Menopause Matters

Monday, 20th of July, saw the women of Cheadle and the surrounding areas gather at the Guild Hall to find out more about a process that happens to all women and is not generally talked about much in public.

Menopause is the natural biological process for women where menstrual periods cease permanently because of a decrease in reproductive hormones. It is often misunderstood, downplayed, and the brunt of many poor jokes.

It is also important that women—the gender responsible for the literal continuance of the species—are allowed and equipped to take up the space and time in both family and work life to transition into a new way our bodies work.

Doing so can not only make this time in our lives more comfortable, but, as we learned from the discussion, have far-reaching implications on the quality of our health.

Symptoms and our feelings about the process need to be legitimized in our relationships, not just from partners and other close family members, but, possibly more importantly, by ourselves. It was great to see a good number of women coming along to the event, and the one man who came along too.

Kerry, a health & well-being coach, introduced our guest speaker, a Stone-based GP and a most engaging expert speaker. She gave us a whistle-stop tour of the menopause. She discussed the benefits of HRT and its far-reaching benefit for health when used properly. She debunked the national reporting that informed the public that HRT causes heart attacks. She talked a little about alternative treatments to HRT too, including an antidepressant which is sometimes prescribed to regulate body temperature.

Her aim was to equip us all with a little more knowledge so that when we go to see our healthcare professionals we have more confidence in what's going on in our bodies and are able to speak informatively to those professionals we are seeking to help us.

There's nothing like knowledge to empower.

Different Types of Menopause

The menopause usually takes place between the ages of 45 and 55, but there is a lot of variation in ages. It can be triggered by other things going on in the body, and early menopause can run in families too. It is defined when a woman has not had a period for 12 months. Anyone who is experiencing symptoms before that is described as being in perimenopause, something talked about quite a bit on social media at the moment.

Early menopause is the term used for a woman between 40-45, and premature menopause for anyone under 40. If the menopause is triggered by having surgery or something which causes the ovaries to stop working, such as chemotherapy might, it's referred to as a surgical menopause.

How do we know when we're experiencing the menopause?

Menopause for most women is a diagnosis based on symptoms. What's used to define this is the Greene Climacteric Scale, a 21-question medical assessment tool used to measure the severity of menopause symptoms. There are symptoms that occur that aren't on the list, and not everyone will experience everything on the list—a diagnosis can be made when women hit certain parameters. Our speaker recommended a good place to find this scale here: https://lizearlewellbeing.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/The-Greene-Climacteric-Scale-PDF.pdf

It is not usually a blood test diagnosis. There has been a shift in medical thinking which is still being rolled out. The British Medical Society and NICE guidelines have changed, and they are working hard to get the word out to GPs, nurses, etc. So if you're in the normal menopause age range and your healthcare professional insists on a blood test, nicely point out that there has been a change and ask them to take a look at the latest NICE guidelines. The blood test can, however, be useful sometimes for women who have early menopause our speaker said.

Women must not think or accept being told that they are too young to be experiencing menopause and should get their symptoms checked out properly.

The event was organised by Moorlands Primary Care Network (PCN), the group of seven GP surgeries and services to which most local people are connected in some way. The event saw women welcomed, women moving their own tables and chairs in and out, working out their own IT, and even organising complimentary bottled water for the very warm evening. Well done, ladies, please keep up the great work you do for all of society, however we identify!

Did you know that there is a private GP clinic in Stone that offers a menopause clinic, weight loss, nursing, and GP services? They can provide specialist referrals and work with the NHS. A visit to them is not an opt-out because they work alongside the NHS, but a longer, more specialised appointment may well tip the balance for those who are stuck. A GP appointment costs £65 for 15 minutes and the menopause clinic initial appointments from £150. Visit stonemedicalclinic.co.uk or call 01785593007 for more information.

Menopause Matters