Read the full video transcript below
Today's topic
Hello, and welcome to my weekly video blog. And today on A.Vogel Talks Menopause, I'm going to be discussing a question that I get asked on a regular basis and that is, "Will I ever feel normal again?"
The answer is, for the majority of women, "Yes, you will." The problem is when you're just starting out on this bewildering journey of the menopause or you're right in the middle of it, if you're feeling really tired, and fatigued, and miserable, and achy, and just wondering what on earth is going to strike next, it can be very difficult to realise that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Problem with the menopause is though that it can be anything up to five or six years for the majority of women, and looking that far ahead to feeling better again is very, very daunting and sometimes just seems so far out of reach, but it is there.
And the wonderful thing is that you can feel better than you did before the menopause if you really look after yourself well.
The joys of post menopause in the news
Interestingly enough, just not long ago in one of the UK papers, there was an article looking at post-menopausal women and how their lives are in this day and age. And the consensus was that the majority of women feel better once they're through the menopause.
They have a much better life and lots of other aspects tend to be more positive as well. So really, really take that on board when you're feeling miserable and that it's never ending, there is an end to it at some point.
How do you feel after menopause?
Are you going to feel different? Yes, you are. You can't be the same as you were before the menopause because your hormonal balance is completely different, but you can feel that much better.
You don't have all the monthly energy dips and spikes, you don't have all the hormonal angst, you don't have the physical drain. If you think that every month you have a period that can take quite a lot of physical energy out of you.
And a lot of post-menopausal women find that life is much more balanced, life is much more even, and because they don't have these other physical aspects going on a regular basis, they can actually focus their energy a lot better.
So there's a great deal of positivity within the article, and I was just so glad to read it because it almost confirms what I know myself and what a lot of other post-menopausal women are saying to me as well.
Now, the problem is that it can be difficult getting there and part of our plan, if you like, for all these weekly videos is to give you the tools, to give you the information to help you through the menopause so that you can reach this final goal, if you like.
When am I considered post menopause?
Now, when are you considered post-menopausal? And this is another part to the question, if you like. Physically, if you're under 50, you're considered post-menopausal if you haven't had any periods for 2 years. If you are over 50, you are considered post-menopausal if you haven't had periods for a year.
The problem for a lot of women is that their symptoms can go on longer than that particular time scale, and this is where it can get really confusing.
Menopause symptoms after menopause
What I would sort of like to give you as far as information goes is that if your symptoms continue after the two-year mark all told, if your symptoms start to get worse, if you start to get new symptoms, if you feel that there isn't an end to all the symptoms that you're experiencing, very often, other health issues creep in.
The menopause takes a great deal out of you, as I've said before, and sometimes, our bodies just don't bounce back quick enough once all the hormonal turmoil is over. And what happens then is we get things like adrenal stress, we get the constant fatigue, our joints don't recover, our muscles don't recover, our skin doesn't recover, our hair doesn't recover, and that can then just basically end up on a slightly downward slope as far as our health is concerned.
So it is really important if things are going on too long for you, please go back to your doctor, ask for a general health check. Very often, and you know I talk about this on a regular basis, it can be things like low iron, poor thyroid function, low vitamin D and even possibly low vitamin B12 as well.
And sometimes, if it is any of these particular issues, you will start to feel better quite quickly once you get the treatment. But the secret here is just please look after yourself well, treat yourself well. You know, it's really important that we look after ourselves and that we help ourselves through this particular tough time in our lives, just so that we can get out the other end and we can have that really good life afterwards.
Now, please let me know if you are through the menopause, if you feel better. What great things have you done? And it's, I find it absolutely heartening that so many women post-menopausal are telling me of all the things that they've done that they've never done before, that they wouldn't have dreamt of doing before they got through the menopause.
So if you have any really super stories, if you have encouragement for all of the other women who are going through the menopause and are finding it that little bit difficult, we would love to hear from you. And I will see you next week on another edition of A Vogel Talks Menopause.
