Whatever your symptoms, we’ve got the expert advice to tackle them
From night sweats to weight gain, Dr Louise Newson, physician and menopause specialist, tells you everything you need to know about how to cope…
Manage low moods
In my experience, psychological symptoms can be the most difficult. Your hormones oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone work throughout your brain and help to regulate your mood and emotions, so when levels fall you can be more prone to anxiety, depression and irritability.
If you experience a negative change in your mental health and suspect it could be a result of perimenopause or menopause (if it occurs alongside other, more easily recognisable menopause symptoms, for example), then it’s important to speak to your GP.
Swot up on HRT
HRT – hormone replacement therapy – is the gold standard treatment for perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms and can be started as soon as you recognise you’re having symptoms. Ideally, the hormones are prescribed separately so the right dose and type are given to each woman. A hormone blood test is not usually needed to make the diagnosis – recording symptoms on a questionnaire, such as the one on our free balance app, can be useful to help make the diagnosis.
Some women will see an improvement in symptoms within a few weeks – if your symptoms are not improving after a few months, then it is likely your dose or type of HRT needs changing.
Boost your sex drive
The menopause doesn’t need to spell the end of your sex life, but many women have reduced libido. This can be due to reducing hormone levels and can improve with HRT, often with testosterone too. Symptoms such as joint pain, feeling tired, low motivation, weight gain and night sweats can all contribute to reduced libido. Irritability and mood changes can lead to relationship difficulties, too.
Relieve the dryness
Low hormone levels during perimenopause and menopause can thin the tissues in your vagina, leaving it dry, itchy and inflamed. Vaginal dryness can be one of the most painful symptoms, yet the least talked about. Urinary symptoms such as passing urine more frequently, cystitis, urinary incontinence and urine infections can all be common. These symptoms can improve with using vaginal hormones – usually as a cream, gel or pessary – which can be used whether you take HRT or not.
Beat the heat
Hot flushes are a common symptom and night sweats can make it impossible to get a good night’s sleep. HRT corrects the hormone deficiency and should improve hot flushes and night sweats. Wearing thinner layers of cotton clothing to keep you cool can be beneficial. Alcohol, caffeine and spicy foods can exacerbate hot flushes, particularly before bed – and if you smoke, now is the time to quit as studies show smokers have more severe flushes.
Keep your bones strong
Exercise releases endorphins and can help with low mood and maintaining a healthy weight, but one of the most crucial benefits is that exercise helps to strengthen our bones. Menopausal women have a higher risk than men of developing osteoporosis, where bones lose strength and break more easily. You should combine weight-bearing exercise (jogging, dancing or tennis) with muscle strengthening exercise (yoga, Pilates or weights). Don’t feel like you must rush out and join the gym – even a gentle walk around the park is a start.
Eat the Med way
There are many reasons why you may become prone to weight gain. When oestrogen levels fall during menopause, your body makes more fat cells which produce a weak type of oestrogen. You might also be fatigued, less likely to exercise and find yourself comfort eating because you’re tired. Avoid highly processed, fatty, sugary foods. Try a Mediterranean diet with fresh fruit and veg, lean meat and ‘good’ fats like olive oil and avocados. Many women tell me they drink more alcohol to try to ‘numb’ their symptoms and help them sleep, but alcohol is just empty calories and can disrupt your sleep cycle.
• Dr Louise is author of the new, revised and updated The Definitive Guide to the Perimenopause and Menopause, and is touring the country with her informative and entertaining theatre show Menopause and Hormones: The Great Debate. Head to drlouisenewsonlive.com for tickets.