I started my menopause journey in my mid to later 40's but it wasn't until I had turned 50 that I finally understood what was happening to me and found a helpful GP, a private specialist and settled on the right combination of HRT. Whilst I am a huge supporter of taking a natural approach with diet, fitness and lifestyle, this wasn't enough for me and I decided that the benefits of oestrogen were too high not to take it. I spent an awful lot of money and time and went through a lot of anguish, depression and anxiety until I was able to finally to say I had mastered my hormones!
I have written a lot about my menopause in my blogs, I have also read a lot of books, other blogs, facebook posts, listened to podcasts and spoken to other women.
The purpose of this page is to point you in the right direction so you hopefully get a quicker outcome than I did! Whether it be HRT or lifestyle and nutrition I hope you will find something on my pages that helps you.
I am always happy to answer any questions about my own experience but obviously I am not an expert, just a post-menopause woman who understands. If you would like to get in touch, you can email me at michelle@fiftyandfab.co.uk.
What we really need is for our men to understand what we are going through, to help us recognise the symptoms of perimenopause when maybe we can't see them and to support us in finding the right help. But unfortunately men are totally baffled by the changes in us, they find it really difficult to help and we often just shut them out. The best guide for men is from Menopause Support and it is called The Menopause Support Guide to Understanding Menopause for Men. Send your man the link or print it off for them! Most men want to help but just don't know how.
The British Menopause Society
The British Menopause Society educates, informs and guides healthcare professionals on menopause and is an excellent place to check all the latest information about menopause and to find a specialist.
Campaigns
Menopause Support and #MakeMenopauseMatter Campaign is a not for profit community interest company, both the company and the campaign were founded by Diane Danzebrink. Diane also has an excellent Facebook page The Menopause Support Network where you can chat to other women and ask menopause related questions, look for the resources in the files section too.
There are lots of supplements, vitamins etc that claim to relieve menopausal symptoms. I personally found that the benefits were very limited for severe symptoms and I wasted a lot of money when really I needed HRT. I am sure that they might help some women but be cautious and do your research first. There are some supplements though that I think are essential for everyone and especially in midlife and I have written about it on my blog What supplements do I need in midlife? These include Vitamin D, Probiotics, and Magnesium.
Nutrition
There is absolutely no doubt that healthy lifestyle choices and good nutrition will help us during menopause and at any stage in our lives. I am a huge supporter of looking after ourselves and making good nutritional choices. I would absolutely recommend consulting a good nutritionist with in-depth knowledge of menopause. But for me, I still needed HRT. I have two blog posts you might find useful - Nutrition for menopause with Evie Nutrition and How to tell the difference between thyroid and menopause.