Your hands tremble, your chest heaves, you’re sweating and clammy and feel like you’re having nervous breakdown or a heart attack. You feel out of control and detached from the world. (FYI, the chest pain from a panic attack usually feels like a sharp or stabbing, localized pain in the mid-chest area, while pain from a heart attack is usually a pressure or squeezing sensation that can radiate outwards to the jaw, shoulder blades or arm.) But that sudden and intense sense of doom could be a panic attack- especially if you’re going through menopause. And you’re not alone - plenty of women, around their { Read More }
Seven Effective Ways to Deal With Menopause
It seems that lately, everyone is talking about menopause. Okay, not everyone, but the people I associate with. We’re all of “that age:” either we’ve gone through it or we’re presently going through it. And, as unreliable as memories can sometimes be, when it comes to menopause mine are crystal clear (even though my periods officially ended years ago in my early 50s): the hot flashes that torched my inner furnace, the night sweats that soaked my dry sheets, the moods that brought back (bad) memories of PMS when I’d fall into depressions so deep I swore I’d never climb out (but I always did), the { Read More }
Menopause and Anxiety: The Connection
Menopause. Yes, it takes away your period - for good. And considering that the average number you've had in your lifetime hovers somewhere around 450, you might be happy to say buh-bye. But in return, menopause ushers in some other things you might not be so happy about: anxiety, depression, mood swings, panic attacks. That wild roller-coaster of high-pitched emotional craziness. If you suffered PMS back in the day, this is PMS on steroids; a newer - yet hardly improved - version. Estimates vary on just how many women experience psychiatric problems during menopause. But that number hardly matters { Read More }
Menopause, Bloating, Hair Loss, Friends and Cellulite
Greetings – remember me?? I write that because it’s been a long while since I’ve posted here - and that old saying, “Out of sight, out of mind” scares me a bit. I hate to lose whatever momentum I’ve gained since starting this blog back in 2012 (has it really been that long??). So, thanks for sticking with me! As I write this post, I realize I’ve been a bit, well…absent lately. Short explanation: As a writer, it sometimes is tough to keep the so-called momentum and ideas churning. Long explanation: I hate excuses and I don’t want pity so I’m not going there. But I have been doing a lot of writing – { Read More }
Menopause and Vaginal Dryness
I'm not going to beat around the bush. (Okay, I realize that is a not-so-funny pun.) Why not get right to the point? Menopause brings many changes, and one of the peskiest being a change in the way your vagina feels, which can lead to itchiness, dryness, irritation (which can even lead to bleeding) and trouble with intercourse. Blame estrogen, or a lack thereof. So many women remain silent about this; too embarrassed to bring it up to their healthcare providers. So many healthcare providers stay silent about it, too. Maybe they are embarrassed, too - or perhaps they're unprepared, or too { Read More }
How’s Your Pelvic Health?
HEALTH STATISTIC(S) OF THE DAY More than one-third of U.S. women suffer from pelvic floor disorder, or PFD. About 377,000 are reported to have had surgery (as of 20102) for the disorder, with those numbers expected to climb significantly over the next several decades. During their lifetime, approximately one in 11 women will have surgery to address pelvic floor issues, says women's health expert and advocate, Donnica Moore, M.D. The Story The pelvic floor contains a group of muscles that act as a sling, supporting the urethra, vagina and anus to keep them all wher they belong. Anything that { Read More }
Menopause and Anxiety (Revisited)
DOES THIS SOUND VAGUELY FAMILIAR? …“Crippling anxiety, sleep issues, panic attacks, lack of energy, weight gain, intense sweating, no sex drive, dry hair and brittle nails.” – Just a few of the 219 comments expressed by women from around the globe in response to a 2011 blog I wrote titled, “Menopause and Anxiety” for HealthyWomen.org. It turns out anxiety is not the only thing about menopause plaguing the 6,000 U.S. women who reach menopause each day. “I’M NOT BOTHERED BY MENOPAUSE” …Says hardly anyone. THE STORY I’ve been blogging since 2009 (that’s a long time, in blogging years). Never has any { Read More }
The Truth About Your Post-Menopausal Body
Going through menopause means a lot of things to a lot of women. While many parts of the “transition” are individual (for instance, my sister suffered nary a hot flash while I was continually bathed in sweat), one universal truth is this: our bodies change. Yes, unfair, especially when you consider that’s just one set of problems added to the long list of other changes, like sleep disturbances, anxiety, night sweats, too many things to do and too little time to do them all in. But as someone probably told you long ago, life is unfair. A cliché, perhaps, but a truism just the same. Overheard Just { Read More }
Menopause and Anxiety
Why do some women going through menopause feel like they're out of control, irritable, short- fused and just plain crazy? And why do others pass through seamlessly with nary a hot flash or mood swing? Back in 2005, when blogging was still fairly new, I created the blog, Midlife Matters. As a health writer, I was excited about sharing accurate and timely health information in an intimate setting which fostered a dialog with other like-minded midlife women, something that’s not possible via standard print magazines and websites. To date, my most popular post was about Menopause and Anxiety { Read More }