load at the moment. These are exciting times however, as we embrace a truly free and publicly-owned social network.
Over the next couple of days we will do our best to answer your questions and provide support here. Like Reddit, Lemmy is a collection of many communities. Feel free to stretch your legs and have a look around!