Menopause language red flags
Menopause language red flags
GenX women: remember fad diets? Those grifters have moved on to menopause
Kia ora tatou
I hope you’re traveling well.
I thought I should update you on my personal HRT experience, since it’s been just over 6 months since I started on oestrogen (Estradot) and progesterone (Utrogestan).
First, the good: Within days of starting, the hot flushes stopped. I haven’t had one since. So that’s amazing. Within a few weeks, I believe I started to feel a bit less of the brain fog type stuff. I can’t say that’s completely gone... I still lose the names of things and people from time to time. But it’s not as bad as it was (remember that time I forgot David Bowie?!)
In terms of the other symptoms that were troubling me, the results have not been as amazing. My joints still hurt. I still find recovery from exercise challenging. Though my libido is fine, I still feel like my orgasms are a bit… what’s the word…muted? – sometimes.
I increased the strength of the Estradot after 3 months (from 25s to 50s), in consultation with my GP, off the back of these results. So I’ll see how it goes from here. Overall I would say I’m feeling better, and I think it’s worth telling you about this because I’m someone who – like most of us in perimenopause – did not have severe symptoms, but had enough symptoms that they were bothering me. And I think I’m a good example of someone for whom HRT is NOT life-changing, but is certainly life enhancing; a very useful piece of the puzzle when it comes to feeling as well as possible.
Menopause language red flags
On that note, the latest kerfuffle around our old friend Gwyneth (using her huge influence to promote disordered eating dressed up as wellness) had me recalling the old language of fad diets, and how similar some of what we hear now from ‘wellness’ grifters is to that fad diet language. I covered this in my Instagram– and I’ve got a bit more to say about it – but here are a couple of red flags to watch out for:
A science-ish sounding theory
This plan/programme/product sounds plausible; it’s often framed in scientific language and quotes research. (It may also often touted as ‘revolutionary’ or ‘radical’). They used to say about fad diets: “It’s not a diet, it’s a lifestyle!”. Now the language they use is more like “It’s not a diet, it’s a protocol”. If you ever hear someone talking about a wellness protocol, run for the hills. They’re using technical, vaguely medical-sounding language to make you think whatever they’re talking about is scientific. What it is most likely to be, is a product – whether it’s a plan, or a diet, or a supplement, or a programme – they’re trying to sell you.
Magic foods
These are foods or supplements that are elevated above all others. In a diet, this is a real red flag, especially if the magic food is a supplement or special food that you have to buy from the person promoting the diet. Sometimes the magic food is a normal food, or a food group (remember the F-plan diet, anyone?)
In the menopause wellness industry, I’m seeing this pop up a bit. Of course there are the supplements promising to ‘support hormone balance’ (double red flag there) or ‘shrink your meno belly’ (ugh). And there are also diets and programmes containing elements of this.
I’m feeling a bit uncomfortable with the way protein is being talked about in this way lately in the context of diets. Yes, for sure, protein is important (and I’ve written about this in my book), and it definitely looks like we need more than official recommendations as we get older. But it’s not a magic food. In fact it’s not a food at all; it’s a nutrient, and it’s always tricky when we separate out the nutrients from the foods they’re in. I worry the message gets murky and people start interpreting it wrongly.
There is no one magic food fix. Not for menopause; not for anything. Yes, we need foods containing protein. But they’re not magic. We’re not going to suddenly lose weight or feel better or have more energy just because we eat more protein. Context is important: how are you moving; what else are you eating (pretty important); are you getting enough rest and sleep? All the other pieces of the puzzle are important, too, and not just for now, but for your future health.
So just beware of anyone claiming to have the ONE answer (which, BTW, is not HRT either. The same applies to it as well - context is everything. We have tons of good evidence to support HRT’s benefits… but it’s not a miracle worker, and it’s not lifestyle replacement therapy, either).
Menopause in the media
Here are some interesting recent articles on menopause and menopause-adjacent topics:
It’s Time to End the Medical Gaslighting of Menopausal Women
(Daily Beast)
https://www.thedailybeast.com/its-time-to-end-the-medical-gaslighting-of-menopausal-women
Testosterone for menopause: why women face difficulties accessing treatment (Pharmaceutical Journal)
‘Am I useless now?’ Aging women in the workforce face a crisis of confidence and experts say they simply deserve more
https://fortune.com/well/2023/02/01/aging-women-in-the-workforce-face-a-crisis-of-confidence/
The Change: Rebranding Menopause Into a Multibillion-Dollar Business
(Some of those red flags in here!)
Can you do me a favour?
I’d love to be doing menopause work fulltime. To that end, I’m working hard to build the speaking side of my business. To be honest, writing books – though incredibly personally and creatively fulfilling – is no way to make money in NZ (it’s possible my book – even though it was a bestseller – actually cost me money! I’m too scared to do the maths, ha). And journalism is not famously a well-paid industry, either. Luckily I’ve never been motivated by money – my kaupapa really is to do meaningful work that helps people – but honestly, just like everyone, I’ve got to pay the bills. The menopause talks and webinars I do definitely help me to do that, and also fulfil that meaningful, helpful criteria, as well. The feedback I get is really wonderful. If you are in a workplace where you think decision makers might be open to considering having me in to start a conversation about menopause – which is really, I promise, fun and fascinating – could you do me a favour and point them in the direction of my website? If you are a decision maker, even better! Here’s the link right here to learn more, and you don’t have to take my word for it – there’s lots of lovely feedback there from people in organisations I’ve worked with.