More women are sharing their stories about menopause. Mood swings, depression, lethargy, raging hot flushes and night sweats amongst the horrors. A catalogue of inevitable disasters? Read more about it in my latest post Menopause Doesn’t Need to be a Horror Story.

Will Your Menopause be a Horror Story?

Menopause Horror Stories Here, There & Everywhere!

Don’t misunderstand me – I am delighted that menopause is in the media. That more women are talking about it. But if you dropped in from Mars and tuned in, you would be forgiven for thinking every woman’s menopause was going to be a horror story. Because these are the stories that seem to be getting most of the coverage.

After all, you are a woman, and your system is therefore fundamentally flawed. Massive hormonal imbalance is inevitable. Wild and unmanageable symptoms are unavoidable, and there is nothing you can do about it. Except to take HRT of course. That is your only option to avoid this current or awaiting hell, or so the story goes.

Selling Newspapers!

Good news does not sell newspapers. Coverage is generally going to be lopsided. But, I am reminded of Woman’s Hour Jenni Murray’s comment when writing about having taken HRT and her breast cancer.

“If I had known then what I know now, would I have taken it? The answer is no. I now know that the menopause is a pain, but it doesn’t last forever. Breast cancer, on the other hand, even if you survive it and I’m now in my tenth year, never leaves you.” [1]

She was a strong and public advocate of HRT and speaks now with the benefit of hindsight. The gift that time and bitter experience conferred. And yet, the next round of media personalities and the women they will influence seem to be following the same path.

All the evidence is there and has been for decades. HRT carries a significant risk of serious side effects [2]. Neither you or your doctor know if you will be one of the women who wind up with cancer, cardio-vascular or other serious side effects as a result of taking it. But the media machine seems determined to keep replaying the same loop.

Selling Drugs!

If I was selling HRT I could not orchestrate this better myself. Celebrity line up with good media access, having a genuinely difficult time at menopause. Perfect! Then present a one sided view of menopause as a deficiency disease. Paint women into the corner of believing that they cannot help themselves in any way other than to resort to a powerful steroid medication – standard or Bioidentical HRT.

So HRT is the only way to avoid a menopause horror story! Or is it?

Better by Design

You are designed to live through and beyond menopause. And, if you are having awful symptoms at the moment, you may well feel your menopause is a horror story. You may not believe me when I say you are actually a masterpiece of design.

Menopause is a natural life stage and your body can often rebalance given the right support and using natural remedies for menopause. Your internal systems all talk to each other and adjust. Sometimes modern life can make it hard for our system to find its equilibrium. But it is possible!

Hold the front page: “Sussex Woman has an OK Menopause!”

I know, not really news is it! Well it might be if you are a woman, and would like that to be your experience. I have been offering women information and support at menopause for over 17 years. It is wonderful to be able to share knowledge and explore alternatives to HRT that help them to restore balance. To move through menopause more comfortably. Addressing their immediate and longer term health and happiness along the way.

Even if you are having a tough time now, I believe there are many things you can do that could help your system get back into balance. I don’t think that taking our chances with a drug like HRT with its associated risks is necessary for most women.

For me the menopause horror story is HRT. I have always been amazed HRT was licensed, and then prescribed as widely as it has been. I don’t believe it can ever be considered safe because of the chemistry of what it is.

We have a choice about whether we play Roulette with our health – maybe that is what the “R” is for in HRT? In the vast majority of instances, the menopause doesn’t need to be a horror story. It can even offer some positives. And the good news is that there are so many options when it comes to safer alternatives. Well that won’t sell any papers!

I hope you have found this to be a helpful read. If you would like information and support at menopause I see patients at both clinics, work via Skype and run menopause workshops. You can book an initial free 15 minute mini-consultation to see if my approach might suit you, please do contact me.

[1] The Daily Telegraph: Jenni Murray: ‘If I knew what I know now about HRT I would never have taken it’

[2] What Doctors Don’t Tell You: What every woman should know about HRT