I found out I was in menopause while boarding a flight to JFK - really not the most ideal place to receive this sort of news. I was walking onto the plane when I saw a new message come through my patient portal from my doctor. The message read: "In menopause... any questions?" Um... yes... I had thousands of questions! But I felt like I didn’t have anyone to answer them for me. So I sat with them, unsure of where to turn or where to find support. Unfortunately, this experience is all too common for women. The experience of menopause makes them feel isolated and alone, even though it is something we all go through and there is no time like now to talk about it.
Top women’s health expert, Dr. Stephanie Faubion, author, Director of Mayo Clinic's Center for Women's Health, and Medical Director for the North American Menopause Society, gave some answers for all of us. She sheds light on some of the most recent findings from her research and how we can ameliorate some of the symptoms we face from menopause. She also shares how we can still find happiness during times of major change in our health and wellness.
One of the incredible things she’s worked on with her research group is a clinical database on experiences of aging, menopause, sexuality, and dreams. It has compiled data of over 7,000 patients that has helped her learn more about the factors impacting menopause.
The driving force for her research and work was the realization that as girls, we get the “period talk” - we are told what to expect, what your period will feel like, and what it means for our bodies. However, there is no such thing as the “menopause talk,” meaning we often head into this segment of our lives underprepared.
"The shift into per-menopause and menopause is one of the most important transitions in our lives," Dr. Faubion says. We will live about ⅓ of our lives after menopause, so understanding and being comfortable with discussing our symptoms is so important.
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN:
- What your first steps should be for menopause symptom management.
- How to approach the use of hormone therapy.
- How you can use her book, The New Rules of Menopause, as your go-to menopause guide.
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