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.
Tuesday, 10 August 2010
Monday, 2 August 2010
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.
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.
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