February is Heart Health Month, which makes sense, since the holiday of hearts is smack in the middle of it. However, despite all the information that’s out there, heart disease remains the #1 killer of men and women in the US.
The good news is, as much as 80 percent of your risk of heart disease may be within your control, says Dr. Sarah Speck, cardiologist, internist, and co-founder of POTENTRx, a medical fitness company. Exercise, stress-management, avoiding tobacco exposure: all of these can go a long way to protecting your heart health.
“Preventing illness is the best approach to managing health
and maintaining vitality at whatever stage of life.”
as Dr. Sarah Speck
Dr. Speck partners with her patients to identify health risks and put together a plan to help them be proactive in maximizing their health. She is an educator in illness prevention, disease-reversal and disease-management techniques, teaching patients and the public about lifestyle choices that protect their hearts and health. (Read the full transcription below.)
Dr. Speck’s focus on a heart-healthy lifestyle came about in part due to her own experience. When she started to experience the signs of menopause, she decided not to go on Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) to ease the symptoms, because the Women’s Health Initiative study seemed to indicate there was a higher risk of heart disease from HRT.
However, after a string of sleepless nights started to impact her ability to make the best medical decisions for her patients, she decided to go on the patch.
She did this for a decade. When the time came to go off HRT, Dr. Speck was astonished to see her LDL (bad) cholesterol numbers shoot through the roof. Despite a very healthy lifestyle, she had inherited her mother’s high cholesterol as and without the protective benefits of estrogen, her “inheritance” had kicked in full force.
This served to reinforce Dr. Speck’s decision to promote preventative, proactive care for her patients. Even those with genetic risks can see huge benefits to their health by making the right lifestyle choices.
In honor of Heart Health Month, team Gennev wants to issue a challenge to our community: pick one thing you’ll start doing today to increase your wellness and reduce your risk of heart disease.
At the end of February, find us on Facebook. Let us know what you’ve been doing and how it’s working for you. Get inspired, be inspirational as we can’t wait to hear what you come up with!
Need ideas? Be sure to listen to the podcast above, and you’ll get some great ones.
Next up on the Gennev podcast: we talk with author and motivational speaker Juju Hook. We reviewed her book on “rebranding” midlife as Hotflashes, Carpools, and Dirty Martinis as and enjoyed it so much we had to invite her to speak with us. Her fresh, feisty, irreverent look at the myths and stereotypes of midlife are really good for your heart too, if in a different way”¦.
Have you dealt with heart disease, are you managing it now, are you worried about your risks due to genetic or lifestyle factors? We’d love for you to share with us. Please share in the comments below, on Gennev’s Facebook page, or in Midlife & Menopause Solutions, our closed Facebook group.
Transcription:
Jill: February is Heart Health Month, and heart disease is the number one killer of women, I understand. Can you tell us a little bit more about that statistic, because I think that’s really shocking?
Dr. Speck: Well, it’s an unfortunate statistic, but in fact more women die of heart disease every year than men do. By the time we reach menopause, it’s an equal opportunity disease for men and women. But unfortunately, by the age of 45, one in nine women will have some form of heart disease as opposed to one in five men. By the age of 65, one in three women will have heart disease as opposed to one in two men. So, we have a real opportunity, if we can turn that around, in early menopause to impact our risk of developing heart disease later in life.
Jill: Why is that statistic; why are women more prone to this than men? It sounds like women catch up to be an equal opportunity player, sadly. I’d rather we were equal opportunity in lots of other ways, but why do women catch up, and why is it killing women as a number one killer?
Dr. Speck: Well, I think, I take your first question: the fact that we lose our natural estrogens, we lose elasticity in our skin, our hair changes, our eyes change, and our blood vessels change. And our blood vessels “¦ the further away we get from our natural menopause, the more difficult, the more brittle, if you will, our blood vessels become. And more vulnerable to developing cholesterol-related plaque. So, that’s really why we catch up. Even taking synthetic estrogens don’t really restore the health of our blood vessels that we had pre-menopause.
Jill: That’s fascinating. So, taking synthetic estrogen, how about the bio-identical? Is there any form of estrogen in HRT or any hormone-related therapy that can reverse that damage to our blood vessels?
Dr. Speck: We’ve not been able to identify a hormone replacement therapy as either bio-identical or whether it’s patch or whether it’s oral therapy as that actually reverses or restores the flexibility. So, what we really want to do is to concentrate on those risk factors that we know can create more inflammation than just losing our natural estrogens. And those are high blood pressure, diabetes, having high cholesterol, being obese, being exposed to tobacco products. Those are the big five, if you will. For men and for women. But the women become much more vulnerable to those after their menopause.
As to your second question, I think the reason women may die more of heart disease is because we don’t recognize that we are necessarily at risk. So, if you have any of those big risk factors, you may have atherosclerosis. Even if you are just having nausea. Even if you are just having unusual shortness of breath. Even if you are just unusually tired. It may be that your arteries are clogged, and your heart isn’t able to function as well as it used to. And so, those individuals that have those risk factors, need to seek attention from their providers.
Jill: So, I was about to say the word “fascinating,” because I think it is. When I think about heart disease versus a heart attack, I know what a heart attack is, but heart disease as a disease, what is that? How do you know when you’ve now got it? And then obviously it’s something you manage, but is it like other diseases where there are symptoms, you do things to control it but it never really goes away?
Dr. Speck: Good question. There are several aspects of the heart obviously; there’s the muscle, the valves, there are the electrical fibers and there are the blood vessels that supply the heart. So, any of those can become diseased, and there are congenital reasons for people to have heart disease that they are born with. But what we wanted to talk about today, I think, are the diseases of the blood vessels that are more or less acquired. Those individuals that have diseases of blood vessels, again, that can be very insidious. It can happen over decades before it actually declares symptoms. So, that’s why we want to pay so much attention to those risk factors. Because really what causes heart disease that causes heart attacks or those that cause strokes also, is that there is inflammation on the inside lining of the blood vessel. And when there’s inflammation on the inside lining of the blood vessel, it looks very much like the skin of someone who is having a bad outbreak of psoriasis or eczema; it’s cracked, it’s weepy, it’s red, it’s angry. And as the blood goes flowing by, the particles of bad cholesterol, the lousy cholesterol, the LDL cholesterol, literally drop through the cracks and start to form plaque in that little layer between the lining of the blood vessel and the muscle layer. That can happen decades before anyone develops any symptoms.
Jill: The symptoms that you mentioned earlier: feeling tired, shortness of breath; they’re kind of everyday symptoms. What are the top symptoms you encourage women to look for? And at what point should they take those symptoms seriously enough to come in and get checked?
Dr. Speck: Well, women may have symptoms that are unique to them and somewhat different than men. The reason women have symptoms of heart disease is the same, and that is the heart muscle is not getting enough oxygen to be able to pump the blood forward effectively to the rest of the body. So, like any pump when it doesn’t pump well, it creates a back pressure. Often at times, the first place it creates that back pressure is in the lungs, so you start to feel short of breath. So, if on your routine walk you’re feeling like, “wow, I don’t know why I can’t get through this today.” And you have high blood pressure, or you have diabetes, or you’re overweight, or you have high cholesterol, or you have a family history of heart disease, that’s something to pay attention to. Certainly, if you walk up James Street from the ferry dock, and you’re gasping for breath and there’s an elephant sitting on your chest, whether you are a man or a woman, you need to seek medical attention. More or less immediately.
Jill: It seems pretty straightforward, but do you see in the majority of your patients, people waiting far too long? What are trends you see in terms of that level of awareness of people coming to you to say, “I think I need to get checked.” Or do they wait far too long? Where do people line up?
Dr. Speck: In the immediate throes of having a heart attack, women traditionally wait an hour longer than men do to call 911. Because they think, “Oh, it’s just indigestion,” or “I don’t want to upset anybody, I don’t really want to wake my husband, I don’t really want to call my daughter, particularly if I’m living alone.” So, they may not be getting the life-saving treatments that are offered, fast enough to delay the consequences of having a serious heart attack. But in the more preventive sense, I think again women need to be aware that heart disease is the biggest killer. And just like we get our annual mammograms, we need to know our numbers annually. What’s your blood pressure? We all know what our weight is, what’s your waist measurement? If your waist measurement is greater than 35 inches, you are at significantly increased risk of heart disease and diabetes, and you need to take care of that. If your blood pressure is greater than 130/80 now, according to the American Heart Association standards, that needs to be addressed. It doesn’t necessarily need medication, but it needs to be addressed and it needs to be followed. If your blood sugar is greater than 100, certainly if it’s greater than 110 or 125, you need to be addressing diabetes or pre-diabetes. If you’re smoking, or if you’re exposed to tobacco, stop.
Jill: Very simple.
Dr. Speck: But the other thing that is unique to women, that I think is now coming forward, is if you’ve had gestational diabetes, high blood sugar during pregnancy, if you’ve had high blood pressure during pregnancy as even if you don’t have a family history of heart disease asat age 50, you are more likely to develop high blood pressure or diabetes than someone who hasn’t had that during their pregnancy. So, you’re that one who is carrying that information, you’re the one that needs to be taking care of that for yourself.
The other thing I think is really important is that we all start to think about building our own health portfolio, just as carefully as we do building our own financial portfolio. We find a provider we can work with, we find somebody we can trust, to put investment in that health portfolio, we take care of what we need to, and we go forward building it together.
Jill: I think that’s a fascinating way to think about it because even you just listed out a number of numbers that you should know and be aware of, which as you called them out, I’m certainly not aware of mine, and it shows how important it is for a person, a woman or a man, to be tracking their own numbers.
Dr. Speck: That is very correct. The sooner you jump on it the more opportunity you have to not develop serious disease in the future. The other thing is we now have a variety of techniques that can detect early atherosclerosis or early plaque development. One is called Carotid IMT Scanning. Basically, it is just an ultrasound of the carotid artery that looks for early development of plaque. That’s paid for by your insurance after you’ve had a stroke, but that means you had a plaque build-up that’s 80, 85, 90 percent. I’m talking about detecting something that’s 10 or 15 percent. Well, at 10 or 15 percent you are not going to have any symptoms, but if you’ve got it, you can stop it by paying attention to the risk factors that may contribute to it over time. While it’s not covered by insurance, it’s usually an out-of-pocket expense somewhere between $100 and $200. Those kinds of things are readily available in the medical community. So, even if your insurance company doesn’t pay for it, doesn’t mean it’s not worthwhile.
Jill: Now here at Speck Health, you are big on prevention and you’re starting to go there in our conversation. Tell me about POTENTRx as it’s a program you have here as and how you’re really advocating for prevention with your patients.
Dr. Speck: So, we pronounce it POTENTRx, Your Prescription for Your Full Potential. It grew out of my experience as the Medical Director for Cardiac Rehabilitation Services at Swedish Medical Center for the last two decades. Again, after you’ve had a heart attack, after you’ve had bypass surgery, your insurance company will pay for you to learn about proper nutrition and how to exercise, to prevent your second event. That seemed a little backwards to me.
Jill: That you have to have an event first before”¦
Dr. Speck: Exactly. There are all kinds of guidelines from the American Heart Association, the American College of Cardiology, the American Medical Association, telling people that exercise and nutrition will prevent disease. But again, unfortunately, our medical system doesn’t pay for that under the insurance system. So, I partnered with Dr Dan Tripps, who’s a PhD exercise physiologist and psychologist, and he and I looked at what people were getting in cardiac rehab and said, “I think we could do this beforehand.” Help people who are concerned about disease, or have early risk factors, or have early disease, prevent them from developing more severe and more debilitating illness.
So, what we do is basically take the same science that does assessments for elite athletes, where these people know exactly what their body’s burning, exactly what their body’s using, exactly what nutrition so they can get that extra 100th second across the finish line. And we bring it to the world of mere mortals, because we are all on the same physical performance curve. And what we do is precisely measure an individual’s body, how they use carbohydrates, how they use fats, how their muscles work, and we design a nutrition and exercise prescription for them that will help them lower their blood sugar, lower their body weight, improve their heart’s performance, lower their cholesterol, whatever their goal is, and then we assist them through that.
Jill: Fantastic. So, you are like a quote-unquote personal trainer but much more in depth?
Dr. Speck: We like to talk of ourselves as a “medical fitness company.” Again, I think personal trainers are very valuable, but I think they don’t have that medical knowledge as to how a person’s body truly performs to reach their medical goals as opposed to getting down the slopes a little faster.
Jill: So then, approaching the medical goals, how do you price this? Just to go there? Because I’m assuming it’s not covered under insurance. But if I were to think of the mental model, a lot of us spend a lot of money on classes or a personal trainer, or a health club membership.
Dr. Speck: So, the assessment services range anywhere from $200 to $700. And then depending on what kind of ongoing coaching you would like, that can be done over the web, through email, or through fitness apps; again, it depends on what the client is trying to achieve.
Jill: I love the whole notion that you have taken the recipe that elite athletes use and brought it down to”¦ I shouldn’t say “down,” brought it over to those that are aging and want to manage their personal health in this area.
Dr. Speck: We’re all on a continuum of performance. We’re fit, we’re athletic, but that fit and athletic can become injured, and that’s where we’re injured and impaired when trying to deal with health issues. And we are just trying to move you toward more healthy and more fit.
Jill: So, going back to the topic of women versus men, are the indicators or symptoms that you are having a heart attack the same across both, or do women have to watch for different things? Not just isolated to heart attack, but heart disease? Are the symptoms the same across both sexes?
Dr. Speck: Again, if you’re having chest pain while you’re walking up a hill, whether you are a man or a woman, that should indicate this could potentially be heart disease. If you are knowing you have high blood pressure, if you are knowing you have high blood sugar, if you know you have high cholesterol, you have a family history of heart disease, and you developed chest pain because your daughter came home and told you she was getting divorced as that’s a symptom woman have more often than men do. Those kinds of emotions produce very real biochemical change that can alter the way your heart’s blood vessels react to that change and can produce a symptom of chest pain. Undue shortness of breath: again, what I mean by “undue” is if suddenly you are pushing a cart around a grocery store and you’re [imitating gasping for breath], then that’s unusual. And that needs to be investigated. Heart disease is something that is progressive. So, if you have a symptom one week and the next week you have it three times, again, that’s something to listen to and not dismiss. Not “oh that was just indigestion” or “oh I was just kind of tired that day” or “my asthma was acting up.”
Jill: What would you recommend to women who are on the other side of menopause or even going through it? Obviously the impacts of lower estrogen in the body have taken effect, what would you recommend for just lifestyle and prevention? It’s probably quite apparent in terms of no smoking, diet, exercise etc., but I think it’s good to just remind and reiterate.
Dr. Speck: If we think of this as a disease of inflammation, and you think your blood vessels are on fire, inside; and what you want to do is calm the fire. So, what we know does that is regular exercise. If you move the muscles between your waist and your knees, which are big muscles, as all women know, for thirty minutes every day, that reduces inflammation in your blood vessels. It may not cause you to lose weight. It may not make you more fit, but it reduces inflammation inside your blood vessels. And it doesn’t even have to be all at once. Ten minutes three times a day is just as good as thirty minutes all at once. So, that’s where those Fitbit counters come in, those step counters are helpful to get people to move more. That’s number one.
Number two is eating a double cheeseburger is like putting a Brillo pad inside your blood vessels. So, what you want to do is eat more sensibly. Eat more responsibly. Eat more plant-based foods. The American Heart Association recommends 5/5: five servings of fruit everyday and five servings of vegetables. A serving is a half a cup. So if you have an apple, you’ve had two servings of fruit. If you have a salad, throw in some Craisins, throw in some nuts. It’s not too hard to get there if you pay attention. Those things are pretty easy and accessible to most of us.
I think the other thing is to try and embrace joy every day. Find a way to manage your stress so your stress doesn’t manage you. If you can do just those three things, you’ll create an environment where you can start to look at your own health portfolio more seriously and more proactively.
Jill: That’s fantastic. Are there any innovations in this space that are coming, that you are really excited about?
Dr. Speck: There are several, actually. First of all, I’m really excited about the fact that people in the medical community now realize that heart disease can be prevented. So, even though our insurance system is lacking in terms of actually paying for prevention, your provider is going to ask you what your blood pressure is. Your provider is going to be checking for these things and embracing your efforts to improve them over time and early. I think that level of awareness is just going to continue to grow.
I think that cardiac genomics, the whole genomic revolution, is not only going to revolutionize cancer but also the treatment for heart disease. We have now commercially identified four or five genes that you can just get a simple blood test to see whether or not you are carriers of those. It doesn’t mean you are going to get heart disease, but it means you’ve had them since you were born. And so they have been interacting with whatever else you have been doing to try and cause heart disease. So, once you identify whether or not you are a carrier of those, you can be even more proactive in reducing the things you know you can control. Because even with people who have a family history of heart disease, 80 percent of getting heart disease is still under our control. That’s phenomenal!
Jill: In a world where we don’t get to control a whole lot, that’s pretty fantastic. This has been a pleasure. Oh my gosh, you know, we hear so much about heart disease and yet we never really understand what it is and that it is so preventable. So, thank you.
Dr. Speck: Thank you very much for having me and good luck to you and to your health portfolio.
Jill: Thank you so much.
Floating: Imagine feeling so buoyant it’s as if the world has become frictionless. Floating in absolute silence and darkness, in water that holds us up but is otherwise unnoticeable as carving out a rare slice of time uninterrupted by cell phones, traffic, the demands of our work or families, just deep peace and rest.
For a whole lot of us, our need for tranquility might be enough to get us in the floating pool or pod.
For nurse practitioner Deborah Schindele, floating may be a literal lifesaver.
Deborah was already a dedicated floater before her breast cancer diagnosis, but after hearing what she was facing, she immediately signed up for an “unlimited float” program at LifeFloat in Seattle.
“I told them, “hey, I’m going through this challenging experience, and I honestly think this is going to help save my life. My dream is to float every single day. How can I do that?’ And they had a program that made it possible.”
“It gets me out of the house and gives me the opportunity to reconnect with myself in a very deep way, every single day. I can deeply, deeply relax and have a wonderful, comfortable and comforting experience,” says Deborah. “Stress reduction is essential to health and well-being, and I think part of the reason I got cancer is because I’ve been under crazy amounts of stress for years. Floating has been one of the best things I’ve ever done for myself and my health to really decrease my stress level.”
Floating also helped Deborah with the depression and anxiety that come with cancer diagnosis and treatment. Normally so high-energy she’s been dubbed the “Energizer Bunny,” Deborah’s fatigue from cancer and chemo meant not being able to live her life as she was used to, and that added to the depression.
Time in the tank, she says, helps alleviate the negative psychological effects as well as the physical. “For me, floating became one of those pieces of self-care, and it was so effective, it become non-negotiable for me. People ask me if I have pain in my body from the chemo, and I can say, “No, I have no pain as I feel fine!’ I give float experiences as gifts because it’s so positive. I wish everybody could do it; I think the world would be a better place.”
According to James Kilgallon, Wellness Expert at LifeFloat, flotation therapy (formerly “sensory deprivation”) is an opportunity for your mind and body to connect, making you more aware as and more in control as of your body’s responses to stimuli.
Floaters enter a pod or float room that has been designed to “isolate the body and mind from external stimulation by controlling gravity, temperature, sight, and sound,” James says. The very high concentration of Epsom salt in the water allows you to float without having to spend any energy or even think about it. This means your body and muscles can relax fully because you’re not fighting gravity as the salty water is doing that work for you.
The temperature of the water and the air around you are maintained at the same temperature as your body, so you lose sensation and awareness of your body in space.
The rooms are sound- and light-proof, removing distracting sensory data and giving your brain a chance to rest as well as your body. Sound and lights are controlled by you, so if you get uncomfortable, you can turn on either or both until you’re ready again.
Even if you’re generally healthy, there are a number of benefits to floating, James says. And for women managing midlife and menopause symptoms, some of the benefits can be game-changers.
Whatever you’re going through as menopause, illness, or just a stressful phase of life as you can fight it “¦ or you can float through it. OK, floating may not solve everything, but it can radically improve your attitude by improving sleep, pain, emotional stability, and creativity, and that can make getting through the rough patches a whole lot easier.
If you give floating a try at LifeFloat or a float provider near you, we’d love to hear about it. Tell us about your experience in the comments below, on the Gennev Facebook page, or in Midlife & Menopause Solutions, our closed Facebook group.
Gennev, women’s menopause clinic, is going to be on the Today Show!
On December 10, Gennev co-founder and CEO Jill Angelo is going to take a seat next to Maria Shriver and talk about hot flashes and wonky periods and why every woman deserves a healthy menopause journey.
Menopause isn’t a new topic for Today. They’ve recently talked about “What every woman should know“
and had our favorite neuroscientist, Dr. Lisa Mosconi, on the show to talk about the link between menopause and Alzheimer’s disease.
You. You are the modern menopausal woman, and no generation before has been like you.
In our surveys, in our online communities, and in discussions, you’ve told us some important messages that Jill will be passing on:
You want access. You want accessible, affordable care from qualified medical professionals who understand menopause, the complete range of treatments available, and how women can stay healthy well beyond the menopause transition.
You want information. Jill will talk about the thousands of you who have taken our Menopause Assessment because women today want to know where they are on the journey, how to manage the symptoms they’re experiencing, and what may lie ahead.
You want to make menopause normal. It is normal and natural, but try and start a conversation about menopause around the water cooler, right? Research, solutions, understanding as to have these, we have to be talking about menopause openly and frankly.
Ninety-four percent of you in our survey asked for help to make menopause normal, and what better way to do that than talk about our experiences on the Today Show?
We hope you’ll join Jill on the Today Show December 10. Let’s get this conversation going, because modern women have #NoTimeToPause.
explains how Gennev is helping women take control of their health in menopause
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The winter holiday season can quickly twist into a tangle of emotions, logistics, dates, delights, and indulgences. This forthcoming season of gathering and giving comes with a long list of additional chores for an already-busy life for a woman in midlife and perimenopause.
Before your stress-levels shift up to the next gear, take a big breath, and scan for ideas that will help you take all the season has to offer in stride. Why? Stress can exacerbate and intensify the most inconvenient and least-fun of the current menopause symptoms you’ve been experiencing in your regular life. A few ideas to get your “scan started”:
How will I remember to… drink water during the busy times… or at least get more uncaffeinated, non-caloric liquids in my body?
How can I get my best… sleep? I’m going to want to experience that during the holidays too.
Lately, it’s been difficult to… find time for lunch (or whatever meal or task that feels good to accomplish). What would make getting this done easier?
Let’s jump in for more ideas and get you set up, rather than stressed out.
A quick debrief: how did last year shake out?
Checking in so you can make a plan
What are the top 5 things (yes, small things) that could give you more energy, focus, peace, and presence?
What subjects are lately igniting your system to insta-rage?
The more specific you can be, the better you can make a plan to minimize or avoid your triggers.
It doesn’t matter what it is”¦ but what is it? And hey, irrational is okay. Awareness of what triggers you to anger can only help you to make a good plan for the holiday at hand.
Once identified, stay with it, and ask, “What would help?” or, “What would be easier?”
How about, “What would be more fun, or more natural, and still accomplish what I’m going for?”
Here are a few options to help minimize the frantic feels and manage your stress for the long season of good cheer.
Have you traditionally been the “point person” for a holiday? Or, the hostess? Who can you loop in, in the group of loved ones, to lend more help? How about a co-host? Collaboration can be fun, though it may come with a bit of release of control”¦ and pressure”¦ and responsibility. #justsayin.
Remember what you’re doing all this for”¦ and reassess.
Where can you lower the bar of expectations, take a breath, and have the best winter holiday season ever? The one that is best for you, your body, your mental and emotional frame of mind, and the ones you hold most dear.
Heightened stress and more frequent or intense menopause symptoms aren’t going to help you spread any kind of good cheer this year. Make a plan for less stress with an informed approach, a few boundaries, and a smart intention for fun and enjoyment for all, including yourself.
We’d love to hear what this brings up for you, as well as the brilliant ideas and strategies you and your loved ones will enjoy in the coming weeks. Consider joining and sharing with all of us in the Gennev community forums.
If your Oooooooos are more Owwwws, you’re not alone. According to Emily Sauer, founder of the Ohnut, painful sex affects up to 75 percent of all women at some point in their lifetime.
Let’s say that again: Up to three-quarters of all women experience painful sex at some point in their lives. For some, the pain is temporary, the result of childbirth or vaginal dryness during certain times in their cycle as for others, it’s chronic. Many women’s pain can be solved with a good vaginal lubricant or intimate moisturizer; some may require a little more help.
Women who have pain or fear pain may start avoiding sex, which can be hard on intimate relationships, and they miss out on all the physical and emotional health benefits of a fulfilling sex life.
Sexual health is part of overall health and well-being, and pleasure during sex or intercourse shouldn’t be considered just a “nice to have.” So why does pain happen, and more importantly, what can we do about it?
According to pelvic physical therapist Rachel Gelman, “Pain with sex can be due to many factors, and a person usually has several factors at play. They can be anything from hormonal dysfunction to myofascial restrictions. As a pelvic floor physical therapist, I address the musculoskeletal piece that may contribute to pain with sex, but a patient may need other providers on board to address the other elements that may be driving their symptoms. Those providers may include a sex therapist, OBGYN, urologist, naturopath, or acupuncturist. The process can be frustrating but know that there are providers out there who can help!”
So be aware that you may need help both zeroing in on the cause and choosing the right solution.
Don’t endure painful sex or give up intimacy entirely. Devices like the Ohnut can be part of the fun, if you keep minds and lines of communication open. And introducing a toy or vibrator like the smart Lioness Vibrator sex toy can extend foreplay, help you feel more ready (and thus more relaxed and possibly more lubricated), and bring the fun back to a potentially stressful time.
Don’t wait. According to Rachel, “If a person is experiencing pain with sex, they should consult their healthcare provider. I know many people report their providers don’t ask about sexual function, and it can be intimidating or embarrassing to bring up, but no one should have to suffer in silence and there are many treatment options for someone experiencing pelvic pain.”
In short: If it hurts, start talking. If your doc doesn’t ask about your sex life, tell her. Because there are so many possible issues, getting properly diagnosed means identifying the right solution and getting your better sex life back that much faster.
If you need support in managing painful sex, a menopause-certified physician can be helpful. Book a visit with a Gennev doctor.
Have you experienced painful sex? What did you do or are you doing to deal with it? We’d love to hear from you, so please share in the comments below, on Gennev’s Facebook page, or in Midlife & Menopause Solutions, Gennev’s closed Facebook group.
Both can increase your life expectancy.
We could all use a little more time in our lives, right? More hours to get more done, more years to experience as much as possible of what life has to offer.
And best of all is if those years are vibrant ones, full of energy, good health, and fistfuls of happiness.
What if you could unlock the secrets of a longer life as beyond the usual stuff most of us already know? Is there more to being healthier, longer than just eating your kale, walking 30 minutes a day, and drinking enough water to float a battleship?
From PRiMEWomen, we bring you six as rather different as ways to increase life expectancy and keep kicking“¦.
As we near the kickoff to the holiday season, we wanted to know how concerned we should really be about the amount of sugar we’re consuming. You hear words like “toxic” and “addiction,” as well as “harmless” and “fun” when it comes to sugar and sugar consumption. So which is it?
The American Heart Association says women should get no more than 25 grams (6 tsp) of added sugar a day, and 36 grams (9 tsp) for men. However, according to SugarScience, a publication from the University of California at San Francisco, the average American gets 82 grams of sugar (19.5 tsp) every day.
We’re eating a lot of it. But when it comes to our health in midlife, is sugar really that bad for us?
To find out, we called up Dr. Anna Garrett, who talked to us before on getting your mojo back in midlife. Dr. Anna is a certified coach and Doctor of Pharmacy, and her mission in life is helping women get their hormones as and their lives! as back in balance.
Here’s what we learned:
“Sugar actually works on the same centers in the brain as cocaine and nicotine.” So, yeah. Addictive and dangerous. Find out the process of addiction in your brain.
Fat used to be the demonized ingredient when it came to obesity and poor health. But did the Big Sugar lobby play fast and loose with the facts to make it appear like fat was the bad guy?
Sugar disrupts insulin, creating chaos with your hormones and possibly contributing to estrogen dominance. And that’s just not good.
Sugar wreaks havoc here too, increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease. Dr. Anna explains.
Cutting out sugar is tricky. Dr. Anna gives her recommendations on going “cold turkey” versus “cutting back.” HINT: sugary drinks should probably be first to go.
Some drinks, like milk, have natural sugars. Avoid the ones with added sugars like agave or syrups. And bad news, y’all: wine is a problem.
Sugar is super sneaky, so even capable label readers may miss a few. Dr. Anna tells us what to be on the lookout for.
I’ll give you one guess. Yep. Not good. Dr. Anna tells us why artificial sweeteners may actually sabotage your good intentions. But there are ways to make it less bad for you “¦.
There are definitely withdrawal symptoms, just like with other addictions. Dr. Anna gives us the info on how we’ll feel, how long it’ll last, and how to manage it best.
If you’re truly serious, you can get to great in 7 as 10 days, says Dr. Anna. She tells us how to go about a sugar “detox” the best way.
Dr. Anna gives us insight into her healthy diet. We’ve decided we want to be her when we grow up.
Starchy veggies like beets or sweet potatoes and healthy carbs can be invited back, but for those folks for whom sugar is an “avalanche” food (ie, triggers binge eating), refined sugars should probably be eliminated entirely and permanently.
The holidays are coming and most of us are about to be awash in sugary treats. How do we handle it? Dr. Anna has some great ideas on how to be thoughtful about what we’re eating. Autopilot is only good for airplanes, folks; never for food.
It’s tough to do this right: you don’t want to be the “anti-fun committee,” so explain why you’re doing what you’re doing, include the family in meal planning and prep, and start training taste buds early!
Are you ready to reduce your sugar intake? It can be a tough road, so consider getting help from a coach like Dr. Anna. We’d love to hear how it goes for you! Please share your successes and setbacks with us in the comments or on Gennev’s Facebook page or Midlife & Menopause Solutions, our closed Facebook group.
According to US Cardiology Review, only 31 percent of women know that menopause is linked to heart disease”the same percentage of healthcare professionals who understand that women are at equal or greater risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) than men.
And yet, heart disease kills more women than men, and a woman’s risk of heart disease is equal to a man’s, just 10 years later. Because of a fundamental misunderstanding of women’s risk, says the Review, “the extent of the problem in women is frequently underestimated and, compared with men, women are less likely to be offered interventions, are less likely to be represented in clinical trials and have a worse prognosis.”
So that’s the bad news. The good news is, once women are aware of their risks, they can take steps to minimize their chances of developing CVD and to manage it if it does occur.
More women die from heart attack and stroke than the next five causes of death combined, and that includes breast cancer. Clearly CVD is a real danger.
Why? Well, the timing gives it away: about 10 years after menopause, a woman’s risk has increased dramatically. That’s because when her estrogen level begins dropping in perimenopause, the protective effects of estrogen on heart health go with it.
Couple loss of estrogen protection with the increase in menopause belly fat, poor sleep, fatigue that can result in less regular or vigorous exercise, and the stresses of middle age, and we can start to understand the increased risk.
The issue we’d like to discuss in this article is cholesterol. A well-known risk factor for CVD, levels generally rise post-menopause. There is an increase in the low-density lipoprotein (LDL as the “bad” kind of cholesterol) and triglycerides, and a decrease in high-density lipoprotein (HDL as the “good” kind). According to the Review, cholesterol levels peak in women at around ages 55 to 65 as about 10 years past menopause.
To make matters worse, many existing cholesterol medications were designed for men (remember that “less likely to be represented in clinical trials”? This is why representation matters!) and don’t work as well in women.
As cholesterol is such a large factor in CVD, we have tips to help you manage your cholesterol levels. The first thing you should do is talk with a doctor and get your levels checked so you can establish where you are and how urgent your situation might be.
Second, we recommend working with our Registered Dietitians who can help you learn lifestyle behaviors that can be very effective at helping reduce risk of CVD.
According to the Review, just a 10 percent reduction in LDL cholesterol can reduce risk of CVD up to 20 percent. So how do we get that LDL down?
The Review suggests looking for foods that have some key properties: namely plant sterols/stanols, beta-glucan, and soy protein.
One of the most effective food-based measures you can take are eating foods with plant sterols or stanols. These active ingredients block absorption of cholesterol during digestion of your food, and block re-absorption of cholesterol from the liver. Just 2 as 2.5 grams of plant sterols daily may lower LDL by an average of 10 percent in less than a month. When added to a healthy lifestyle, LDL may decline by a further 5 percent. These have no effect on HDL, and they do not interfere with lipid-lowering medications such as statins.
So, where does one get plant sterols/stanols?
Barbara Gordon, RDN, LD, of the American Dietetic Association (ADA) recommends foods such as vegetable oils (olive, canola, sunflower, safflower), nuts (especially walnuts), seeds (ground flaxseed), and whole grains. Also, foods may be fortified with sterols/stanols, so check orange juice, cereals, and breakfast bars.
The ingredient beta-glucan in foods can lower LDL from 2 to 5 percent when 3 to 5 grams is eaten daily. This soluble fiber is usually found in oats, which is why oatmeal is so often recommended for heart health. Oat bran is also a great source.
Soluble fiber generally is good for heart health, so go for asparagus, Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, turnips, apricots, mangoes and oranges, says Gordon. Beans, lentils, whole forms of produce (apples, not apple juice or applesauce). Remember: as you increase fiber, you should also drink more water. Fiber can be constipating, and with constipation already an issue in menopause, let’s not make matters worse.
Soy protein as part of a low-fat diet can help pull down LDL by 3 to 5 percent, says the Review, with 25 grams of daily consumption. Tofu, soy nuts, edamame, miso as all good ways to bump up your soy. And bonus, soy foods may help reduce menopause symptoms, and there’s no evidence to suggest it’s a danger for women with estrogen-positive breast cancer risk. We recommend against taking isoflavone supplements or soy supplements, as that can provide a very concentrated dose and may therefore be a risk.
Understand that eating cholesterol-healthy foods is NOT a license to eat more cholesterol-unhealthy foods. Soy, oats, and plant sterols are effective as part of a healthy diet, not despite an unhealthy one.
Meats and whole-fat dairy are particularly problematic for saturated fat. Eat these in moderation and swap them out for skim or no-fat dairy or dairy substitutes. A couple of times a week (or more), consider salmon instead of steak.
Trans fats are often added to processed foods. Often called “hydrogenated” fats on ingredient labels, this is often considered the “worst” fat you can eat, says the Mayo Clinic. Not only do trans fats raise LDL, they can also lower HDL, making them a double danger. “Partially hydrogenated” oils contain less trans fat, but because we consume so much of this in the US, they should still be avoided.
You’ll find these wicked trans fats in pre-made baked goods like cakes, pie crusts, and crackers; snacks like potato chips and even microwaved popcorn; fried foods like fried chicken, fries, and donuts; pre-made dough for biscuits, cinnamon rolls, and pizza crusts; margarine and coffee creamer can also contain sneaky trans fats, says the Mayo Clinic.
How much is “safe”? The FDA says none. Even partially hydrogenated vegetable oil is no longer considered “safe” and is being phased out of use.
What else can increase risk of high cholesterol? According to Barbara Gordon of the ADA, in addition to estrogen loss, genetics, age, some medications, being overweight, eating saturated and trans fats, not moving enough, and smoking (particularly for women!) can all raise cholesterol levels. If any or all of these describe you, you should pay particular attention to your cholesterol levels and get checked more frequently.
Twenty to thirty percent of your total daily calories should come from fat, says the Mayo Clinic. Keep saturated fat at less than 10 percent. Choose monounsaturated fats instead: nuts, fish, olive oil and foods with good omega 3 fatty acids (fatty fish).
February is heart health month. It’s also the month of Valentine’s Day. So do something for those you love the most (and that should include yourself) by taking some steps to preserve your healthy heart for the many years ahead.
Ready to get started on better health? Access the evidence-based lifestyle recommendations of our menopause specialists. Book a virtual visit today.
Have you dealt with heart-health issues? How are you managing? We’d love to hear your tips or heart-friendly recipes, so share in our Gennev community forums!
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The information on the Gennev site is never meant to replace the care of a qualified medical professional. Hormonal shifts throughout menopause can prompt a lot of changes in your body, and simply assuming something is “just menopause” can leave you vulnerable to other possible causes. Always consult with your physician or schedule an appointment with one of Gennev’s telemedicine doctors before beginning any new treatment or therapy.
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It started with 24 women submitting their menopause stories through selfie videos for what we were calling our ” anthem video”.
Each of them answered a brief script of questions about how they were experiencing perimenopause symptoms, post-menopause, or somewhere in between.
Two months later, our editors wove together their stories into what is now the #IAmTheChange video. Please pause for a moment and watch it now”¦but first, promise me that you will come back to read the rest of this email. It’s critical that you do.
Now that you’ve watched the video, how do you feel? Do you feel emboldened? A little less alone during this time of life? Moved by hearing women talk about a change that you’re going through too?
The #IAmThe Change video is a call to arms for women to speak up about how they’re transforming during their time of menopause. No more shushing women into isolation; this video is meant to help us all feel a little more normal; a little more in control of this miraculous and sometimes challenging transition we’re in; and a little less lonely when the stress, sleeplessness, or relationship strain gets heavy.
We didn’t quite know where the women’s’ stories would take us; but we knew that it takes voices coming together to create change. The kind of change that materially changes how women will experience this menopause transition so many of us manage on a daily basis.
And it’s not about the hashtag; it’s about the conversation we ignite. It’s the perception we change of a 50-year-old woman. It’s the workplace we help make more inclusive for women experiencing brain fog, fatigue, and hot flashes.
Alicia Garza, the co-founder of the Black Lives Matter movement said, “You don’t turn a hashtag into a movement – people turn things into a movement.”
#IAmTheChange is a conversation-starter. It’s the ice-breaker for real meaningful conversation about this incredible transformation we as women get to go through.
I’m not trying to candy-coat the night sweats, mood swings, weight gain, or mysterious symptoms that come with the change; but I am trying to make them less daunting with a supportive community who can openly express how they’re feeling.
Submit your #IAmTheChange story. It takes 5 minutes to write a few things about your experience. You can add your name and photo, or leave it anonymous. Every story helps, because you never know who might read your story and connect, given the immense feeling of relief that comes with knowing that you’re not the only one.
Because it starts with one person, I’m sharing my story below. Please read it and share yours.
Every woman has a story. We want to hear yours.
Here is mine…
Name: Jill Angelo
Age: 47
Menopause phase: Perimenopause
What did you know about menopause before starting your own journey?
I didn’t know much about it. I thought it was a time in life when women got hot flashes and they’re moody. All negatives, nothing positive.
What has been the most surprising aspect of menopause?
I’m most surprised about how freeing it feels. I care less about what others think of me. I have a new respect for what my body is capable of as it transforms into what it needs to become for the next 40 years. I’m also surprised at how others so willingly open up when I share what’s working for my symptom relief.
How do you control your menopause symptoms?
I struggle most with bad irregular periods, night sweats and trouble sleeping. As a result, I am getting an IUD to manage my periods. I have an incredible gynecologist who is helping me. For the sleep and night sweats issue, I limit hard to digest foods; I time my alcohol consumption before 9 p.m.; and I use the Gennev Sleep Premium CBD Tincture to manage my stress and help me fall asleep faster.
What’s your advice to younger women about what to expect in menopause?
Don’t be dismissive of random symptoms that may pop up. I started having night sweats when I was 34. I didn’t dive into educating myself about menopause just then, but I did seek to understand what was causing them and then changed my behaviors to put them in check so I could get a good nights’ sleep. Menopause is not an “old woman’s thing”. It’s a natural change in your hormone patterns that always track to your age.
What happens when women realize their stress, anxiety, and mood swings are different than they have ever experienced before, and in some cases may lead to rage and even panic? Unfortunately, many end up keeping it to themselves.
In Gennev’s annual women and menopause report, 92% of women reported more stress on top of menopause-related anxiety in the past year. And 45% of women surveyed revealed they were struggling more than they ever had.
Being in touch every day with women who are dealing with the many symptoms and impacts of menopause, the Gennev health team knew they needed to respond with a solution to help those dealing with challenges in their emotional wellbeing. Jill Angelo, Gennev CEO shared, “We consistently hear that women in menopause struggle with emotional health, but in the last year, women were requesting referrals to therapists. In response, we designed a program that offers a 360-degree solution for helping women manage their emotional health, complete with therapists, doctors and health coaches”.
“Our participants often feel like there is no one who understands what they are experiencing, or worse, they don’t even know how to begin to ask for help.” That is what Stasi Kasianchuk, Gennev’s Director of Health Coaching, hears from many women in Gennev’s Menopause and Emotional Wellness program where ten women meet each week in a group session designed to provide education, support and guidance. “In each of the group programs we have held this year, women have shared their relief in knowing they are not the only ones who have been experiencing these feelings as feelings that are often difficult to admit.”
Gennev’s Menopause and Emotional Wellness Program offers women three key things that are proving to make a difference in the outcomes of participants:
The program offers a safe space to participate in discussion about uncomfortable topics. While being uncomfortable is part of the process of learning, women don’t need to go it alone. The education presented helps women understand what they are experiencing is often a result of the normal hormonal changes that occur during menopause, not them losing their minds. With recognition that these are real changes there are also strategies provided to mitigate the impact.
“The most surprising outcome from each of the programs has been the meaningful connections these women are making. They find common ground in the first session where each participant shares what they are struggling with most, and the comradery grows from there. We have had many women planning to meet in person or stay connected via phone once the program ends,” says Stasi, “it’s heartening to know that this sense of belonging can be found with a Zoom meet up.” “Women are grateful for the learning and the clarity the program offers. They are building confidence in what they are going through, knowing it’s a transition and not a destination. I believe they have been searching for information to make sense of what they are experiencing and have found the solution in a group setting with the added support of women whose experiences are familiar to them.”
Emotional wellness support is critical at every stage of life, and especially now. If you feel like you don’t know where to begin in finding the support you need, or even what to ask, Gennev can help you. Join an upcoming Menopause and Emotional Wellness group program for education and connections, or speak one-on-one with a Gennev Health Coach to help you identify the solutions that are best suited for you.
If you have a question about participating in a Gennev Menopause and Emotional Wellness program, please feel free to reach out to Stasi at Stasi@Gennev.com.
At Gennev, our mission is to connect women with the very best menopause resources available to manage their health in midlife. We’re working hard to gather up medical and wellness professionals with expertise on the changes in women’s bodies; vendors offering truly effective solutions; and the very best, most accurate and complete information we can supply.
Why?
Because Ann-Marie Archer.
Because there’s so little information and conversation, even an informed woman who takes good care of herself didn’t know what, who, or even if to ask for help when her body did some pretty frightening stuff.
At 51, Ann-Marie still wasn’t menopausal or even close. Her periods were erratic and had been for a while, but she wasn’t having hot flashes and her blood tests showed no indication of menopause, so she and her doctor assumed things were fine, if delayed.
Things weren’t fine.
Her periods were extremely heavy as sheet-changing heavy, taking-an-extra-bag-full-of-tampons-when-traveling heavy as but hey, no hot flashes, and that’s how you know it’s menopause, right?
Ann-Marie Archer
“My doctor never said, “We should do something about this,'” Ann-Marie says. So they didn’t.
“I’m an informed woman,” Ann-Marie says. “I felt ridiculous asking my doctor if this was “normal,’ because I should know if it’s normal. But how can anyone know what’s normal if no one talks about it?”
Two events finally convinced her that it was time to push for more help.
“I was in the office of the business my partner and I owned at the time. It was summer, and I was wearing a sundress. I was 51 or 52, I was having my period, but it was no big deal. I stood up to go the restroom, and suddenly, I was bleeding so badly that it was all over the floor, everything just came out, it was horrifying. Fortunately, the only other person in the office with me was another woman, and she was able to help me. “
With her help, Ann-Marie was able to make it home and change into completely new clothes. Then she went back to work.
“That should have clued me in that something was very wrong. Something wasn’t normal. But I thought, well, that’s just what menopause is.”
She did talk to her doctor, but she didn’t get any satisfying answers. Tests once again seemed to indicate there wasn’t really a “problem” as just “menopause stuff.”
“It was horrendous,” she says. “There were no good options. The doctor said she could put in an IUD or she’d prescribe the Pill, but that just didn’t feel right. There was no discussion of ablation or other possibilities as only choices I didn’t want.”
When it happened a second time, this time during a massage, it scared Ann-Marie badly enough that she convinced her doctor to run some additional tests. And there it was: pre-cancerous cells in her uterus. She had a hysterectomy in December of 2016 after, she says, “years and years of suffering vaginal pain and excessive bleeding. Because I didn’t have enough information.”
The surgery revealed enormous fibroids that hadn’t shown up on any of the previous tests, including an ultrasound. “How could they not know?” Ann-Marie asks. “They were so big, my uterus was two-thirds again its normal size. Turns out my swollen uterus was pushing on my bladder, which explained the incontinence I’d been complaining about. I’m a weight lifter, but I could barely sneeze without wetting my pants. The surgery took two hours longer than they expected because of the giant fibroids no one knew were there.”
Silence and shame are their own kinds of cancer, Ann-Marie says, but they can be just as deadly.
“If I had known more, if I had more to read, people to ask, if there was more menopause education, I would never have let it go on this long. When I talked to the oncologist about the hysterectomy, I said I assumed they’d leave my ovaries. She advised against it, saying there are no warning signs for ovarian cancer. The crazy bleeding was my body’s warning of the uterine cancer, she told me. Who knew? If I’d known that, I would have demanded tests a lot sooner.
“Women aren’t useless after 50 just because we’re no longer having babies. At 55, I still hadn’t gone through menopause, and my doctor just sort of shrugged it off. If I can’t get information there, how can I possibly know how serious it is? Something’s missing, for women.”
What’s missing, Ann-Marie says, is information. Information on the limits of “normal.” Information on the body’s signals and signs when something’s wrong, and information about all the options to fix it.
“Don’t just talk about hot flashes as if that’s all menopause is. Women manifest symptoms in so many ways, we need to share information and get educated. Let’s talk about “here’s what perimenopause is, here’s what menopause is, here’s where normal ends.’ We need to know when everything’s OK and when we’re heading for trouble.”
And it’s not just the bad stuff we need to know, according to Ann-Marie. Education can fill us in on the positives to come as well. For example, Ann-Marie had no idea how much better she’d feel after her hysterectomy.
“My uterus went to the Dark Side,” she says, laughing. “Once I got it out, I was happier than a pig in sh*t. My naturopath put me on naturally occurring hormones [BHRT] as it took about six months to get the balance figured out as but I’m right as rain now. I just wish I’d done it years ago.”
Her BHRT includes a tiny amount of testosterone, which has also had an unexpected impact: “I always had a healthy libido, but now you can’t keep me out of the bedroom. Who knew that was going to happen?”
Ann-Marie’s advice to others experiencing dramatic symptoms? “Educate yourself. Find whatever information you can, then go to your doctor and push until you know all the options, all the risks and benefits. Don’t settle if none of the choices seem right for you or your body.
“And all of us need to talk, no matter what our experience has been. Talk with your mom, your daughter, colleagues, friends, other women. Keep talking until we figure out what’s normal and not, what’s to be expected, what the signs are that you need medical help. The more we talk, the more we learn, and the better we understand where the edges of “normal’ are.”
The more we know, the better our understanding of menopause and midlife. If you have a story to share, please share on Gennev’s Facebook page or in Midlife & Menopause Solutions, Gennev’s closed Facebook group. And, as always, if your symptoms don’t feel normal, or even if they’re just impacting your quality of life, please talk with your doctor.
“It’s the only time I’ve ever actually wanted to die. I had one migraine that was so bad, I thought, “I could kill myself right now. I could really just die.’ It was that bad.”
Most women have experienced headache pain, but for women like Kara, the agony of a migraine can be a whole lot worse. As in, leave-work-and-spend-a-couple-of-days-in-bed-trying-not-to-throw-up worse. And they were frequent, tearing days out of her life at least once a month.
When she was 38, Kara and her husband Edwin decided they wanted a baby. “We had a great life: good jobs, lots of travel”we weren’t sure we wanted to disrupt that. But we talked about it and decided we didn’t want to get to 50 and have this huge regret.”
But for women who suffer from migraines, opting for parenthood comes with a whole different set of risks. Kara, a microbiologist and research biochemist, is a self-proclaimed “giant nerd,” and she researched the concerns of pregnancy and migraines like the scientist (and nerd!) she is.
“The worst thing,” according to Kara, “is all the conflicting information. Migraines are such a mystery, but we throw medications and chemicals and hormones at women without really understanding what causes the pain, how to treat it, how your body will react to the medications, or even what your triggers are. Honestly, no one has a frickin’ clue.
“And when you’re a woman with migraines who’s considering having a baby, what you usually get told, and what my doctor told me, was that many pregnant women don’t have migraines while they’re pregnant. Sounds great, right? But then I started looking through the stats, and I found that yes, some women don’t have migraines”¦and some women have a migraine that lasts for the entire duration of their pregnancy. Nine months of a horrible, debilitating headache. That was a serious gamble that my doctor didn’t tell me I could be taking; I had to find out on my own.”
Kara decided it was worth the risk, and she went off the Pill for the first time since she was 22. Shortly thereafter, she had the second-worst migraine of her life. However, during her next cycle, when she would normally experience a migraine, she had a mild headache”¦and that was all.
Daughter Anna was born in September; Kara had few migraines during the pregnancy and has had none at all since late July.
There’s a strong genetic component to migraines; people are more likely to have them if a parent does. However, except for recently, Kara has suffered from migraines since early adulthood, despite migraines not running in her family.
“All of this tells me it was the hormones I was taking that were causing the problem, yet no medical professional was willing to explore that possibility with me.
“I’ve dealt with this for years,” Kara says. “I’ve had MRIs of my brain, X-rays of my neck and spinal cord, I tried everything. With my previous ob/gyn, I told him, I think it’s caused by the hormones because they’re like clockwork. I ovulate, I have my period, and I get migraines. His response? “Oh, no, no, let’s try you out on a different kind of birth control. This one will make you mildly crazy and angry, but it might help you control the migraines.’ How is that an option??
“The medical industry just has so little understanding of how hormones trigger migraines and how complicated female biology is, but they just keep handing out hormone pills like “hey, the research is done, they’re really effective at preventing pregnancy, mission complete!’ Except hormonal birth control doesn’t work for every woman, and we need more safe, effective choices.
Fortunately, Kara now has a new ob/gyn whom she loves. After baby Anna was born, when it was time to consider birth control, they had a very open conversation about all the options. “I didn’t want to go back on the Pill because I was sure they were causing or at least contributing to my migraines. She listened, and we came to a solution that will work for me and my family.” Kara wants all women to have that experience.
The lack of good information and options affects a lot of women, not just women starting a family, Kara says. When she was on the Pill and having migraines, it was embarrassing to have to explain taking a couple of days off every month.
“Women need more information, and doctors need to be a lot more open about the risks and side effects. A former colleague of mine has terrible migraines, and I suggested she talk to her doctor about her birth control. She said no, they were just going to keep trying different versions until they found one that solved everything. I hope she finds it, but I worry that for some women, hormonal birth control just isn’t an option, but they’re not being educated about that.”
Until we can count on getting the full story from our medical professionals, Kara recommends every woman do her due diligence. “Don’t self-diagnose. Never self-diagnose,” Kara says. “But do your research, be ready with your questions when you talk to your doc, and don’t leave until you’re satisfied. Get a second opinion if you’re not feeling confident about what you’re being told. Be open and advocate for your own health the way you would for your kid or your partner or your parent. Doctors can’t know what we don’t tell them, and sometimes the only way we learn things is to ask.”
Our thanks to Kara for sharing her experience. The more we at Gennev talk with women and hear their stories, the more convinced we are that opening the conversation around women’s hormonal health is critical. If you have a story to share, join us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.