One of my favorite true crime podcasters recently met Judy Blume, and she shared a photo with the author in the Facebook group. Ok, not really true crime related unless you were like me and navigated puberty with only this resource. Truly a horrific experience as a child of the 80s. I came home from school one day to find Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret placed neatly at the edge of my bed with a stickie note that read “let me know if you have any questions” which translated into “whatever you do, just read the book and don’t ask ANY follow up questions.”
In response to the meeting Judy Blume post, someone wrote these freakishly wise words.
Are you there God, why am I always sweating / tired/ irritable / back side disappearing / hair falling out… I could keep going. No one talks about the impact of menopause on women. In fact, without my first post about it, I probably would still be suffering. My primary care doctor, like a lot of medical professionals, still use blood work and that magical 12 month time frame without a menstrual cycle to confirm menopause. I had so many people reach out to say nope, nada, do not have to use that archaic method of diagnosis and that I needed to find a menopause specialist. And that is what I did.
Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) was a total game changer for me. I use an estrogen patch and low dose progesterone. Almost immediately my sleep improved dramatically and I was much less sweaty (my two biggest complaints).
But HRT is not magic, and not everyone can take these meds, and as I am sure Judy Blume would write in her follow up book about Margaret, you have to do ALL the things. So I am going to share some of the things I have done to help minimize the effects of menopause. I am definitely not a medical doctor, only a doctor of philosophy (which feels like is a line from an Indigo Girls song from the 80s, but I also have brain fog, so who knows). I am also not being paid by any of the companies that make the products listed. They just work for me, so paying it forward to my fellow cohort of Margarets now in some phase of menopause.
Hair supplements – the good kind. I saw an ad for the Nutrafol Menopause Bundle while watching one of the Murdaugh Murder documentaries. A friend laughed that I fell for the ad, but it was super convincing. Nutrafol made my hair thicker and actually start growing again. After taking it for about 3 months, even my hair stylist noticed a difference. I started with the Bundle which had shampoo, conditioner, hair serum and supplements but only continued with the supplements.
Probiotics – I take Provitalize and it is marketed to prevent menopause belly. I have no idea if it actually does that or not, but I do not have a belly, so I am sticking with the motto “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
More protein – helps maintain weight, prevents muscle loss and stabilizes blood sugar.
More napping – Now that my sleep is better, I do have more energy, but I also try not to be too hard on myself if I need to take a break and rest my eyes for 30 minutes.
Squats and lunges – and lots of them. I noticed about a year ago that my butt was literally disappearing right in front of my eyes. A Google search revealed Dead Butt Syndrome. I have been on a squats and lunges training plan for almost 6 months and I can see a difference.
So there you have it. A Margaret follow up, of sorts. I am sure Judy Blume experienced menopause, and I along with hundreds of thousands of women would love a follow up of how Margaret is navigating the big M.