Moment 160: Menopause Expert: They're Not Telling You The Full Truth! "No Ones Talking About This": Mary Claire Haver

May 3, 2024 12m 54s 8 insights
This episode explores the widespread impact of perimenopause, menopause, and post-menopause on women, affecting a third of the global female population. It details the extensive range of symptoms beyond typical hot flashes, impacting multiple organ systems, mental health, and cognition. The discussion criticizes the medical system's historical failure to adequately address these issues and highlights the safety and effectiveness of hormone replacement therapy for many.
Actionable Insights

1. Evaluate Hormone Replacement Therapy

Understand that Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) is now known to be safe and effective for the vast majority of women, contrary to past misinformation, and can significantly improve quality of life.

2. Understand Widespread Menopause Symptoms

Be aware that menopause symptoms extend far beyond hot flashes and night sweats, affecting mental health, cognition, skin, bones, kidneys, and causing issues like vertigo, tinnitus, and frozen shoulder due to declining estrogen.

3. Validate Your Menopause Experience

Do not dismiss your symptoms as ‘all in your head’ or trivial, as many women are suffering in silence from a wide range of validated perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms that have been historically overlooked.

4. Anticipate Perimenopause Fluctuations

Understand that perimenopause is a ‘zone of chaos’ where estrogen levels surge and decline unpredictably, leading to symptoms that can appear, disappear for months, and then return.

5. Recognize Early Perimenopause

Be aware that perimenopause symptoms can reasonably begin as early as age 35, seven to ten years before the average age of menopause, so do not dismiss symptoms based on age alone.

6. Find Informed Menopause Providers

Seek out medical professionals who are well-versed in current menopause care and willing to look beyond traditional, often outdated, training, as many physicians lack adequate education on the topic.

7. Use Blood Work for Diagnosis

If menstrual periods are not a reliable indicator of menopausal stage (e.g., due to hysterectomy or IUD), discuss blood work with your doctor to assess where you are in your menopause journey.

8. Address Post-Menopause Long-Term

Recognize that while some acute symptoms like hot flashes may subside post-menopause, other issues will continue to progress linearly without estrogen replacement, impacting long-term health.