If you’re going through the menopause transition you may already have difficulty sleeping, feel fatigued, and have brain fog and now the demands of the holiday season are upon you.
Who do you want to be this holiday season?
A calm woman enjoying a meaningful holiday? Or a frazzled, overwhelmed b*@%h who’s at the end of her rope and just wants the holidays over with?
Anxiety can trigger hotflashes/night sweats and the extra work and stress of this busy time of the year can exacerbate other menopause symptoms— insomnia, irritability, anger, brain fog.
What to do?
Assess how you’re feeling (is menopause making you exhausted, overwhelmed, anxious, tense, angry, drained?) and adjust your holiday plans AND EXPECTATIONS to help you have an easier holiday season and menopause.
The gap between reality and perfection is satisfaction!
Don’t give in
…to stopping your healthy routines because of lack of time or too much to do. If you have a routine—for exercise, walking, breathing, or for relaxing at bedtime—you need to keep it up during the holiday season, more than ever!
… to FOMO.
… to saying yes to all requests. If your heart isn’t in it, just say “No, thank you”.
… to “must dos”. Ask yourself, is _____(insert option) something I really must do? If the answer is no then don’t. Saves you time, effort, and energy.
…to what the holidays ought to be and look like. Like me you may be missing a deceased relative and may not be surrounded by family. As sad as that may be we can still celebrate the holidays, our way. Not the “expected way”…
Don’t give up.
It may be even harder to find time to look after yourself and your needs, to move intentionally, eat nutritiously, and have enough rest, but don’t give up.
Eat the desserts and sweets sometimes AND vegetables & wholesome non-processed food most of the time.
Drink one glass of wine AND one glass of water.
Make sleep a priority. Go to bed earlier. Watch less TV (do you really need to watch It’s A Wonderful Life for the 35th year in a row?) and less social media feeds (you don’t need one more Pinterest or Instagram decoration idea!).
Be choosy. Keep it simple.
Do you really need three sets of lights on the staircase?
Do you really need to decorate the house and the yard with a million Christmas decorations?
Do you need to bake three different recipes of cookies to share?
Would the family be satisfied with just one side dish versus three?
Don’t do it alone.
No, you are not superwoman. You’re human and going through a hormonal change; fatigue tends to stymie your best intentions.
If you have a partner or family, let them know what you have in mind for this year’s holidays so you don’t get pushback when you unexpectedly change traditions. Manage expectations for the holidays, yours and your family’s. A S K F O R H E L P.
Make lists.
Memory loss and difficulty concentrating (brain fog) are common and normal in menopause.
Make a list, rather than trying to remember the many things you must get done in the next few weeks.
Take it out of your brain and onto paper. Lists are useful because they document what we ordinarily forget.
Make lists for meals (menu and accompanying shopping list), cards to write, gifts to wrap, people to call or visit…
Plan ahead. Start early.
Plan ahead (and make lists!) for your decorating, gift giving (intentional, appropriate, meaningful), gift buying (local and small business), meals, cooking, and baking (ahead of time as much as possible), wrapping (reuse gift bags, use flyers or magazine pages to reduce waste and save trees), and sharing (cookies, recipes, cards, happiness, smiles, and joy).
Start earlier and do a little bit at a time. You’re more likely to keep up your energy and not burn out.
Be kind to yourself.
Give yourself a break, literally. If you’re less tired you’re less likely to be irritable and snap at those around you.
Take a nap. Up to 20 min, before 3 PM. Seriously good for you!
Don’t multitask.
Multitasking used to be highly prized until the brain specialists discovered that it is the most toxic thing you can do for your brain (Multitasking Damages Your Brain And Career, New Studies Suggest).
You aren’t actually getting more done, you’re just performing several tasks one at a time quickly. No one can focus properly on two simultaneous tasks. So give your brain a break and do one thing at a time. Better concentration, better results, less brain fatigue.
I hope these tips will help you be and feel like the woman you want to be during the holiday season. And beyond.
For this Holiday Season I wish you what I wish for myself: good health, peace, calm, contentment, and joy!
For every challenge that (peri)menopause poses there’s a solution. I can help you!
Who do you want to be this holiday season?
/in Cognition, Hot flashes, Menopause, Mental health, Perimenopause/by Teresa Isabel DiasIf you’re going through the menopause transition you may already have difficulty sleeping, feel fatigued, and have brain fog and now the demands of the holiday season are upon you.
Who do you want to be this holiday season?
A calm woman enjoying a meaningful holiday? Or a frazzled, overwhelmed b*@%h who’s at the end of her rope and just wants the holidays over with?
Anxiety can trigger hotflashes/night sweats and the extra work and stress of this busy time of the year can exacerbate other menopause symptoms— insomnia, irritability, anger, brain fog.
What to do?
Assess how you’re feeling (is menopause making you exhausted, overwhelmed, anxious, tense, angry, drained?) and adjust your holiday plans AND EXPECTATIONS to help you have an easier holiday season and menopause.
The gap between reality and perfection is satisfaction!
Don’t give in
…to stopping your healthy routines because of lack of time or too much to do. If you have a routine—for exercise, walking, breathing, or for relaxing at bedtime—you need to keep it up during the holiday season, more than ever!
… to FOMO.
… to saying yes to all requests. If your heart isn’t in it, just say “No, thank you”.
… to “must dos”. Ask yourself, is _____(insert option) something I really must do? If the answer is no then don’t. Saves you time, effort, and energy.
…to what the holidays ought to be and look like. Like me you may be missing a deceased relative and may not be surrounded by family. As sad as that may be we can still celebrate the holidays, our way. Not the “expected way”…
Don’t give up.
It may be even harder to find time to look after yourself and your needs, to move intentionally, eat nutritiously, and have enough rest, but don’t give up.
Eat the desserts and sweets sometimes AND vegetables & wholesome non-processed food most of the time.
Drink one glass of wine AND one glass of water.
Make sleep a priority. Go to bed earlier. Watch less TV (do you really need to watch It’s A Wonderful Life for the 35th year in a row?) and less social media feeds (you don’t need one more Pinterest or Instagram decoration idea!).
Be choosy. Keep it simple.
Do you really need three sets of lights on the staircase?
Do you really need to decorate the house and the yard with a million Christmas decorations?
Do you need to bake three different recipes of cookies to share?
Would the family be satisfied with just one side dish versus three?
Don’t do it alone.
No, you are not superwoman. You’re human and going through a hormonal change; fatigue tends to stymie your best intentions.
If you have a partner or family, let them know what you have in mind for this year’s holidays so you don’t get pushback when you unexpectedly change traditions. Manage expectations for the holidays, yours and your family’s. A S K F O R H E L P.
Make lists.
Memory loss and difficulty concentrating (brain fog) are common and normal in menopause.
Make a list, rather than trying to remember the many things you must get done in the next few weeks.
Take it out of your brain and onto paper. Lists are useful because they document what we ordinarily forget.
Make lists for meals (menu and accompanying shopping list), cards to write, gifts to wrap, people to call or visit…
Plan ahead. Start early.
Plan ahead (and make lists!) for your decorating, gift giving (intentional, appropriate, meaningful), gift buying (local and small business), meals, cooking, and baking (ahead of time as much as possible), wrapping (reuse gift bags, use flyers or magazine pages to reduce waste and save trees), and sharing (cookies, recipes, cards, happiness, smiles, and joy).
Start earlier and do a little bit at a time. You’re more likely to keep up your energy and not burn out.
Be kind to yourself.
Give yourself a break, literally. If you’re less tired you’re less likely to be irritable and snap at those around you.
Take a nap. Up to 20 min, before 3 PM. Seriously good for you!
Don’t multitask.
Multitasking used to be highly prized until the brain specialists discovered that it is the most toxic thing you can do for your brain (Multitasking Damages Your Brain And Career, New Studies Suggest).
You aren’t actually getting more done, you’re just performing several tasks one at a time quickly. No one can focus properly on two simultaneous tasks. So give your brain a break and do one thing at a time. Better concentration, better results, less brain fatigue.
I hope these tips will help you be and feel like the woman you want to be during the holiday season. And beyond.
For this Holiday Season I wish you what I wish for myself: good health, peace, calm, contentment, and joy!
For every challenge that (peri)menopause poses there’s a solution. I can help you!
Connect The Dots
/in Cognition, Menopause and work, Mental health, Perimenopause, Sleep/by Teresa Isabel DiasWhat should you expect in perimenopause?
Expect the unexpected. And connect the dots.
In perimenopause (the years leading up to menopause) your ovaries start showing signs of aging (they age faster than you do!) and do not perform as predictably and regularly as they used to.
In perimenopause things start to change.
Many say perimenopause is puberty in reverse. In puberty you learned to live with sex hormones like estrogen (the predominant female sex hormone) and progesterone as your ovaries matured. In perimenopause these hormones are fluctuating again and declining.
Because estrogen acts in so many tissues and organs in the body it’s common to experience many changes during perimenopause which can last 3-6 years or even longer for some.
It’s OK not to feel any changes other than the end of period.
6 in 10 women tend to experience several changes (aka symptoms).
2 in 10 experience severe and debilitating changes that can turn their lives upside down.
Most people know about hot flashes but most are not aware that sleep difficulties, brain fog, anxiety, mood swings, depression, anger, and loss of self-confidence can also be part of the perimenopause experience.
Changes can be physical, cognitive, and emotional. And as with many other changes in life, it may be hard to accept and to go through. But being prepared will make it easier and should reduce the accompanying fear and worry.
Menopause isn’t new but now women are working right through it. And it can be downright difficult to cope with. Add to that the fact that menopause is
No wonder the majority of women feel isolated and think they are the only one.
You may be feeling alone but you’re not the only one.
I don’t mean to scare you with a long list of challenges. In fact, you probably won’t experience all these symptoms—definitely not all at the same time—and because perimenopause is a journey, your experience may change with time. And things do get BETTER in postmenopause when hormone levels stabilize.
My main goal is to help you connect the dots and empower you to be your own health advocate.
When you go to the physician and your complaints are dismissed, or you get a diagnosis that doesn’t sit right with you (depression and anxiety are common examples), I want you to connect the dots – think about all the things you’re experiencing and feeling. Being aware and connecting these experiences will help you see that what you’re going through is probably related to the hormonal changes of midlife.
Because, contrary to what you may have been told by a doctor—that this is just part of life and therefore you must put up with it—even though menopause is unavoidable, suffering is an option.
There are myriad options to improve your symptoms, make your journey easier, and help you feel like yourself again and enjoy a vibrant and productive life.
Let me help you find the best for you.
“Just get out there”
/in Cognition, Exercise, Menopause, Mental health, Perimenopause/by Teresa Isabel DiasA few years ago I celebrated my birthday by joining a guided kayak tour of Isla Espiritu Santo in Baja California.
The first night was memorable for all the wrong reasons.
We were camping on a beach and I just couldn’t get comfortable, my pillow wasn’t the right size, the ground wasn’t flat enough, and my thoughts were very negative. These thoughts kept popping into my mind:
“why the hell do I book myself into these adventures to have a good time and end up in discomfort”
“I’m too old for adventure vacations. I should know better and avoid the hassle”.
“I shouldn’t have booked a kayak trip to Greenland next summer if I can’t even enjoy camping in a nice warm beach”.
The first morning was also memorable but for a very good reason.
The first travel companion I met when I groggily and grumpily got out of my tent was Warwick, a 70-something year-old Australian man travelling alone and recovering from cancer. He greeted me bright-eyed and bushy-tailed with a happy “morning mate”. I grumbled some greeting back and he asked what was wrong (what could possibly be wrong on a sunny, picture-perfect, white sandy beach, right?). I explained I hadn’t had a good night. To which he replied:
“The older we get the harder it is to be comfortable.”
“Don’t let that prevent you from enjoying yourself. JUST GET OUT THERE!”
Warwick’s words changed my outlook on life F.O.R.E.V.E.R.
Since then, whenever I feel physically uncomfortable, I think of Warwick’s advice and it helps me to see the situation in a new perspective and with more positive mindset. That helps me to keep trying things that get me out of my comfort zone; and those things help me feel alive, youthful, and vibrant.
This week, with Warwick’s words in mind, I pushed myself to go cross-country skiing in the park after the first snowfall of the season; even though I felt more like staying home and not risking an injury. Of course, one hour later with rosy cheeks and a dripping nose, I was very glad I was OUT THERE.
Winter weather, for me and probably you, is here. Cold and snow are probably going to be around for a while.
Don’t let that keep you from going outdoors. The benefits for your menopause transition and overall health are immense.
If you haven’t built the habit of walking, I strongly encourage you do so.
Start small and safe. In time speed it up and increase the distance to 10,000 steps which research from the Universities of Australia and Denmark show is the ‘sweet spot’ for lowered risk of disease and death.
Whatever way you walk, some is better than none. Sitting is the new smoking.
Would you like to improve your menopause journey, feel like yourself again, and have a vibrant and productive life? Give me a call.
The Top Five Things Every Woman in Menopause Should Know
/in Hormone therapy, Hot flashes/by Teresa Isabel DiasWomen should know more about menopause so they can have an easier transition, less fear, more confidence, and better support.
If I had to pick the top five things every woman in menopause should know, this would be my list:
1. Be aware of what your body is going through.
Menopause isn’t a mystery, or a disease, or the loss of anything. And it has nothing to do with men, either!
Meno (from menses) pause is the end of ovulation, menstruation, and fertility. Menopause is confirmed 12 months after the last menstrual period.
In the years leading up to menopause your body will go through hormonal changes – estrogen and progesterone levels fluctuate and decline. Changes are often challenging. You’re not crazy; what you’re feeling is real and it’s easier and less fearful to navigate the menopause transition if you know what’s going on.
2. Menopause isn’t something to be ashamed of.
Why would a human physiological event be something bad or shameful?
Some people call menopause puberty in reverse.
If you were born with ovaries, you can’t stop menopause from happening.
Culture and the media portray menopause as negative. But, in truth, menopause is not the loss of youth. Associating it with being old, over the hill, the end of womanhood, etc., is a myth, inaccurate, and misleading. The average age of menopause is 51 and many women can start perimenopause in their late 30s or early 40s.
3. You’re not alone.
Because there’s no intergenerational sharing, your mother and aunties may not tell you about their menopause, so you’re not prepared for it, you don’t know enough about it, and you feel isolated and alone in this journey. But you aren’t alone! Millions of women worldwide are going through their own menopause.
If you’ve been through menopause then share your experience with those who haven’t yet, and if you’re not there yet ask older women to share.
Talk about it with other women, help break the secrecy and the taboo that surrounds menopause.
If we want things to change then we must be part of the change and not blame everything on the patriarchy.
4. Seek help and don’t suffer in silence and alone.
Ok, menopause is a natural thing but suffering through it is an option.
You shouldn’t just put up with the symptoms—hot flashes, night sweats, sleepless nights, brain fog, fatigue, urine leakage, vaginal dryness, painful sex, loss of self-confidence, anxiety, palpitations, worry, and anger—just because you can’t avoid menopause.
If these challenges are affecting the quality of your life, if you stopped doing things you used to do because your menopause is bothersome, if it is affecting your intimate relationships, and/or if your work is being negatively affected by hormonal changes, then seek help.
There’s help. I can help you!
5. Don’t exclude hormone therapy from your tool box.
Google isn’t the best source of information and you shouldn’t choose your treatment options based on what you read on the internet.
I know, Google says that menopause hormone therapy (MHT), aka HRT, is bad for you, can cause breast cancer and strokes…
You shouldn’t confuse your Google search with my pharmacy degree (see photo!).
Anyone can post on the internet, and what they post can stay there FOREVER. There’s a lot of old information that’s no longer accurate since research is ongoing and treatment recommendations change based on the latest information.
Therefore, do not automatically exclude MHT as a possible solution to your menopause challenges without first educating yourself about the benefits and risks of MHT.
Seek the advice of a healthcare provider who’s well-versed in all things menopause, a NAMS Certified Menopause Practitioner (NCMP) like myself, and get the facts about MHT.
It takes time—which most physicians do not have—to explain what MHT is, how it works, and the immediate and long-term benefits and risks. Once you have spent the time, and learned accurate and updated information about MHT, then and only then you’ll be properly equipped to make an educated decision about your treatment.
If you’d like to know if MHT is appropriate for you book a Discovery Call and let’s chat.
Brain fog is real
/in Cognition, Exercise, Hot flashes, Perimenopause, Sleep/by Teresa Isabel DiasIn perimenopause, the years leading up to menopause, they work unpredictably. Your sexual hormones, estrogen and progesterone, fluctuate and you may experience many physical, cognitive, and emotional changes, including brain fog.
Working through perimenopause can be dreadful if you experience:
Brain fog can be a consequence of simply getting older, in both men and women.
For midlife women, fluctuating hormones during the menopause transition can cause brain fog.
In midlife you are at the peak of your career and the demands on your cognitive function—from work, family, older parents, and others—are very high.
What can you do to decrease brain fog?
Menopause symptoms, such as poor sleep, may exacerbate brain fog. If night sweats, which are hot flashes that happen at night, wake you up frequently, night after night, month after month, that’s going to affect your cognition, your brain function. You feel and function worse. But night sweats should be treated. Call me and find out how.
Mood swings are common in menopause. If you’ve had depression in the past, check with your doctor if you’re feeling depressed to ensure it gets treated.
Eat well. The Mediterranean diet lowers the risk of pre-clinical Alzheimer’s disease (this benefit was been shown in a large randomized trial!). Read more about the Mediterranean diet on my blog.
Exercise. Engage in various types of exercise—cardio, strength training, and balance—for better heart, brain, and bone health. You don’t have to walk 10,000 steps/day. Just 15 minutes/day of brisk walking improves your cognitive function.
Manage your stress in whatever way works for you: baths, reading, meditation, slow breathing, listening to music, waking in nature, talking with a friend. Be mindful, live in the present moment.
If you’d like to know how to minimize night sweats, improve your sleep, and decrease brain fog then book a FREE Discovery Call with me.
Breast cancer treatment may cause induced menopause
/in Cancer/by Teresa Isabel DiasMenopause is the end of ovulation, menstruation, and fertility, and it usually happens between 45 and 55 years of age. Breast cancer treatments such as some chemotherapies and radiation treatments for breast cancer can damage the ovaries and cause induced menopause – women receiving such treatments may go through menopause earlier. Moreover, medications used to treat and prevent breast cancer (tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors) further decrease estrogen levels.
Estrogen is the predominant female sexual hormone – it has an effect in many cells, tissues, and organs of your body. When it decreases rapidly, as in induced menopause, you may notice rapid changes and bothersome symptoms to varying degrees, such as:
If these symptoms negatively affect your quality of life then you should seek treatment.
If your breast cancer was estrogen-sensitive then you may not be a candidate for menopause hormone therapy (MHT), aka HRT, the most effective treatment for menopause symptoms. But there are other treatment options such as:
Estrogen has a protective effect on the heart, bones, and brain. When estrogen levels fall, as in menopause, you’re at increased risk of diseases such as osteoporosis, heart attacks, strokes, and dementia.
Lifestyle interventions—such as eating a healthy diet, engaging in regular exercise (at least 5 days a week, 30 minutes a day), sleeping properly, non-smoking, low consumption of alcohol, and consuming calcium and vitamin D supplementation—may help decrease disease risk.
You’ve probably heard this before: “you must be your own best advocate”. Many healthcare providers are not trained in menopause. Unless they work in this space, they may not have the best up-to-date information on how to help women with induced menopause.
As a pharmacist and NCMP—a menopause practitioner certified by the North American Menopause Society (NAMS)—I can help you manage your induced menopause and improve your quality of life and relationships. If you’d like to find out how then book a FREE Discovery Call.
The Menopause Stages
/in Cognition, Contraception, Menopause, Mental health, Osteoporosis, Sleep/by Teresa Isabel DiasThe menopause stages can be confusing. Premenopause. Perimenopause. Menopause. Postmenopause. What do all these words mean and why is it important to use them properly when describing where you are in the continuum of menopause?
Here are some reasons why it is important to know where you are in this journey:
• to know what to expect
• to get the most effective and safe symptom management since, for example, hormone therapy will differ if you take it in perimenopause versus in postmenopause.
Premenopause/Reproductive Years
Between puberty—when ovulation (and accompanying production of estrogen and progesterone), periods, and fertility start—and perimenopause are the reproductive years, whether or not a woman gets pregnant.
Perimenopause/Menopause transition
Female sexual hormones—estrogen (the predominant female hormone) and progesterone—start fluctuating in perimenopause, indicating the start of changes in ovarian function. Women who previously had regular menstrual periods may start noticing changes, such as shorter intervals between periods, lighter or heavier bleeding, shorter or longer bleeds, spotting between periods, and in some months even no bleeding at all. This is usually the first change women notice in perimenopause, but many women also report hot flashes, fatigue, aches and pains, difficulty sleeping, headaches, dry itchy skin, mood swings, anxiety, depressive feelings, low sexual desire, hair loss, weight changes, body shape changes, palpitations, irritability, foggy brain, bladder problems, dizziness, and others. Perimenopause can start in a woman’s late 30s or early 40s and last 2-6 years.
Perimenopause is a journey. The unpredictability of not knowing when the next period is going to come, when or if ovulation is going to occur, and experiencing spotting can be upsetting and frustrating for many women.
Women who are sexually active and don’t wish to get pregnant must use birth control until at least 12 months after the last period because ovulation is unpredictable in perimenopause but may still occur. Perimenopause can start in a woman’s late 30s or early 40s and last 3-6 years.
Menopause
Menopause is the end of ovarian function, the end of ovulation and fertility, and consequently periods stop as well.
How do you know when you are in menopause? Menopause is confirmed when you haven’t had a period for 12 consecutive months. The next day you are in postmenopause! Congratulations! Celebrate this milestone!
All women go through menopause if they live long enough, and for most women it is a normal and natural event.
Menopause usually happens between 45 and 55 years of age, and the average age of menopause in North America is 51. Some women may experience early menopause, before 40 years old.
Induced menopause/surgical menopause
Induced menopause occurs when a woman undergoes removal of both ovaries and/or chemotherapy and radiation treatments (which damage the ovaries) for certain types of cancer. Women who experience induced menopause at a younger age experience more severe symptoms due to the very sudden drop in estrogen levels and are at higher risk for diseases related to low estrogen levels, like osteoporosis, dementia, and heart disease.
Postmenopause
These are the years after menopause is confirmed and postmenopause lasts for the rest of the woman’s life. Many women will live past their 80s and will spend one-third of their lives in postmenopause. It’s important to understand the protective effect of estrogen against diseases like stroke and heart attack, osteoporosis, and diabetes to help you make healthy lifestyle choices to ensure healthy aging and prevent disease.
Menopause Hormone Therapy (aka HRT) – an overview
/in Hormone therapy/by Teresa Isabel DiasMenopausal Hormone Therapy (MHT) is the most effective treatment for menopause challenges but many women opt not to take it or are denied it by their healthcare professionals. This article will give you a good understanding of what MHT is and why you shouldn’t fear it.
Menopause is the end of ovarian function, confirmed when a woman hasn’t had a period for 12 consecutive months.
The most common symptoms of menopause—hot flashes and night sweats—can bother 8 in 10 women, often beginning in perimenopause and lasting on average 7.4 years, with ethnic differences.
Lesser-known changes include sleep disturbances, fatigue, mood changes, irritability, anxiety, brain fog, decreased self-esteem and self-confidence, vaginal dryness, and pain with sex.
Bothersome menopause can reduce a woman’s quality of life and contribute to poorer health since hot flashes can be linked to cardiovascular, bone, and cognitive risks.
Menopausal Hormone Therapy (MHT) —formerly known as Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)—is the most effective treatment for hot flashes and night sweats. Estrogen relieves hot flashes and improves sleep, mood, and cognition and, in some women, joint aches and pains. But estrogen stimulates growth of the endometrium, the lining of the uterus. Adding progestogen protects the endometrium and decreases the risk of endometrial cancer.
The Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) trial results published in 2002 led to significant fear of MHT. Many women avoid MHT for fear of breast cancer, but many factors affect breast cancer risk: different formulations of estrogen therapy, different progestogens, dose, duration of use, regimen, how it is administered (orally, transdermally, or vaginally), and prior MHT use.
Newer observational data and reanalysis of older studies, including the WHI, suggest that the benefits of menopause hormone therapy outweigh its risks for healthy women younger than 60 or within 10 years of menopause.
MHT must be individualized considering personal and family health history, risk factors, expectations, needs, preferences, and values.
In the WHI trial, risk was greater for women with a uterus who had to take a progestogen along with the estrogen for uterine protection than for women with no uterus who took only estrogen.
The breast cancer risk increases with longer-term use. For women who had to take the progestogen along with estrogen in the WHI trial, the risk of breast cancer did not increase until the fourth year. Researchers found very little risk in those who took menopause hormone therapy for less than one year.
For women who have only localized vaginal symptoms such as vaginal dryness, itching, burning, and/or pain with sex, locally-applied low-dose vaginal estrogen rather than systemic estrogen is recommended. Due to minimal systemic absorption, a progestogen is generally not indicated and there should be very little increase in the risk of invasive breast cancer.
Would you like to know whether menopause hormone therapy is appropriate and safe for you?
Schedule a FREE Discovery Call with me. I’d be happy to talk with you about MHT– and your menopause, of course!
Do you know how strong your bones are?
/in Exercise, Osteoporosis/by Teresa Isabel DiasRecently I hiked the most strenuous section of the Bruce Trail (the northern section in Bruce Peninsula National Park).
With a heavy backpack, I hiked 24 km (return) in 48 hours, mainly on rocky ground, over boulders, up and down cliff faces (really!), and so on. I had to stop to enjoy the beautiful vistas because I couldn’t walk safely without looking at the ground.
The first goal of this adventure was not to get injured, most likely by breaking a bone after falling.
That’s because at my age, over 50, if I (or you, if you’re over 50) fall from a standing height and break a bone, I will be diagnosed with osteoporosis and most likely will have to take medication to prevent future factures. Best to avoid that!
Here are some numbers to elucidate the importance of preventing osteoporosis and fractures:
What can you do to prevent osteoporosis and fractures?
Would you like to know your osteoporosis risk factors? The proper amount of calcium and vitamin D for you? Schedule a FREE Discovery Call with me. I’d be happy to talk with you about your bone and muscle health – and your menopause, of course!
Get out there this summer. Move. A lot. Carefully!
Sleep: Chief nourisher in life’s feast
/in Sleep/by Teresa Isabel DiasPoor sleep sucks! And it can cause a range of bothersome symptoms:
Sleeps cleans the brain of harmful waste products and damaging free radicals.
Lack of sleep is a serious threat to the brain and it may deteriorate cognitive function and increase the risk of dementia.
Some factors that affect sleep:
Dr, Maria Sunseri writes in her book Sleep After Menopause: 2nd Edition (short, inexpensive, and a sleep-changing read)
…when we are super conscious of waking and we fall back asleep we do not feel like we are sleeping. We have amnesia for the actual time of falling asleep, but then we wake and “alert” ourselves over and over with the passing of the clock time such that we do not feel that we have sleep in the intervening time even though we did sleep.
That’s why one of the best tips for better sleep is to turn the clock around.
Really?
Yes, because it doesn’t matter what time of the night it is when you wake up. What matters is that you will get back to sleep, and fast.
Here are other tips to help you get back to sleep:
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.
Grab a quick guide and subscribe to the MenopausED Newsletter on the MenopausED home page.
If would like to know how Teresa can improve your menopause transition then schedule a complimentary Discovery Call at MenopausED.org.