GP talks about the impact of the menopause on weight gain
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Keyes suffered a major depressive episode from the age of 45 and had to stop all her work. Years later, speaking with the Daily Mail, she linked her struggle with mental health to the onset of her menopause. She said: “It was never confirmed that the terrible depression I suffered for four years from the age of 45 was linked to menopause, but in retrospect it makes sense. At the time no one suggested my problems could be hormonal.”
Menopause is the natural change in the body’s sex hormones that occurs as you get older–normally between the ages of 45-55.
The female ovaries no longer produce oestrogen and as a result eggs are not released every month.
The changes in hormones can result in disrupted sleep, lower your energy and affect your emotional health, according to Mayo Clinic.
Recent studies, have shown that menopausal transition, particularly perimenopause and the start of post-menopause, is linked with a higher risk of becoming depressed due to these hormonal changes.
A 2020 study in the medical journal Menopause found that 41 percent of 481 post-menopausal participants in their study had experienced some form of depression.
Keyes suggested that not enough is being done to come up with sufficient treatments for severe symptoms.
She said: “If menopause happened for men they would be given ten years of work between 45 and 55 and they would be treated with compassion, gentleness and understanding.”
“The medicine they wanted would be made available. The therapy they needed – their lives would be made easier,” Keyes added.
Despite the difficulty Keyes had with her own menopause, she is keen to empower post-menopausal women through her writing.
Talking to The Guardian about her romance novel, Again, Rachel, which is about a middle-aged woman who is a recovering addict but finds love, Keyes said: “As a menopausal woman, I like banging the drum for the idea that we don’t all wither when we are 37.
“I write about women being sexual past the watershed of 40 when we are supposed to shut up shop.”
According to the NHS, there are many symptoms other than emotional changes, these include:
- Irregular periods
- Vaginal dryness
- Hot flushes
- Chills
- Night sweats
- Alternating mood
- Weight gain and slowed metabolism
- Thinning hair and dry skin
- Loss of breast fullness.
According to Nuffield Health, over two thirds of women in the UK say there is a general lack of support and advice for women going through the menopausal process.
In terms of support available, the NHS currently offers a variety of treatment for symptoms of menopause.
These include cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), talking therapy which can help to regulate negative emotions.
Other than CBT, they can provide hormone replacement therapy, including tablets, skin patches, gels and implants that help to reduce menopausal symptoms by replacing oestrogen.
They also suggest eating a healthy, balanced diet as well as exercise on a regular basis.
Other than the natural decline of the reproductive hormones, the menopause can be caused by chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
According to the Mayo Clinic: “Radiation therapy only affects ovarian function if radiation is directed at the ovaries.
“Radiation therapy to other parts of the body, such as breast tissue or the head and neck, won’t affect menopause.”
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