Women talk openly, honestly at menopause seminar

Local women came together to talk openly and honestly about menopause, a topic which even today is still shrouded in taboo.

For many women, menopause can feel like an overwhelming and confusing time.

Often referred to as a ‘second puberty’, menopause is officially considered to begin when a woman hasn’t experienced her period in 12 months.

Ovaries no longer produce female hormones such as oestrogen and progesterone, which in turn affects a person’s physical, emotional, and mental health, with women often reporting of feeling like a completely different person.

Menopause typically occurs in women from ages 45-55, but can sometimes occur earlier, known as premature menopause and early menopause.

While causes for early and premature menopause are typically unknown, it can be a result of surgery (through the removal of ovaries), certain cancer treatments, or through health-related conditions such as autoimmune diseases.

In March, a day before International Women’s Day, a special panel of experts came together to discuss menopause and how it actually affects women at the Next Edition Cafe and Bookstore.

Panellists included local GP Dr Brontë Appleton, RN and nurse manager of Hunter New England Menopause Hub Heidi Cairney, local naturopath and owner of Essence Natural Therapies Wendy Carpenter, and MC Ange McCormack, a Gunnedah woman who, after going through her own struggles with menopause, has become a passionate advocate on the topic.

Ange believes that while the topic is starting to be discussed more, there is still a long way to go especially when it comes to advocating for medical care and awareness in the workplace.

“We are probably the largest cohort of women in their 50s still in the workplace but workplaces aren’t adapting to people that are traversing through menopause,” she said.

“[Menopausal women] can be put aside or they’re being treated as a cranky old woman, I think that we’ve got a way to go before we can actually address what that looks like in workplaces.”

The biggest goal of the night was to educate and break down the stigmas surrounding the topic.

Heidi said through her work at the Hunter New England Menopause Hub, she has noticed that there is still not as much knowledge around what exactly menopause is.

“There does seem to be a general lack of knowledge of what you can do for menopause and also even of what all the symptoms are,” Heidi said.

“A lot of people tend to really focus on, ‘do I have hot flashes or do I not have hot flashes?’ Where it’s actually a lot bigger than that.

“There are certain gaps in knowledge for community members, but also for health professionals because [menopause is] not something that people are taught a lot about at university or in our training programs.”

Although 80 per cent of women experience hot flushes, it is not the only indicator of menopause.

Dr Appleton explained that symptoms differ from person to person depending on lifestyle, bodies as well as a range of other factors.

“Everyone knows the headline acts of menopause, hot flushes and rage, I call it the golden glow…but one of the main symptoms is Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause…and pelvic floor discomfort,” Dr Appleton said.

“There are more severe syndromes that rear their heads like Lichen Sclerosis, which is significant drying and fissuring and closing over of the vulva or sealing together, and certainly the brain fog and neurocognitive decline.

“There’s a list of symptoms as long as your arm, and often you can’t link them all together, but having an open mind and sharing with friends who might be in a similar situation can be helpful.”

More than 40 people attended the talk, with many walking away feeling more informed and positive.

One attendee said that she was excited that menopause was finally getting an open and raw discussion.

“I think it’s fantastic that we are having a seminar on menopause,” a member of the public said.

“Being able to open up these conversations and put it out there and to challenge the stigma around this topic is so important…I really learnt a lot tonight.”

Often times, when talking about menopause treatments, people often jump to Hormone Replacement Therapy, commonly referred to as HRT, and while treatments such as HRT have their place in treatment, there are more resources available to help with the stress of the symptoms.

Wendy, who works as a naturopath, said that there are a number of ways she works with clients to help with symptoms, whether they are trying HRT or not.

“In perimenopause, when things start to change, our progesterone starts to drop a little and oestrogen just goes wild, sometimes it can be three times as much oestrogen than we would normally have, and that can lead to breast soreness, heavy periods, strange moods,” Wendy said.

“Things are really annoying, everything’s pissing you off and it’s like a computer when you’ve got a new software upgrade.

“Our brain is rewiring and a whole lot of physiology is changing, and during that upgrade, you just leave it alone, you walk away and come back in a couple of hours and go, yeah, I’ve got Windows 11, fantastic, sweet.

“But if there’s a little glitch, like someone trips over the cord halfway through its downloading, we’re like, where was it up to? What’s going on?

“These glitches that happen and these changeable times can sometimes give temporary issues, or sometimes longer-term issues.

“We need to focus on what is going on in the nervous system. Are they sleeping? If they’re not sleeping, everything’s out the window, so we begin there.

“This person who has quite chaotic issues going on, they’re really not comfortable and they’re really miserable, what’s the next thing that can support them on that journey? It isn’t a quick fix thing, but it’s untangling and supporting each person, which will be totally different for each single person.”

Although it can be a daunting topic, information and resources around menopause are becoming more accessible.

A part of the night’s discussion was on resources women can access to find out more.

One such resources was Jean Hailes for Women’s Health website.

There you can find out more about symptoms, what to expect, and other information like when you may need to see a doctor.