Menopause myth-busting tips! Get the facts.
There are a lot of myths about menopause and I love busting them! I’ll let you in on some of my menopause myth-busting tips.
Women are so confused by the secrecy and myths surrounding the hormonal changes of midlife that it’s no wonder that most women have a hard time navigating menopause while staying vibrant and productive.
Helene Tragos Stelian, hostess of the Empowering Women in Midlife Facebook Group, invited me to do a Facebook Live to bust myths and I started with this question:
What word comes to mind when you hear “menopause”?
If you’re like most women you will be more likely to come up with a negative word than a positive thought.
In the video below I challenge you and give you some menopause myth-busting tips on how to change your perspective of the menopause transition – from a negative experience to a natural phase of life with many PAUSE-itives (despite the hormonal roller-coaster, the hot flashes, lower sex drive, and some sleepless nights, all manageable BTW!)
If you’re going through the turbulence of the menopause transition then seeing it with a positive attitude or mindset will help you navigate the changes more easily. Really!
Myth: I’m too young for menopause
Fact: Perimenopause, the years leading up to menopause when you start noticing changes, can start in your late 30s or early 40s.
Myth: All women get fat in menopause
Fact: Fat tends to accumulate around the belly but you can get rid of it. I did and in the video I tell you how.
Myth: Menopause is hell and life is over
Fact: OK, going through menopause can be turbulent, challenging, and hard. But it doesn’t have to be. I help the women in my practice accept themselves and their menopause because it is an unavoidable phase of a woman’s life (like puberty in reverse). We work on symptom management but also on mindset because it’s important to be PAUSE-itive and to see midlife as a time of many possibilities. Menopause is an ideal time to start thinking and working (through lifestyle interventions, counselling, and support) on who you want to be at 60, 70, 80 and 90!
Myth: Menopause is only hot flashes
Fact: We wish! Especially those of us who also get mood swings (when I was in perimenopause my son once asked me if I was bipolar!) and rage (road, house, and work rage!); want to kill our husbands and scream at our kids; and experience low libido, itchy skin, aches and pains, anxious thoughts, hair loss, and difficulty concentrating and remembering our own kid’s names!
Myth: Menopause is something you just have to put up with
Fact: This requires two explanations. Firstly, all women go through menopause and there’s no stopping that (for the definition of menopause watch the video). Secondly, no woman suffers needlessly and alone under my watch. True, many women experience physical, emotional, and mental challenges in midlife due to hormonal changes. But as a pharmacist and Certified Menopause Practitioner (NCMP), I provide education and support on symptom management for women at work and at home so they’ll feel like themselves again and enjoy a vibrant and productive life.
I hope these menopause myth-busting tips help you!
Teresa Isabel Dias is a pharmacist and Certified Menopause Practitioner (NCMP) who provides education and support on symptom management for women at work and at home so they’ll feel like themselves again and enjoy a vibrant and productive life.
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If would like to know how Teresa can improve your menopause transition then schedule a complimentary Discovery Call at MenopausED.org.