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Peri to Post Menopause Resource Library

Sailing the hormonal sea

It's not always smooth sailing when it comes to navigating the hormonal seas of our menopause journey.  The lack of education provided about the peri to post menopause, alongside outdated beliefs surrounding treatment options, mean that many women aren't receiving the support they need. 


I think it's important that women have informative and trustworthy resources to rely upon as they enter this phase of their lives.   Your GP should be your first port of call for any health issues you are experiencing but it can also be helpful to know that you aren't alone and to have a resource library of additional information to refer to.  I have pulled together some key pieces of menopause information and a number of invaluable links for you below.  

Reading

The peri to post menopause journey

Many women find themselves experiencing an array of symptoms in their midlife years which they struggle to explain. Often women don't realise that these symptoms are related to their naturally changing hormone levels and so look to other explanations for what they are experiencing.  


If you are in (or approaching) your 40s and experiencing any of these symptoms then it may be that you are in peri-menopause.  This is completely normal, and not something to be alarmed by.  Peri-menopause is the period which comes before the menopause.  It typically starts in your 40s, although it can happen earlier, and spans several years .  At the start of your menopause journey, your oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone hormone levels are fluctuating and declining.  Eventually this period culminates with your ovaries ceasing to ovulate (releasing eggs) . 


12 months after your last period, you are said to have 'reached menopause'.  From this day onwards you will be post-menopausal.  The average age at which a woman reaches menopause in the UK is 51.  Some women will experience early menopause - which is when menopause is reached before the age of 45.  Earlier still is premature menopause - more accurately known as premature ovarian insufficiency.  This is when a woman's periods stop before the age of 40 - as early as their 20s and 30s.  It can happen naturally or as a result of some treatments and surgery. 


Peri to post menopause symptoms can have a significant impact upon your life.  These will vary in type, severity and duration for each woman, but there are ways to alleviate the effects of menopause, through lifestyle changes (like exercise and nutrition) and treatments like Hormone Replacement  Therapy.  Please don't suffer in silence - go and see your GP or use the directory on the right to find a menopause specialist in your area.   

Find a menopause specialist

The British Menopause Association has designed a search engine for you to find a health care professional (NHS and private) in your area with specialist menopausal training 

Use the directory

"Growing into your future with health and grace and beauty doesn’t have to take all your time. It rather requires a dedication to caring for yourself as if you were rare and precious, which you are, and regarding all life around you as equally so, which it is."


Victoria Moran

knowledge at your fingertips

knowledge

My top website recommendations

Menopausesupport.co.uk is a superb website which provides a number of useful resources including their menopause symptom checker which I have posted below for you to download.


The Balance website provides a useful Q&A function, links to articles and podcasts.  It also details the Balance App which allows you to track your peri-post menopause symptoms on your phone.  The data from the app can then be downloaded to share with your GP.


Menopauseandme.co.uk is a great all round resource library, providing information, explanations and useful links.


https://mysecondspring.ie/ is an excellent resource library for all things menopause.  It will particularly appeal to those looking for a natural, alternative and homeopathic treatments for dealing with symptoms of the peri-post menopause.


https://www.daisynetwork.org/ is focused specifically upon premature menopause - known as Premature Ovarian Insufficiency.  This is an invaluable website for women who are going through the menopause in their 20s and 30s.


https://www.hotflashinc.com/ is the birthchild of Ann Marie McQueen, journalist and editor.  I remain in awe of McQueen's ability to digest and disseminate the latest research on the subject of all things menopause.  An incredible authority.  


My favourite podcasts and blogs

I have written several heavily researched blogs on the subject of menopause, with subjects including how to optimise nutrition; the value of embracing movement and exercise; and, the use of Hormone Replacement Therapy. Simply click on the hyperlinks to read these articles.
 

With All Due Respect! Podcast by Amanda Thebe - Amanda Thebe is known as a menopause guru in fitness circles, and is one of my favourite no-nonsense menopause experts when it comes to telling it how it is in her fantastic podcast.


The Power Years Project Podcast by Jenny Burrell - This exceptional podcast series is produced by Midlife Transition Coach and owner of Burrell Education - Jenny Burrell.  A truly inspirational listen!  Burrell Education is one of the most highly regarded women's health educators in the UK.


Ben Coomber Radio Podcast #592 - This podcast unites three of my favourite fitness and nutrition experts - Amanda Thebe, Ben Coomber and Tom Bainbridge.  It's an honest and deep dive in to fitness, nutrition and weight change during the menopause.  


Abby Langer  has written a wonderful blog about her own menopause journey.  Abby Langer is a Canadian Dietician who uses an evidence based approach to analyse the pros and cons of different diets and to debunk the nutrition myths popularised by the media.  As a menopausal woman herself she provides an invaluable voice when it comes to nutrition post 40.


 https://www.hotflashinc.com/subscribe Journalist and editor Ann Marie McQueen's blog is available via subscription and brings her vast knowledge and the very latest research direct to your inbox.

Menopause books

My favourite books on the Menopause

I am a total book worm and love to learn through reading.  If you feel the same way then check out the books below...


Cracking the Menopause by Mariella Frostrup and Alice Smellie.

This is without a doubt my favourite book on the subject of menopause (and I say that having read a LOT of them)!  It is positively encyclopedic in terms of its content.  Frostrup adopts an 'everything you need to know' approach with wit, humour and sensitivity. I chose to listen to the audio-book rather than read the printed text, and would highly recommend this.  Why would you not choose to listen to her gorgeous voice!? 


In addition to covering the usual terrain of a menopause book, Frostrup adds a wealth of additional insights.  She discusses everything from the use of CBD oil and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, to how the menopause effects a woman's relationships, work-life, sex-life, skin and hair.  Her references are vast and evidence-based.  Furthermore, she cites experts and experiences from different backgrounds, cultures and ethnicities to produce a depiction of the menopause which all women can relate to.   


Menopausing by Davina McCall & Dr. Naomi Potter.

I chose to listen to this as an audio book, which was like listening to an incredibly knowledgeable and compassionate friend.  McCall tells you everything you need to know about the menopause with a particular focus on the benefits of HRT.  She adopts an inclusive approach and, together with Dr Naomi Potter, provides clear and accessible explanations for all of the scientific references.  McCall has written this book 'from the heart', and it shows.  She brings her personal experience and that of hundreds of other women (and men) to the book, which helps the reader to feel like they are part of a community going through this together.  


Menopocalyspe by Amanda Thebe.  

This was the first book I read on the subject of menopause, having been inspired by Thebe in a lecture she delivered on Nutrition in Menopause as part of my Nutrition Course. Thebe is a women's health, fitness and menopause expert.  She provides a refreshingly frank, honest and often hilarious account of her own peri-post menopause journey, alongside practical recommendations for how to manage and lessen your own symptoms through fitness - with a focus on strength training, nutrition and hormone therapy.  


Preparing for the Menopause and Perimenopause by Dr Louise Newson.

Considered one of the UK's leading experts on the Menopause - Dr Newson is a GP, author and Director of Newson Health Ltd Menopause centre.   She also produced the Confidence in Menopause course designed to educate GPs and health professionals on the menopause.  This book provides a concise but thorough explanation and guide.   


What is the peri to post menopause?

Download PDF

Menopause symptom checker

Simply download this symptom checker, fill it out and take it with you to your GP appointment.

Download PDF

Hormone replacement therapy - separating fact from fiction

A great deal of confusion remains in the public space regarding HRT.  The Primary Care Women's Health Forum (PCWHF) have produced this infographic to separate fact from fiction.

Download PDF

Understand the risks

breast cancer risks

This infographic puts the risk factor of hormone therapy in to perspective alongside other lifestyle factors.

Best practice recommendations 2022

This joint position statement produced in 2022 outlines the best practice recommendations for healthcare practitioners providing care for women experiencing the menopause.  Recommendations suggest an individualised approach should be implemented, which provides lifestyle advice, diet modifications and which initiates discussions on the role of interventions such as, HRT.

Download PDF

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