Getting Ready for the
PERIMENOPAUSE & MENOPAUSE!
By Dr. Nitu Bajekal, MD Senior Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist Every aspect of health at every age and stage of life benefits from nutrition and lifestyle changes but very few women are equipped with the right tools to build positive habits.
T
his is especially true for menopause, a phase in our lives where we hopefully spend several decades, given that periods completely stop for most people between ages 45-55 and life expectancy for women in the UK is currently around 83 years.
Menopause and perimenopause affect half the world’s population yet there is still a lot of stigma, especially in the workplace which means people often don’t know where to turn for help (The British Medical Association survey of 2000 women doctors recently confirmed this).
I use the term woman/women here as an inclusive term to include everyone assigned female at birth (AFAB), however, they may choose to identify.
Lack of investment in public education as well as a failure to communicate information clearly by health professionals, schools and workplaces can have a tremendous impact on how women approach the menopause. There needs to be change urgently as otherwise misinformation and myths thrive, pushing women to seek dubious supplements and unproven medications.
Dementia is now the commonest cause of death for women in the UK, with increasing rates of heart disease, certain cancers such as breast, bowel, ovarian and womb and osteoporosis also contributing to death rates (mortality) and suffering (morbidity). Perimenopause is the lead up to menopause and can last for two-eight years, with hormonal fluctuations and symptoms similar to the menopause such as hot flushes, reduced sex drive, unwanted weight gain, mood changes as well as erratic periods, starting as early as in the late thirties for some (3951 years). Symptoms of perimenopause may start long before periods stop, impacting both mental and physical health.
Lifestyle Medicine is a discipline that runs alongside western medicine and involves the use of evidence-based lifestyle approaches for the treatment, prevention and sometimes reversal of lifestyle-related chronic disease. Self-care and self-management are key, allowing you to be in the driving seat. Making behaviour and lifestyle changes can go a very long way both in the short term and long term, helping one often avoid unnecessary medications or surgery.
