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Hello ladies, I’m sorry I haven’t been active

Hello ladies, I’m sorry I haven’t been active here over the last week! But I’m back.

I always do love hearing all your experiences & views, so it's time for another #MenopauseThoughts.

What do you wish you knew about menopause before your body started undergoing this huge change?

I’ll first get this started:
• It’s not just hot flushes (I think we can all agree on this one) 🔥
• I’m not too “young” to be perimenopausal / menopausal
• There are more than 34 symptoms you can experience, both physical and psychological 3️⃣4️⃣
• There are different stages to menopause. During perimenopause you can begin to experience symptoms years before you're officially “menopausal”
• Any health issues (mental health included) neglected at a younger age can come creeping back. It’s important to take care of your body right from a young age 👱🏽‍♀️
• The important role hormones play to our body and mind 🧠
• You'll finish your period, and that’s it! Voila!

Lichen sclerosus (LS) is a skin condition that cau

Lichen sclerosus (LS) is a skin condition that causes itchy white patches on the vulva and skin around the anus or other parts of the body.

It tends to affect women over the age of 50, however I was diagnosed when I was 37/38 years old. Even prior to this, I went through years of irritation, itching, burning and skin tears in my vulva. This was misdiagnosed as thrush on countless occasions in multiple GP appointments.

I was finally diagnosed with LS. The symptoms can take a huge toll on your life- especially as it affects such a “private” part of the body. This means it’s common for women to self-diagnose or ignore any symptoms than to go to their doctors, as they feel embarrassed.

Please don’t do this, if you notice any of the symptoms above, please note down your symptoms and take the first step by booking an appointment with your GP ✨

I hope you can take away at least three things from this post:
• Thrush is not the only source of irritation or itchiness you can experience down below
• There is nothing embarrassing about your vaginal health
• You know your own body, always seek a second opinion if something doesn't feel right

Have you been diagnosed with LS? Comment below your stories!

On a day like today I thought it would be good to

On a day like today I thought it would be good to post about self-love!💌

When our body is undergoing such a huge transition, self-care & self-love during your (peri)menopause journey is so important, yet how comes it gets so neglected? Is it because as women we are historically used to putting the needs of others before us?

During menopause, our bodies are changing, and it’s so important that we shift a lot of that focus back to ourselves.

Self-care is really personal, for some it might be 10 minutes of meditation and for another it might be a nice bath and for another an intense exercise workout!

So today I want you to reflect on what self care means to YOU?

Below is a list of ideas:
•Speaking up for yourself and needs unapologetically
•Saying no to demands which create added stress
•Eating healthy
•Exercising
•Spending time with your friends via zoom or facetime
•Meditating in your own way
•Listening to podcasts
•Taking the time to learn what’s happening to your body
•Moisturising your body and face daily
•Having a full skincare routine
•Having a lie down during the day after a poor night's sleep
•Sitting down to read a book
•Making correct choices to help yourself (This could be taking HRT, seeing a counsellor, going to your GP, tracking your symptoms)
•Consciously re-framing your negative thoughts (EG. “I’m rubbish at this” → “I’m going to start working on this”)

So this is a reminder to YOU, to stop neglecting your own needs and help your mind and body through your menopause journey.

Comment below something you have done in the last week to look after yourself 💕

So I think it’s fair to say that stress and hot

So I think it’s fair to say that stress and hot flushes go hand in hand…

During a stress response your adrenal glands are stimulated and release adrenaline into the bloodstream. This surge in adrenaline causes your heart beat faster and your blood flow to rise, leading to increase in temperature. A hot flush is your body's response to that increase in temperature, and is (surprisingly) its attempt to cool down🥶

Sometimes even the thought of a specific situation or scenario can lead me to have a hot flush😳

What “stressful” situations have triggered your hot flashes? 🥵

Here are some I can think off of the top of my head:
•Tripping over
•Driving and trying to change lanes
•Driving and trying to pull out of a busy roundabout
•Loud, unexpected sounds

Or Buzzing🐝. Whooshing🌊. Humming🦅. Throbb

Or Buzzing🐝. Whooshing🌊. Humming🦅. Throbbing🔨. Hissing🐍. Singing🎶.

I have seen many women complain about hearing one of the above in their ear constantly. This is called tinnitus.

Tinnitus is the sensation of hearing a sound which is not caused by external sounds🦻🏽. They can come and go for some people, or remain constant for others.

It can be extremely distressing so below are some ways to help cope with tinnitus:

•Try to identify and avoid triggers which can make your tinnitus worse (specific sounds, loud sounds, specific sounds, caffeine etc.) 📈

•Listen to soft music or sounds to distract yourself from the tinnitus, particularly when you are going to sleep. (This can be as simple as running a fan) 📻

•Sleep with your head slightly raised on a couple of pillows, this reduces blood flow to the inner ear reducing noise 🛏

•Stress and tinnitus are part of a vicious cycle- finding ways to manage stress is key (EG. Deep breathing techniques, yoga & meditation) 🧘🏽‍♀️

•It’s important to safeguard your ears against further damage. So, avoid very loud environments, and wear protective earplugs if needed 🎧

•Cognitive Behavioural Therapy can help to reduce distress and resistance to your tinnitus. Tinnitus can be extremely distressing and take over many people’s lives. CBT can help to reframe your negative thoughts, regain control of your attention and soften your perceptions of tinnitus. 👩🏽‍⚕️

Do you have tinnitus? Did it onset during you (peri)menopause?

Please do comment below your experiences with the hashtag #thisismysilence ✨💭

Well, let's just say I'm not as calm and composed

Well, let's just say I'm not as calm and composed as Scooby here when trying to run for a wee in time😳

Being out shopping with the family and having to run what felt like a marathon to find a toilet in Westfields to only be met with a HUGE queue feels like a distant memory now! 👀

Do you do any exercises to strengthen your pelvic floor? Have you made any lifestyle choices to aid with incontinence? Have you noticed a difference? ✨

As a South Asian woman, menopause certainly wasn’t spoken about growing up. However, I have realised that this subject is not only hidden away in my community but also many others.

I never heard my mam once speak about menopause. In fact, I never spoke to her about women's health or even mental health at all. I wonder if she ever even knew about menopause herself? Perhaps she had an easy transition, or the complete opposite and suffered in silence, confused by what was happening to her body and mind. Unfortunately I’m unable to ask her as she passed away in 2004. Looking back, I am able to notice some signs of other close women in my life going through the menopause, but again it was never addressed.

Why is this the case? Are we women just used to “carrying on”? Did significant females in your life ever talk to you about menopause when you were growing up? 💭

Why track your menopause symptoms? 🤔 1. Helps

Why track your menopause symptoms? 🤔

1. Helps you to identify patterns 🔎
Being able to identify patterns in your symptoms and their intensity can help you to “expect the unexpected” and identify symptom triggers and act accordingly.

2. Helps you to identify new symptoms😮
Many women develop new menopausal symptoms over the course of their (peri)menopausal journey. By physically monitoring your symptoms it can help you to make the appropriate lifestyle changes to accommodate for these new symptoms accordingly. Additionally, it may help to identify any other potential health concerns which need to be addressed.

3. It can improve your symptoms 📉
Tracking your menopausal symptoms can help you avoid symptom triggers,be consistent with medication use, and help you determine any other adjustments which need to be made to help manage symptoms. For example, if you notice a link between coffee and hot flashes, you may become more mindful of your coffee intake. Without tracking, you may have not been able to identify this link as quickly or clearly!

5. It helps to inform what is the best treatment for your specific symptoms🧑🏿‍⚕️.
Tracking your symptoms can help your GP better understand your specific menopausal journey and help formulate an appropriate treatment plan best suited for you.

6. It helps to determine if a treatment is actually effective✅
By comparing your symptoms before and after treatment this will help to determine if it is actually making a difference. Of course, this isn’t the case of seeing changes right away, but perhaps a gradual improvement or reduction of certain symptoms over a certain period of time.

Overall, by tracking your menopause symptoms you are gaining CONTROL over your menopause🎮🕹💪🏽

Do you track your menopause symptoms? #checkinwithyourbody

Although, ultimately menopause symptoms are caused

Although, ultimately menopause symptoms are caused by the drop in hormone levels📉, many symptoms are actually interrelated and can lead to a whole “vicious circle”♻️ for many women. For example, in this instance we go to bed and get a poor night's sleep 😴 . We wake up the next day, completely consumed by fatigue 💤. This leads us to be a victim of brain fog, unable to concentrate on specific tasks or even articulate our words🧠. As a result, our confidence is completely knocked and we feel inadequate😣. This leads to anxieties arising over completing the smallest tasks which used to be manageable and never made us even bat an eyelid. Our thoughts are racing as we get into bed, and again we don’t get a good night's sleep🤷🏽‍♀️

So, how do we break this cycle?

• STOP BEING HARD ON YOURSELF. Your body is undergoing a huge change, and you should celebrate any accomplishments in a day, no matter how small!

• Be open with those around you💭. If others around you are aware hopefully they can best support you and accommodate your needs. For example, not interrupt you while you’re trying to get your words out. At work you could approach your line manager to establish potential adjustments to tasks and duties which are proving a challenge or triggering anxiety attacks!

• Write down a to-do list the night before in a structured way, maybe this will help to reduce any racing thoughts you have and reduce a bit of that fog in your brain🗒

• Try and test different ways to help you get some more sleep. For example, sleeping in a separate room from your partner temporarily/permanently might help you manage your night sweats.

• Get professional help, and fight for your health🆘👨🏼‍⚕️

Can you relate to this vicious circle of menopause symptoms? How do you think we can break this circle? ✨

Those which know me know I do love my drink and to

Those which know me know I do love my drink and to have a good time🍸👀. However, during the onset of my perimenopause my body started to change and eventually my relationship with alcohol had to change. Alcohol would trigger severe migraines, dehydration, insomnia and night sweats😖. At the time, I was not aware of the role which alcohol played in triggering these symptoms🤷🏽‍♀️.

So, I thought it would be good to address the connection between alcohol and menopause♻️.

It’s important to note that alcohol is a depressant, and given the hormonal changes menopausal women undergo already leaves us susceptible to experiencing depression, it really is important to control our drinking habits and to drink in moderation.

In addition to this, you may think alcohol consumption helps you to sleep faster but it can in fact reduce your rapid eye movement (REM) sleep😴. This is important as it stimulates important neural connections which are essential to learning, retaining memories and overall well-being and health. Therefore, this lack of sleep quality can exacerbate fatigue, memory lapses and other symptoms💣.

So, where do we go from here?

I, myself am guilty of having “just one glass of wine” which can eventually lead to more🍷. So if you do drink, please make sure you are mindful and able to control your drinking habits. Additionally, I would monitor your intake against your mood and menopause symptoms as a whole, and actually write this down physically📝.

Given the current lockdown, I know that alcohol may be a coping mechanism and another “reason” to pour yourself another glass🍷. But please do remember, it is merely masked as a temporary moment of relief which can have repercussions for you and your symptoms.

So, reflect on your drinking habits and identify any triggers which may lead you to pour that glass of wine or crack open that bottle of beer. If you realise you are hiding away from a deeper issue, then try to find a long-term solution to actually tackle the problem at hand💪🏽📍.

Cheers to that🥂

Have you noticed alcohol impacting your menopause?

Recently I was asked if "a metallic strange taste

Recently I was asked if "a metallic strange taste in your mouth is a menopause symptom."

So, I thought it would be good to do a post on "Burning Mouth syndrome."

What can I say? Surely not another one to add to the list! 🥴

I do remember suffering with BMS, but I wasn’t aware of this at the time. This included burning and tingling sensations on my tongue, alongside my saliva being completely stripped away from my mouth. One scenario which really pops to mind was a week prior to me going on holiday my mouth was COMPLETELY dry from day to night. On top of this I noted the same happening to my nostrils!😬 So I then seeked advice from a pharmacist who advised me some chewable sweets to take, and after a few of them thank god my saliva slowly began to return! 🥳

So, what was happening to me here?

For those which don’t know, BMS is a common symptom during the (peri)menopause as a result of hormonal fluctuations! It includes possible numbness, burning sensation and a change in taste buds (like the metallic taste previously mentioned). You may also feel dryness in your mouth and nostrils.

Have any of you experienced signs of BMS? Do you have a time you remember it being particularly prominent? ✨

Lockdown 3.0 + Menopause = A few more mood swings

Lockdown 3.0 + Menopause = A few more mood swings than your average day👀

With the added pressures of lockdown it’s only natural for us to be a bit more irritable than usual!

However, sometimes it’s important for us to take a step back, bite our tongue and take a deep breath💕✨

That being said, do not suffer in silence and brush your irritations under the carpet. They should be addressed, but perhaps not while you’re in the middle of being consumed by a mood swing!

Have you noticed an increase in mood swings or irritability within the past few weeks? 📈📉

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