Have I started?

For the first time in my life, my period is late. Two weeks late. I am nearly 50 and child-free, and my periods have always been regular. I was always judicious about contraception and was sterilised five years ago.

I got the usual lumpy spots around the chin which signalled a period, normally a week later, but nothing happened.


I wonder if this is the start of the "official" menopause. Will I sail effortlessly through it with no more periods?

I have mixed feelings about it. I feel a grief, a sadness, not about the loss of my child-bearing years but the loss of youth. All I can look forward to now is poor quality thinning hair, loss of oestrogen making my face collaspe and my middle getting thicker. I can't think of any positives, except not having to buy tampons.

So far so good

I am indebted to a book called "Your change, Your Choice" by Michael Dooley and Sarah Stacey. The sub text of this book is: HRT is a last resort, try these natural remedies first.

It starts off with some trite observations about smiling more, eating well and exercising, which I think are taken as read.

But stick with it and you find some great solutions to the symptons of menopause.

I have been drinking the daily smoothie and cocktail for less than a week and already my hot flushes are disappeared. Completely!

The smoothie is made with full-fat milk (skimmed and semi-skimmed contains less of the necessary fat), although I use soya milk; blueberries, a banana and 35g silken tofu. I normally find tofu disgusting but in this form it is entirely palatable. I have been having a smoothie instead of my normal breakfast.

The secret ingredient is soya. Its ingredients apparently mimic oestrogen in the natural form. I have been adding soya beans to my diet for some time - they are delicious and available frozen at the supermarkets. Plus I make a mean "mock Japanese" dinner by grilling cod covered with sesame oil and miso paste (high in soya).

The cocktail is made of apple juice with 25ml aloe vera juice and powdered magnesium citrate. I couldn't get the powdered version so I bought capsules. So I'm not sure the drink is actually needed (and aloe vera juice is pretty expensive at my health shop.) You also take 1g of black cohosh. I bought capsules by Solgar.

No hot flushes for a week means I'm very satisfied with the natural approach so far.

Introducing this blog

I am in my 50th year and I believe I have started the menopause.

That's already a contentious sentence because strictly speaking, the menopause is the milestone a year after your last period.

I say "I believe I have started" because all I know so far is that I have been having hot flushes and one blip out.

The hot flushes started a few weeks ago. I get very hot and uncomfortable but don't sweat or go red, and it disturbs my sleep.

My periods meanwhile are stil regular, same duration.

The blip out was a momentary loss of consciousness. I was dead heading the roses and suddenly I was lying among them.

I have a very demanding role at work in an ageist, corporate culture. I can't risk colleagues knowing I am "menopausal" and making sniggering asides. I work hard at my appearance and people say I look 10 years younger. The menopause to me is enemy #1. I will fight it using natural methods: diet, vitamins, lifestyle. HRT is the last resort.

I started this blog because I couldn't find any others where a woman talks about her own experience. Maybe I'm wrong - please send any links.

Most important, if you have found me, please share your experiences, symptons and what's working for you.

Tomorrow I'll talk about the regime I have started, which has already knocked the hot flushes on the head.