I recently had the opportunity to attend a community gathering with other strong female warriors to learn about what will be the next big episode in my own pelvic health journey- Menopause. We watched a documentary called TheMFactor, which featured many prominent voices in the field of menopause. After the movie, there was a panel discussion highlighting a local MD, a functional medicine doctor, and women’s health advocate.
The event left me feeling hopeful- both by being in community with other women who want the best for themselves, and by being in the company of local experts who will be there to provide support if or when I need it on my own journey. All of our ovary-owning clients here at Pelvic Path seem to want to know about this, so I will share what I learned in this blog post…
First, a little history
In the 1980’s, women everywhere seemed to be reaping the benefits of HRT (hormone replacement therapy). Then, a big study came out by a group called the Women’s Health Initiative, which linked HRT to cancer. People everywhere got scared and were pulled off of their HRT. The issue is that these claims were basically unfounded. I hope you will pardon me for not getting too deep into the weeds of the science and details in this particular blogpost. The point is, that this event set women’s health backwards, and women have been suffering from menopause related symptoms for a long time.
The potential symptoms of menopause are vast.
People think of menopause as hot flashes, but it can be so much more. The symptoms can include: insomnia, anxiety, weight gain, irritability, vaginal dryness, pain with sex, increased occurrence of UTI’s (urinary track infections), dental and gum disease, and something called GSM (genitourinary symptoms of menopause)- including urinary leakage and vaginal atrophy. Not fun…
That all said, menopause isn’t all doom and gloom.
Scientific studies in fact show that many women are far happier when they are post menopausal. This is a time in life when, for many women, after years of caretaking, they finally feel free to express who they really want to be- which , ironically, is what they have always been already. It is agreeably a time for women to listen to their inner knowing, and go for it.
So what about HRT?
Well, like many things, each women is her own individual and will need to walk the path of figuring out what will be best for her own constitution. The message in the movie from doctors was resounding; For most healthy women, the benefits of HRT outweigh any risks. An interesting point for me was the topic of testosterone. The medical community equates HRT to mean estrogen and progesterone, including their precursors. There are many options for women to get these hormones with different types of applications- creams, suppositories and patches, for example.
But what about testosterone?
Women DO have testosterone, and supplementing it can benefit mood, mental focus, as well as help to maintain muscle mass and a healthy weight. But..get this..testosterone is not FDA approved for women. However, there are doctors who would prescribe it (the local experts at the event do this regularly). They have testosterone compounded, which means having it mixed and prescribed at an appropriate dosage, by a special kind of pharmacy called a compounding pharmacy. These pharmacies are safe and have very strict regulations. These prescriptions, however, would not be covered by insurance.
In conclusion
There were SO many more nuggets and insights from my evening, but the one I am compelled to highlight next is SO IMPORTANT that it deserves its own blog post entirely. And so, in Part 2 of this Menopause focused blog post, we will delve into one of the MOST IMPORTANT things women should do to combat the effects of menopause, improve insulin resistance, help with hot flashes, prevent belly weight gain, improve bone density and cardiovascular health and it is in OUR wheelhouse here at Pelvic Path and that thing is…. STRENGTH TRAINING. Please join us for Part 2, more to come….
Benefits of hormone replacement therapy in postmenopausal women. Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practioners 19(12): p 635-641, December 2007, I DOI: 10.1111/.1745-7599.2007.00269.x
