(un)Learning Myths About The Menopause
(un)Learning Myths About The Menopause
And how you can help your friends, partner, sisters, daughters.
Every month or so, I offer up a recommendation on what I’ve been reading, listening to or watching. Usually, it’s something that prompts my thinking about what I am (un)learning. Or sometimes, it’s just because I think you might love it too.
🎧 Podcast: Dr. Louise Newson—Maybe it’s Menopause
This is an interview from 2023 on the podcast The Imperfects hosted by three guys from Australia.1
It’s shocking to realize how little women know about how our bodies work—especially as we move from our ‘fertility’ years into our ‘infertility’ years, otherwise known as the menopause.
This interview with British menopause specialist Dr. Louise Newson2, was a revelation. She is a woman in her early 50’s who, even as a doctor, didn’t realize the symptoms she was experiencing that were effecting her daily life, were related to menopause. The most common perimenopause symptoms are: memory problems, fatigue, low mood, anxiety, poor sleep, and reduced libido.
If you are a woman in her 40’s or early 50’s please listen to this podcast! Even if you’re in your 30’s, you’ll want to listen up. Don’t suffer through years of symptoms and wonder what’s wrong with you, like generations of women before you. There’s help.
Shocking info I wish I knew earlier:
The idea that Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) is bad for you and can cause breast cancer is based on an incomplete study, yet received wide media coverage in the early 2000’s. With no context.
As a result, a generation of women, like myself, have been suffering needlessly for over 20 years.
Why and how estrogen, progesterone and testosterone do much more than just help regulate a woman’s period. They help reduce heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, clinical depression and dementia. The longer you’re without these hormones, the higher your chance of these medical issues.
Most women are peri-menopausal in their 40’s, but three in 10 women will start in their 30’s and it can last up to ten years.
Because of the symptoms and lack of knowledge amongst doctors, they often prescribe medication for depression or insomnia, instead of dealing with the real problem, which is lack of specific hormones (ie HRT).
Doctors have little to no training in perimenopause and the menopause, so it’s likely you will know more than your GP at this point.
Click above or find the episode on Apple podcasts here.
If you like what you heard and want more, Dr. Louise has her own podcast.
I wish we had this kind of resource for my generation of women. I want my daughter to be prepared when the time comes for her, so she’s not completely unaware like so many of us.
Give it a listen and share this with the women in your life, I guarantee they’ll thank-you for it.3
What say you?
What’s been your experience with perimenopause or the menopause? (Men, feel free to chime in here too. If you’re living with a female partner, you’ve got your own experience with the various symptoms as well.)
Have you taken, or are you on HRT? Did it help? Were you worried about the earlier news reports about HRT causing breast cancer?
Any other great resources you want to share?
I had never heard of this podcast before this, but the idea a few dudes sitting around wanting to talk about menopause made me laugh. Especially Aussie guys, this seemed like an anomaly to me. I was skeptical at first, but it really is great. Mostly because they are guys that have no idea about menopause, so their questions are basic and assume nothing. Which is always a great place to start, especially on this topic.
Louise Newson is a physician, menopause specialist and member of the UK Government’s Menopause Taskforce. She is also an award-winning doctor, educator, and author, committed to increasing awareness and knowledge of perimenopause and menopause. Described as the “medic who kickstarted the menopause revolution”, she has empowered a generation of women to have a greater understanding, choice and control over their treatment, bodies and mind.
Special thanks to my dear friend, Shawna for sharing with me, so I could share with you.
Bravo! I love Dr. Newson. Perimenopause had me in such a state; feeling gaslit, itching, sleepless, with torrential night sweats. It was such a journey ( a.k.a. wild goose chase) to figure out the right combo of HRT--now things are pretty good--but our sisters and daughters should never have to endure this. We need to do better for them. xo
Love this, KVB. Women have got to stay current with the science and take everything with a grain of salt, knowing that medical science has left us way behind. Back in 2020, when I did the first iteration of my podcast, I interviewed Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su. She confirmed the study my GP was basing her "no, you can't go on HRT because of your sparkly boobs" stance on (BTW, I'm paraphrasing her) was hogwash. By then, I was 4 years into hotflashes (my only symptom, TG) which would come on every couple of minutes (seriously, I timed them), and I was taking every supplement I could find to mitigate (couldn't do Black Cohosh because I'm allergic to aspirin), and they helped a smidge. My new GYN was impressed with my study knowledge and put me on the 'mones. Let me just say: HRT is ev-er-y-thing. However, even the low, low does caused my appetite to go crazy. Of course, there's no proof that was the cause (because they don't study women and think everything is in our heads), but I spoke to my GYN and asked if I could cut the pills in half. She kind of laughed and said sure. And that changed it all. Still no symptoms. Appetite went back to normal. Weight is coming off. We want to think that our doctors know everything, but they don't. Especially what they don't specialize in. And menopause is an elective that's like 2-3 weeks long.
One last thing: Most women don't know there is a blood test that can detect ovarian cancer. It's the CA-125 test. Here's the thing: they really don't like using it because it can give a false positive. Who TF cares if it's a false positive?!!? It's the only early detection tool we have. So I fight with my GP every year to get it. No, I don't have BRCA but I used baby powder (didn't we all), so there's that. I've never gotten a false positive, and I will continue to request the test until they create a mammogram equivalent for our ovaries. xo