Menopause awareness month
October is Menopause awareness month, and although some progress is being made in terms of talking more openly about Menopause and good quality information being made more accessible, it is still a natural phase of life that will affect over half of us that can be shrouded in mystery and misunderstanding.
Access to HRT and robust support is unfortunately not uniformly available to all that need it. Only yesterday a cross party group of MP’s in the UK published a report criticising the current support as ‘completely inadequate’ and has called for all women over 45 to get a free Menopause check up on the NHS.
If you feel you are currently experiencing peri menopausal or menopausal symptoms and need support it is still a good idea to start with your GP. However, if you find your GP is not particularly supportive or helpful you can often request to be referred to a specialist; the below NICE guide may be useful.
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng23
NICE guideline - Menopause diagnosis & Management
You could also search for a specialist who is local to you on the British Menopause Society website:
https://thebms.org.uk/find-a-menopause-specialist/
In terms of supporting yourself there are lots of ways you can start to make small changes that can have a big impact, whether HRT is something you would consider or not.
I trained in Reflexology for Menopause support with Sally Earlham who teaches us to consider the 5 pillars of a healthy menopause when treating clients, and to try to reframe this stage as a natural part of life that, with the right support could be a catalyst for positive change.
One of the most impactful things we can do for ourselves is to try and build in a small window of relaxation every day.
This can feel daunting at first, but if we choose something we enjoy and build up slowly it can be a very effective way of lowering stress levels (affected by the hormone cortisol), which in turn can have a big impact on how we experience Menopausal symptoms.
“Chronically elevated cortisol significantly increases the likelihood of severe menopausal symptoms”
Cagnacci et al, 2011. Menopause, 18, 3, (273-8)
Reflexology for Menopause can offer support, relaxation and aims to ease symptoms, as well as providing personalised holistic lifestyle advice based on the 5 pillars approach, whether you take HRT or not.
If you live locally to me, please do get in touch if you are interested in seeing how Reflexology could support you. Alternatively, you can search the AOR website (https://www.aor.org.uk/custom/far-search/) for a specialist near you.
Take care,
Kath