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What happens in our bodies after menopause

July 31, 2022 2 Comments

News this week, here in the UK, that MPs are calling for a ‘menopause leave’ pilot scheme to help support working women. A positive (but long-overdue) step on the path to better care for those in menopause. There are many more steps to go to give people the support they need either side of the menopause transition. My next book is on post-menopausal health for the simple reason that declining hormones have a profound effect on our ability to age well. And I’d love your help with the book – read on….

OESTROGEN: THE BODY’S WONDER DRUG

The hormones of reproduction – oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone – do so much more than help us have babies. Pre-menopause, they all – and oestrogen in particular – wrap us in a protective cloak, keeping us healthy so we can reproduce and propagate the human race. Which makes total sense. Beyond our reproductive organs, we have receptors for oestrogen throughout our bodies. It affects – and this is not an exhaustive list – the urinary tract, heart and blood vessels, bones, breasts, skin, hair, mucous membranes, pelvic muscles, metabolism, inflammation, joints, skin, gut and – critically – the brain. All of which are kept in better working order by the body’s own wonder drug. When levels of oestrogen drop, there’s a negative impact throughout the body. And even if we’re taking HRT/MT, our reproductive hormones don’t return to the levels we enjoyed in our 20s.

A 10-15 YEAR WINDOW

It’s vitally important we take care of our health once that protective cloak of oestrogen has gone. Statistically, there’s a 10-15 year window between our final menstrual period and the chronic diseases of ageing like heart disease, diabetes and osteoporosis, kicking in. We need to make the most of this window to look after ourselves and reduce our risk of these conditions (which is what my book’s about!).

Heart disease gives us a very clear example. Women tend to develop heart disease after the age of 60, whereas with men it’s after the age of 50. It may be that men succumb earlier because oestrogen protects the lining of our artery walls. But once that protection has declined, we’re more likely to suffer the stiffening of arteries and plaque build-up which can increase risk of heart attacks and stroke. Rates of heart disease fatalities are increasing among women in midlife and it now kills a larger proportion of women over 55 than men. Drilling down into the stats, cardiovascular disease accounts for around 22% of all male deaths under the age of 54, and 18.5% of women. But once we get past 55, the trend is reversed, with cardiovascular disease accounting for 38.5% of male deaths and 41% of female. Heart disease is not a male disease!

PERSISTENT MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS

Like many women, I’ve found that being post-menopausal hasn’t meant the end of menopausal symptoms (sadly). A large American study known as SWAN (Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation) found that, of the median seven and a half years that vasomotor (hot flushes, night sweats etc) symptoms  lasted, four and a half of those years were after the final menstrual period.

Research in Australia found that more than 15% of post-menopausal women aged 55-59 were still suffering vasomotor symptoms, as were 6.5% of post-menopausal women aged 60-65. Smokers, and women who were overweight, were more likely to still be suffering.

YOUR EXPERIENCE

I’d love to know a little about your post-menopausal experience, if you’d be willing to share it with me. I’ve put together a very simple, and totally anonymous, survey – here’s the link. It only takes a couple of minutes to fill out and asks a few questions about symptoms post menopause, HRT and your general health. It’s super quick and would be a huge help for the book!

OUR SUMMER BREAK

Annabel and I are off for August, but we’ll return, refreshed and ready to Age Well, in September. We’ll keeping posting on Instagram @agewellproject, so we’ll see you there. You can catch up with my Brain Boost webinar on reducing dementia risk here, and I’m running a three-week course on lowering stress levels for Goldster from August 22nd – all the details are here and it’s incredibly good value.

Summer recipes from the archive for the Northern Hemisphere

Watermelon salad with feta and pumpkin seeds

BBQ’d fish tacos 

Prawn, pea and pepper paella

Coconut-crusted salmon

Easy-peasy gazpacho

Chia seed parfait

Healthiest-ever ice cream

 

Winter recipes from the archive for the Southern Hemisphere

No-bake granola

Salmon pilaff

Best-ever Brussels sprouts

Leek, black bean and bacon soup

Delicious dhal

Tomato & coconut cassoulet

Susan

 

Photo: Bonnie Kittle on Unsplash

« Is there an optimal diet for ageing well?
BRAINS, HEARTS AND CHOCOLATE – THIS SUMMER’S AGE-WELL RESEARCH »

Comments

  1. Catherine says

    July 31, 2022 at 2:23 pm

    Great to see you looking at post menopausal health. İn the new and welcome – but overdue – support for women experiencing menopause I feared that the whole post menopause stage would get overlooked – so thank you.

    Reply
    • Susan Saunders says

      July 31, 2022 at 10:12 pm

      Thanks so much Catherine. We may live half our adult life post-menopause, and our health is so different after the transition. So I thought it’s definitely worth exploring!

      Reply

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Welcome to The Age-Well Project

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Make the most of the light summer evenings (in the Make the most of the light summer evenings (in the northern hemisphere at least) by going on a scented walk!

Our olfactory bulb (the cluster of smell cells at the top of our nostrils) more receptive in spring and summer, and not only are plants more likely to be in full perfumed bloom, but the warmer air also traps these molecules for longer. 

Now, here’s the interesting bit. Loss of smell has been linked to neurodegenerative disease, with some researchers suggesting that smell tests should be routinely offered by doctors. A 2022 study found that loss of smell (known as anosmia) was an important early sign of Alzheimer’s-related cognitive impairment.

But there’s no need to panic, because studies also show that our olfactory system is much like a muscle – use it or lose it. So get out there and sniff the air! There’s more on the blog - link in bio 

#longevity #womenover50 #agewell #ageingwell #agingwell #longevityblog #healthblog #agewellblog #over50bloggers #womenover50 #healthspan #womenover60 #postmenopause #postmenopausalhealth #alzheimers #preventalzheimers
What do you want to achieve for your bones?’ T What do you want to achieve for your bones?’ 

This interesting question came from Rebekah Rotstein, who has worked with the Royal Osteoporosis Society and is founder of movement system Buff Bones @gotbuffbones when Susan interviewed her for The Power Decade. 

We thought the answer was that we wanted them to be dense, because that would protect them in the years ahead. Rebekah invited us to view this another way, ‘Your goal is not just to have high bone density,’ she explained. ‘Your goal is to not fracture and to live a full, independent life. You do this by strengthening your bones and body. But you also need to maintain and improve your balance and responsiveness to avoid falls because falls lead to fractures.’

We’re big fans of the ‘brushing your teeth standing on one leg’ trick to add extra age-well benefits to this most regular of tasks by improving balance. When we do it, we can feel movement – and a bit of a wobble – in our feet. Rebekah explains that this movement is also a form of calibration, helping us maintain balance. She urges us to try this barefoot because, as we age, we lose dexterity in our feet: we want to be able to feel the messages they’re sending us.

There’s more on better bone health on the blog - link in bio

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Beans for breakfast?! Yes please. On a recent trip Beans for breakfast?! Yes please. On a recent trip to Jordan, Annabel started her day with foul, made from fava beans. 

The Jordanians mash the cooked beans and serve them warm from a swan-necked vessel using a Harry Potter-ish long-handled ladle.  The beans are then drizzled and scattered with various spices, sauces and olive oil. 

Full of protein and fibre, it’s a great way to start the day. The (super-simple) recipe is on the blog, link in bio 

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Grab some GABA! This neurotransmitter is linked to Grab some GABA! This neurotransmitter is linked to better sleep and mood - but needs progesterone to produce it. This is why post-menopausal women are more likely to experience insomnia and anxiety. 

But there are actions we can take to produce more GABA naturally. Save this post for future reference and check out our GABA blog post - link in bio

And save this for future reference 😊

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A three-page interview of Annabel in today’s @ob A three-page interview of Annabel in today’s @obsmagazine extolling the benefits of walking, and of being outdoors. Just in case you’ve had your fill of the coronation… ´Walking is freedom, an escape for the mind and the body.’ 

Hear hear!
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