Peri-menopause - lets get talking!

As a peri-menopausal woman (yes, I said it, albeit I hate labels), and Nutritional Therapist, I understand first hand the need to constantly address, and change, my dietary support for those hormones creating a cascade of physiological responses. Some of which I most certainly hadn’t been prepared for, or even heard discussed before. 

For centuries “women’s problems” as they are often referred to under ones breath, have been very much a taboo subject, and women have been expected to suck it up and shut up! And most certainly do not even think about over sharing with your colleagues or boss.

Is that really the answer?

The demands on women in their daily lives have changed so much in the last 50 years. Managing our health, as well as home and work life, has become more challenging than ever. If there is something we can do to help ourselves, then surely we should be talking about it?

1 in 10 women leave their job as the symptoms of peri-meopause worsen. One reason for not talking about the sometimes unbearable symptoms, besides it being rather taboo, is that we do not want to appear weak and unable to suck it up. Everyone else seems to cope? Right?  

It is not just the physiological and emotional challenges that make holding down a job challenging at this time, but there can also be practical reasons too.

For some this may already be too much information! But how are we ever going to educate and gain empathy/understanding if we do not talk about how to manage our working lives when going through this “change”. More importantly, educate ourselves on diet and lifestyle changes than can support us through this period (no pun intended).

In my younger years I had heard of “the menopause” and just thought it was a time where everything dried up, you became grumpy and had lots of hot flashes which required a fan on your desk. NOBODY warned me about the “peri-menopause”. The menopause actually just signals this awful period has officially come to an end, but you may still be left with some of the symptoms.  

Lets get talking and prepare for a positive change …