Hot Off The Press!!
Oprah Is Chiming In On All The Stuff About Menopause!!
Happy Wednesday Golden Divas!
Ladies, did anyone ever have the menopause discussion with you? Just in case no one ever did Oprah Winfrey is talking ‘Everything About Menopause Stuff” in her October issue of ‘O.‘ This comes right on time because just recently a newbie to our beloved Club 50 asked the question.
“Do we talk about menopause on my blog?”
I couldn’t help but laugh. Not at her but the fact that is one of my hottest topics throughout the years since Club fifty started. Not that we don’t talk about other things, women want to know about this, so call liberating stage in our lives called menopause (hot flashes aside ladies). After-all my blog is called Club Fifty, and since the majority of us are living on the other side of fifty, or we are approaching it quickly we’re probably entering, residing within or exiting out of some major symptoms of menopause.
So to answer your question ‘Beautiful One,’ Yes, we talk about Menopause and much, much, more on this blog and Oprah is answering a lot of questions in her mag for us to help you live your best life. Let’s be honest Golden Divas every girl gets the period talk, but when it comes to navigating the menopause process women are left to their own devices of trying to figure out what is happening to their bodies.
It’s like the dreaded curse that every woman is a shame to talk about, or they just don’t 
have enough information to understand it since doctors hesitantly initiate the topic or maybe they don’t have enough medical training to do so. Whatever the reason this lack of conversation usually minimize our concerns about menopause, and it is summed up as it is a part of life.
We know it’s a part of life. However, it’s sucking the life right out of us with all of the symptoms we are going through, and the dreaded question now becomes …
“WILL IT EVER END?”
As I mentioned earlier, Oprah is talking about menopause…Yaas to the yaas, to the yasss. The other day I decided to pick up my Oprah magazine and read the break down on ‘The Agony And, Yes, Ecstasy of Menopause.’ This was such a great read with tons of information that I would like to share with you and it’s a different kind of coming-of-age story!
Golde Divas if you didn’t get a chance to read my previous post regarding the many changes our bodies will endure while we are going through menopause you can always check them out at the bottom of this page. However, October’s issue of ‘O’ is literally, the ULTIMATE GUIDE that can help ALL women who are going through perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause .
Again I say ‘THANK YOU LADY O!’
Okay, let’s go over a few things in this article. It’s worth repeating this over and over again, ladies. Just like Navia, who is 47 years old and who allowed me to use her name and her story for this post, is experiencing some changes in her body, while changing careers and battling diabetes. She deserves answers about the menopause talk.
Get Firm On The Terms
Perimenopause: This is the transitional phase, which typically begins in a woman’s 40s (but could start as early as the mid-30s), is the precursor to menopause. Ovarian function declines and levels of the sex hormones estrogen and progesterone rise and fall unevenly.
Menopause: Your ovaries are no longer producing estrogen progesterone. Because there’s no definitive way to pinpoint when they stopped menopause is define in hindsight, as 12 consecutive months without having a period. The average age of reaching Menopause in America is 51.
Postmenopause: While some people say they’re “in menopause” for the rest of their life, this term brooks no confusion: Your periods are gone and aren’t coming back.
Is This Normal? 
Probably Yes! However, with the hormonal changes that come with perimenopause, this can be a crazy wild ride of hormonal highs and lows.
Ladies if you get a chance check out this article because to left it tells you what’s going on and what to do when you are experiencing these symptoms below. This can be found on page 117.
Here are six some of the symptoms that you may be experiencing during menopause:
Personal Infernos: And clothes-drenching sweats. 
One minute you’re calm and cool; the next you feel like you’ve been zipped into a down parka and locked in a sauna.
Crime-Scene-Level Bleeding: There will be blood, so much blood. And clots like you’ve never seen.
Searingly painful, desert-dry sex: Bring on the women’s lubrication movement.
Fire-Starter Rage: Like you just want to burn it all down.
Intolerable Insomnia: You’re wondering if you’ll ever sleep again.
Memory Prob: Wait, what were we talking about?
What Happens When You Flash?
- Starting in perimenopause, your INTERNAL THERMOSTAT goes on the fritz. The part of your brain responsible for sensing and controlling body heat overreacts to even slight changes in core body temp. This is likely due in part to estrogen withdrawal, Thurston says, but could also be due to extreme estrogen fluctuations. (The neurotransmitters norepinephrine and serotonin play a role, as do special neurons in the hypothalamus—but more research is required to know exactly how they factor in.)
- Most women report noticing TRIGGERS that make them flash—for example, spicy food, stress, or red wine. However, Thurston and her team haven’t been able to manipulate these possible culprits to induce hot flashes in the lab. “We’ve tried to warm women up with special heating pads, stress them out by asking them to, say, perform difficult math tasks, but they’re just as likely to flash while sitting calmly.” (Thurston would know: She monitors participants’ brain, heart, and blood vessels so she can measure when they’re flashing even when they don’t realize they are.)
- Neurons in the brain are activated, and the hypothalamus sends out the signal that the body needs to cool down. In response, you experience VASODILATION (widening of your veins, arteries, and capillaries to increase blood flow and dissipate heat) as well as the cursed sweating. You may be oversensitive to drops in body temperature, too, which is why clamminess, shivering and chills often follow hot flashes.
- The hot flash can last from one to 15 minutes (usually closer to five) before
your BODY TEMPERATURE returns to the “comfortable” range. The process can continue for seven to nine years—that’s the mean duration, although a third of women flash for longer. It’s not uncommon to have hot flashes into your 70s or beyond. Scientists are working on finding a reliable predictor of when they will stop. - The problem with not fully understanding how and why flashes happen is that it limits the development of new treatments. HORMONE THERAPY can be very effective, but it’s not the best option for every woman, and other treatments come with side effects and caveats, too.
- But some explosive new findings could change everything: Thanks to Thurston and other scientists, it’s now believed that hot flashes may be associated with increased risk of CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE, the number one killer of women, says Stephanie Faubion of NAMS. Adds Thurston: “We’ve seen that women with more, and more frequent, hot flashes—upward of four in a day—often have signs of underlying vascular dysfunction that can put them at risk for future cardiovascular issues. We don’t think hot flashes cause the dysfunction—they just help identify women who have it.” Showing the connection isn’t meant to scare women, says Faubion. On the contrary, it could be the thing that saves them, by directing public interest—and all-important research dollars—into this hot-button menopausal symptom.
Do This In Your 40s, Thank Yourself In Your 60s
Practice Good Sleep Hygiene: It seems like a cruel joke to suggest that women plagued by night sweats and insomnia need to sleep better, but doing so is vital to your well-being, now and forever. When you’re rested, you’re more likely to make healthier food choices and to exercise, be in a better mood, and have sharper cognition. So make sleep hygiene your religion (thou shalt not drink alcohol after dinner or binge on Netflix until 1 a.m.). And if the Goddess of Zzz’s still forsakes you, speak to a psychologist about insomnia or a sleep specialist about apnea.
Lower your stress. It can take a serious toll on your physical and mental health. Research shows benefits from regular exercise and meditation, but also consider talking to a therapist—especially if you’re prone to depression (which can put you at greater risk of having a depressive episode in perimenopause). And don’t forget your friends: Social interaction is a known mood booster.
Get Heart Smart: Talk to your doc about cardiovascular risk factors like high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, and diabetes. Eat healthy (more plants, whole grains, poultry, and fish; less saturated fat, sodium, red meat, and processed foods) and commit to aerobic workouts (at least 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity activity). If you’ve been prescribed heart meds, take them. And note that as frequent hot flashes during perimenopause may be associated with increased cardiovascular disease risk, all of this advice is crucial for flashers.
(Re)Build Strong Bones: A decrease in estrogen can accelerate the natural loss of bone. Make sure you’re getting enough vitamin D, doing weight-bearing exercises like running, jumping rope, and squat-jumps (they help build bone in addition to growing muscle) and practicing yoga, which can help reinforce bones while improving balance.
Maintain A Healthy Weight: With age, we lose muscle mass and our metabolism slows, both of which can lead to weight gain. On average, midlife women gain one and a half pounds per year, which often shows up in the midsection as a result of decreasing estrogen levels. Fat in the abdominal area can increase the risk of serious conditions including diabetes, breast cancer, and cardiovascular disease. Following all the above advice will help ward off weight gain—as will lifting weights to build calorie-burning muscle.
Quit Smoking: It makes every other health issue worse.
HERE ARE SIX BAG OF TRICKS TO HELP EASE YOU INTO MENOPAUSE.
IT’S INEVITABLE YOU KNOW THE CHANGE IS GONNA COME.
WITH THESE SUPPLIES, YOU’LL BE READY.
Leak-Proof Underwear: In bikini and French cuts, and fetching rose and periwinkle shades, Speax by Thinx undies may not look like they can hold up to eight teaspoons of urine. But they can—and they eliminate odor, too. (From $28 per pair; shethinx.com)
Portable Fan: Behold one of civilization’s great achievements: the rechargeable W Fan. You wear it around your neck, position the two fan heads to your liking, and blast away hot flashes with cool, cool air. At the highest of the three speeds, you can almost achieve lift-off. ($37; wfanusa.com)
Sleep Supplements: Hope for the middle-aged and the 
restless: Preliminary research suggests that CBD may help with sleep. Try Plant People’s Drops+ Sleep (from $79; plant people.co)—but check with your doctor first, as CBD can affect certain meds.
The Maximum Maxi: You never know when the prodigal period will make a sudden—and dramatic—reappearance. Keep at least one heavy-flow pad (with wings; you’ll thank us) and an ultra-absorbent tampon in your bag at all times.
Better Bedding: The next best thing to snoozing on ice, Sheex Performance sheets are made of a moisture-wicking polyester-spandex fabric (from $179; sheex.com). You may sweat, but you won’t stay wet.
Vajayjay moisturizer and lube: Keep hydrated down there, by applying a moisturizing lotion every few days—like the gyno- recommended Replens Long-Lasting Vaginal Moisturizer ($16; replens.com for stores). And using lube before sex— 
like Pink Silicone ($23; pinksensuals.com) or Good Clean Love’s water-based Almost Naked Organic Personal Lubricant ($12; goodcleanlove.com)—can help you stay in the erogenous zone.
ALERT!! ALERT!!! PROCEED WITH CAUTION!!!
Some women with distressing menopause symptoms are willing to try almost anything to relieve them. Think twice about these common treatments!
CUSTOM-COMPOUNDED “BIOIDENTICAL” HORMONES:
These pills, creams, gels, shots, and implanted pellets are made at compounding pharmacies based on individual patients’ needs. While they aren’t necessarily bad, they aren’t always what they seem. None of them are FDA-approved, which means they aren’t required to meet the government’s labeling, safety, and quality control standards. As a result, customized compounded hormones can vary in their purity and potency; this is why such products are frowned upon by not only the FDA but also the North American Menopause Society and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
“VAGINAL REJUVENATION”
You may have heard some buzz about lasers or radio-frequency devices that can solve all your vaginal woes. But the procedures are expensive, their results are only temporary, and none are FDA-approved or cleared for the treatment of menopause-related symptoms. In fact, last year the FDA explicitly warned that their effectiveness and safety in treating such symptoms has not been established. -C.P.
Golden Divas this is a great article to read regarding menopause and the symptoms, check it out in ‘O’ The Oprah Magazine October issue.
Here are some more great posts you should read regarding menopause.
You’re Not Going Crazy….It’s Menopause!
http://5 Questions with Dr. Hines-Mays
Top 7 Menopause Weight Loss Foods
Hair Today Gone Tomorrow: Menopause & Hair Loss