World Menopause Day 2019 | 10 Tips for Managing Menopause

The theme of this years World Menopause Day is Testosterone for Women in Midlife and it really caught my eye immediately because testosterone is not licensed for women to use in the UK - and yet it can be a life-changing element of HRT and treating the debilitating menopause symptoms.  It is possible to take testosterone in the UK, you just need to know how to get it.  My research for my own hormone health eventually led me to taking testosterone (as well as oestrogen) and I have talked about my journey a lot on my blog (see below for all the links to other menopause discussions). 

​I started off a bit anti-HRT, I thought I'd be able to manage without it and I thought it wouldn't happen to me.  But it did - and I so wish I hadn't delayed making the decision. finally accepting I needed it was the best thing I ever did!

My blouse was purchase pre-loved from My Boudoir in Marlow, it is by J Crew. My hat is from Accessorize (previous season)

I am obviously not medically qualified so all I can talk about is what happened to me.  I have however found some fantastic resources for information on the menopause and I am going to share them again here.  Hopefully if you happen to find my blog and this post it will help you navigate your way around all the information out there - some misleading - to find the best help for you during your perimenopause and beyond.

When I get asked for any tips or any words of wisdom from friends or acquaintances these are the things I often tell them ....
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1. Find and join the Facebook support group The Menopause Support Network - you can find all the information on their website www.menopausesupport.co.uk - Diane has a big campaign running #makemenopausematter and the support group has some really excellent resources in their files section to help you talk to your own GP for example.
2. If you feel you are not getting the support you need from your GP (and sadly this is quite common) and you would like to research further and consider going for a private consultation then look up Dr Louise Newsom, The Menopause Doctor, she has so much information on her website and you can book to see her in her private clinic.  I decided to go private and I see Mr Michael Savvas at the John Studd Clinic in Marylebone - this has been very successful for me - it is quite an old-fashioned clinic but their knowledge is bang up to date!
3. The British Menopause Society is another fantastic source of reliable and up to date information.
4. Please be very careful when you are deciding the best route for you - there are a lot of private clinics that offer Bio-Identical HRT - this is not regulated by NICE and will not give you the protection you need.  Please read more about it here - your GP can prescribe fully regulated Body-Identical HRT (or you can go to a reputable private practice, see above).  Body-Identical HRT in the form of oestrogen gel and progesterone (sometimes with the mirena coil) is the gold-standard, best you can get).  You can read my post about it here.
5. If you are working and struggling to cope with your symptoms in the workplace then you may like to have a chat with your employer and discuss organising some Menopause in the Workplace training - I can highly recommend Bev at Floresco Training and Coaching.
6. One of the biggest life changes for me when I was suffering really badly from night sweats was moving from a traditional duvet to a wool duvet.  This subject was recently discussed on The Menopause Support Network facebook page and everyone was in agreement - a wool duvet works!  You can read my blog post about it here.
7. Consider taking a magnesium supplement - but make sure it is a good one - don't just buy it off the shelf in Tesco!  You can read why I think magnesium is essential here.
8. If you prefer to read a book rather than research online then I recommend these books - Menopause Manual by Dr Louise Newsom, Liz Earle - The Good Menopause Guide and Estrogen Matters which is an excellent book for cutting through the worry of the HRT scare mongering stories in the press.
9. Or how about listening to a podcast?  Liz Earle is a keen campaigner on getting the message out there that taking the right HRT can be life changing and as well as her book she has a series of podcasts - all information here.
10. And finally - don't wait - I spent about five years avoiding taking HRT, firstly because I didn't realise that my symptoms were perimenopause related, I was the typical case of 'prescribe anti-depressants instead' when what I really needed was to balance my hormones.  I spent a lot of time and money on alternatives including bio-identical HRT.  I wish I had known what I know now a lot sooner!  I take HRT, it is the best thing I did and I plan to stay on it for life to protect against osteoporosis and Alzheimer's (among other things) but also to continue to feel healthy and well and like 'me'.

I hope you find this useful - do email me or comment below if I can help or if you just want to chat.

Love
Michelle xx
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​World Menopause Day 2019 - Testosterone for Women in Midlife
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My menopause related blogs can be found here in case you missed any!

​Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.

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