Janice Turner on the Menopause Industry

[Hagiography]

A thoughtful and timely article.

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/menopause-industry-is-misleading-women-mpmh29p08

Courtesy of my own stupidity in thinking that I can type a post directly into MN, I've just lost a post on axial weight distribution (eg, ankle weights), degrees of hypermobility, and weighted vest design and the female form plus the general lack of knowledge about whether people have compression fractures that would contraindicate some weight jackets etc.

I'll see if I can reconstruct it later.

Oh no should I ditch my ankle weights?! Not used much. Technically wrist ones!

If they work for you, that's fine.

There are some hypermobile people who use them and they're difficult at the end of a joint and can further extend people's hypermobility and ligaments without conferring a degree of control (which is what some hypermobile people need, depending upon their categorisation and where they're hypermobile).

Sometimes, people need an individualised assessment and they're very difficult to obtain from a knowledgeable source.

I do find it interesting to have another perspective as HRT is being seen as the be all and end all - it doesn't suit everyone, and not everyone can take it. However my doctor has just written me off - no mention of nutrition or other therapies that might help. I feel very abandoned, and even private menopause clinics put so much emphasis on HRT. It's not a miracle.

OT. The weight vests that are more flexibly designed than the overhead ones (IYSWIM) and are supposed to be discreet enough to wear for most of the day and underneath your other clothing.

www.hyperwear.com/product/hyper-pro-weight-vest/

www.hyperwear.com/blog/weight-vest-for-osteoporosis/

You will see that that style of weight vest/jacket is very different to the ones for workout sessions that tend to be quite high and short and not suited to a woman's usual centre of gravity.

Making me think I should strap my 4 yr old back on in the sling....!

That's rotten, lurchermummy.

I read a book on nutrition for menopause ('happy menopause' iirc) ; here is the distilled essence:

1. drink water lots
2. eat protein lots (this helps with adrenal stuff that is affected by meno)
3. eat veg/fruit lots
4. less sugar
5. less refined carbs and carbs

More here: www.nutrition.org.uk/life-stages/women/menopause/healthy-eating-and-the-menopause/

Otherwise, get daylight on your skin within 2 hours of waking, exercise, meditate. Cut out booze, cut down on caffeine. The usual advice, but it does all make a difference.

I've found menopause support pills by Alfred Vogel have really helped me feel settled and calm again, but obviously that's just personal anecdote!

I also found this website seemed pretty sensible source of advice and info, and has a 'decision tree' for consideration of whether HRT is useful for individuals:

www.menopausematters.co.uk/tree.php

@Hagiography that is such a useful post - thank you

you're very welcome!

@Hagiography Do you not see the Vogel pills as a type of intervention? And part of a marketing strategy?

I honestly could not hold down my job without HRT. the combo of brain-fog, insomnia, migraines, vertigo, worsening allergies and IBS type symptoms I suffered with would make it impossible to attend every day. I was a shell of my former self...

Well, yes, of course they're an intervention. Everything we do - or don't do - with the aim of making a change is an intervention!

And yes I'm sure they have a marketing strategy, although I asked a friend for thoughts and was recommended these, which doesn't really feel like 'marketing' to me, although one could argue the point I suppose.

Meanwhile, they're cheap, seem to help, and have no side effects at all that I am aware of.

Not sure about the first ingredient, but one of the main ingredients is soy bean extract, which contains 40% isoflavones.OP, are you aware that all these tablets might be doing is increasing your estrogen...... like low dose HRT would do, just in a different way. Except, HRT would probably be far more effective and cheaper for you if you stretched out those doses. In some cases soy might lower a women's estrogen.

*I read a book on nutrition for menopause ('happy menopause' iirc) ; here is the distilled essence:

drink water lots

eat protein lots (this helps with adrenal stuff that is affected by meno)

eat veg/fruit lots

less sugar

less refined carbs and carbs*

So....basically try to eat healthily? I'm sure if someone's obese or is just eating far too much sugar and tran fats, this advice would be beneficial anyway.....but I'm doubitng if this would cut the severe symptoms that many averagely healthy women report.

Well I did start to ge some disturbed sleep
That stopped when I cut the sugar

That was the end of any symptoms for me

OP, are you aware that all these tablets might be doing is increasing your estrogen...... '

Indeed. That is why I take them.

HRT would probably be far more effective and cheaper for you if you stretched out those doses

'more effective' - these fix the mild symptoms that I had. How can something be 'more effective' than fixing symptoms?

It's this type of approach that I find odd, tbh.

I'm quite fine and happy. No major symptoms. No family history of any of the relevant risk factors. These soy pills and a few lifestyle tweaks seem to work for me.

So why would anyone try to convince me I'd be better off on HRT?

@Hagiography You don't seem to be calling for the same scrutiny of isoflavones (risks and benefits) as you are for HRT..Why is that? You are doing exactly what people on HRT are doing - managing symptoms. I don't think you should use HRT as you are managing your symptoms so it makes no sense for you. One could argue that you are also medicalising the menopause using isoflavones which convert to Phytoestrogen in the body.

For the same reason I eat tofu but don't require studies to ascertain it's safe?

Isoflavones are a food supplement, not a medication.

There have been scientific studies on isoflavones. Pros and cons. I used to take it before HRT and I think it's good.

This is a really interesting discussion, thank you. I am currently debating with myself whether to go ahead with HT - progesterone and oestrogen patches, or mirena coil plus oestrogen patches. Have had horrible peri symptoms - the cognitive symptoms are the worst. But in my youth, I hated oral contraception and I'm quite concerned that taking HT is going to be like that. Also concerned about the various risks involved. I don't know really what to do.

Yes, it's hard to work out what is solid evidence, beastly.

Women's fears and worries are exploited, emotional reasoning comes into play, misinformation and contradictions create confusion.

As I've said before, I usually refer to the NHS guidance, which is fairly clear, I think. However some claim the NHS data is behind/flawed. I am not sure who to believe, frankly.

Of course, multinational corporations have profits to make.

Medicine is like this a lot. It's very much focused on interventions like pills and surgery.

That being said, when doctors give me advice about things like food, 99% of the time they are giving an opinion about something to try, not really medical knowledge as such. In some ways I prefer if they keep their opinions seperate, I've had too many doctors confuse their opinions with authoritative medical advice.

I think the trouble is partly that medecine - mostly for good reasons - focusses strongly on symptoms. To widen the remit to lifestyle and preventative advice changes things somewhat.

Agree about opinions, although it is tricky - probably all advice from a doc is filtered through opinion! I've just had one criticise the doc I saw last week for prescribing something he said he wouldn't have .. it's always partial.

We do have some broad preventative measures that lower risk - eg folic acid for all pregnant women

vitamin D was free for all babies last time I had dc

cancer checks eg cervical

checks up with healthy eating advice, exercise and lower alcohol - not that everyone follows it

if we can do something now to lower costs later they do happen sometimes. I do wonder where HRT sits in all this. It is a big market with good fees atm for people tapping onto it.

I should add some of my questioning comes from the market being built - previously untapped demand has increased a lot

There’s an organisation called the Menopause Charity which was founded by Newson who has clinics, seemingly impartial but definitely helping build customers

Yes.

www.balance-menopause.com/our-mission/

'Dr Newson campaigns to raise the profile of the menopause within the health profession and society, reframing menopause as a long-term hormone deficiency. She works to dispel myths around hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and educate women and health professionals on how the benefits of HRT far outweigh any risks for the vast majority of women.'

'Women, and trans and non-binary people, have been suffering with the menopause hormone deficiency for decades and it’s time to put this right. You do not need to put up with debilitating symptoms that affect your daily life, work, relationships and your future health. There is safe, low-cost, effective treatment available, and everybody should know about this and have access to it, should they wish.

I am passionate about providing evidenced-based and unbiased information to those experiencing the perimenopause and menopause'

Doesn't look all that unbiased to me, in terms of the way she's framing it. But there we go.