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How do you discuss a “taboo” topic like menopause on a public forum like a podcast? With humor, insight, wisdom, and patience!

Meet Colleen Ricci Rosenblum and Bridgett Biagi Garratt, the forces behind the hit podcast for midlife women: Hot Flashes & Cool Topics.

A year and 60-or-so episodes out from their launch, and Colleen and Bridgett have a genuine hit on their hands.

They’ve talked about the things you might imagine, given their title: peri/menopause, being empty nesters and relationships with adult children, etc. 

But they’ve taken on some tougher topics as well, including Colleen’s daughter’s history with an eating disorder, difficult pregnancies, divorce, and suicide.

Initially, they reached out to Gennev to feature Gennev CEO Jill Angelo on a podcast; they were so delightful and informed and fun, we asked them to return the favor.

What follows is a great conversation about midlife, menopause, the (glacially slow) changing attitudes towards women’s health, and what it’s like to go in the public eye and share intimate information.

 

TRANSCRIPT TO FOLLOW

What do you think? Is it easier to talk about menopause with friends, family, maybe even at work? Do you agree it’s important that health topics such as menopause be discussed openly? We’d love to know your thoughts, so please join the conversation in the Gennev Community forums. 

Exercise is good for everyone, but for women in midlife, it’s particularly important to stay active. Sarcopenia is the medical term for the loss of muscle mass and strength, and both aging and menopause are prime causes.

How to gain muscle after 40?

For oh-so-many reasons: stronger core muscles mean better balance and less chance of falls. Weight training helps reduce abdominal fat, which may help prevent heart issues; it also helps control blood sugar, making it a great tool in prevention or management of Type 2 diabetes. Working muscles against each other may help build and retain bone density. Since muscle requires more blood and oxygen to maintain, the body has to work harder to keep muscles supplied, raising metabolism and burning more calories. It also helps improve mood, lessening depression and anxiety and improving sleep.

Clearly, retaining and building muscle is important for aging well. To find out how to do it right, we consulted Coach Lesley Mettler. With over 20 years’ experience training athletes from beginners to elites, Coach Lesley has helped hundreds of trainees get across the finish line. She has a Bachelor’s in Exercise and Sports Science, with a pre-medical emphasis and a Minor in Nutrition, so we felt pretty confident she could help us.

Keeping and building muscle after 40 with these 5 exercises

Sumo Squat with dumbbell press. There are two versions of this, one with palms facing each other and one with palms facing forward. If your palms are facing forward, don’t extend your arms completely on the way up.

Why Lesley likes it: “It’s a full-body exercise that gets you standing tall! When you squat, push back up to standing through your heels and squeeze your glutes at the top. Keep your core solid and mind your back. If you have to arch your back to raise the weights, you are lifting too much weight.”

Deadlift with dumbbells. According to Lesley, “This one is all about form. Straight back and hinge at the hips. Keep your core rock solid to effect the move. You’ll work your glutes and hamstrings and core. Only lower the weights as far as is comfortable for your level of hamstring flexibility.”

Plank. Says Lesley, “There’s a reason this one shows up so often! It’s a great core exercise and doesn’t require any equipment. Make sure to choose the version that is best for you. Automatically going to the hardest version is doing yourself a disservice (in all these exercises) and a great way to tweak something! Strength and muscular endurance takes time to build.”

There are three versions here to choose from: the “regular” plank, an easier one done from the knees, and a harder one with alternating legs.

Reverse Fly. “How long have you been hunched over that computer, laptop, or phone today? How long were you sitting on the couch or driving (hunched over)? This one hits the upper back and shoulders. Form is also important! Bent over, straight back, keep a slight bend in your elbows and both lift and lower the weights. Think about cracking a walnut between your shoulder blades.”

Bicep curls with balance. Says Lesley, “This is another favorite. It’s a simple exercise but adding in the balance challenge works a neglected system! Can you stand on one leg without wobbling? Again, keep your core tight and do not lift so heavy that you use your back to move the weights. As you get better at standing on one leg while doing this, increase the wobble challenge by standing on a pillow, foam pad or Bosu. You may also mimic a running motion.”

Finally, says Lesley, “These are the basic exercises, but we’d also encourage an easy walk, run, bike, elliptical. Get that heart pumping and some sweat to warm up those muscles first. It doesn’t have to be long!”

Want more help to maximize your post-40 fabulousness? Learn how to kick the sugar habit, get the right amount of protein, detox your home, and get better sleep.

How does work change in your 40s, 50s, and 60s? With more women re-entering the workplace and/or staying there longer, women are looking for ways to make work more fulfilling. And they’re demanding the respect and leadership positions their knowledge, education, and experience merit. 

Our regular guest blogger, Barbara Mark, PhD, takes on the question of how women can plan for the rest of their career (or the new one they’ve just started) while dealing with aging parents, perimenopause and menopause symptoms, and the consequences of impulsive midlife decisions.

This article first appeared on PRiME WOMEN and is reprinted here with permission. 

Women’s lives are complicated in their 40s, 50s and 60s. As someone who researches professional women in midlife and is a long-time executive coach to this population, I get an up-close-and-personal view of the experiences that women have as the good, the bad and the ugly. I am going to share what women typically face as they mature through this midlife period.

PRiME Women: age, and work

First, some good news: According to reports from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), more women than ever are contributing to the American labor force, and older women are being valued for what they contribute. This may come as surprising given the gendered ageism women experience.

The BLS predicts that by 2024 nearly one in ten workers will be 55 and older, with women representing the fastest-growing age-gender segment. In less than a decade there will be twice as many older women as women aged 16-24.

This becomes important as women in their 40s look at long-term career planning.

Our often-conflicted 40s

Women in their 40s are in a stage of personal and psychological development that includes moving away from depending on others for approval and permission and making important career decisions independently. Women are typically aggressively moving into more visible and influential leadership positions in their areas of interest and expertise.

It is the second stage of midlife adult development called “Separation“ which can feel liberating for many women.

This is a great time for women to be robust in their desire to achieve the results they want to achieve at this time in their career. They have credibility and enough experience to know what they want to be doing and at what level. They have done their networking and know how to find the contacts that will help them to move up where they are or make the big move to a different place.

If they are unsure of where they want to be, this is a great time to engage with a coach to help get some clarity and develop strategies for making change.

This is an exciting time and yet a challenging time for two reasons:

First, this age group is called the Sandwich Generation. They are likely to still have children (sometimes young ones if they have had children) and parents who are aging as and both kids and parents may require care.

Second, it is during this decade that women typically begin to  enter perimenopause and experience the accompanying array of symptoms. For some women it is a blip on the developmental radar screen and for others it is a nightmare!

For the women for whom this is a nightmare, this is the time to connect with a menopause specialist. You can find resources at the North American Menopause Society. Also, there are several online menopause support solutions as one of my favorites being Gennev.

Don’t dread menopause as learn the reasons to celebrate this time in your life.

“Sandwiched” and symptomatic, many women in their 40s consider starting their own venture to provide more freedom and flexibility. These women do need to be mindful that starting their own venture can come with its own challenges and should do their due diligence. It could be the keys to the freedom kingdom “¦ or an all-consuming nightmare of its own.

Our empowering 50s

Moving into their 50s, for many women, is a journey toward increased personal empowerment. However, the beginning of the journey is beset with some navigational challenges.

Many women are still in the grips of perimenopausal symptoms, yet for most women the end is in sight as the average age of menopause is 51. Perimenopausal symptoms can last for a while longer then actual menopause (one year after your last period), but they are usually waning.

Developmentally, this is a time when women begin to reflect on what life has been so far and wonder if they have accomplished all that they hoped or thought that they would.

This time of deep self reflection is often accompanied by a lot of questions about being in the right place. It is the third stage of midlife development called “Liminality” as being at a “threshold” of change. This can mean looking at their level of passion and looking for sufficient levels of purpose and meaning in their career and other aspects of their lives.

Also, this can be a time when some women experience their own personal/professional midlife “crisis” in that they feel that they want or need to make a move but have no real clarity about what that move should be.

Mistakes can be made during this time, so it’s a good time to seek the counsel of a close friend or engage a coach. Often the best choice is to sit tight and wait until you have gotten the clarity you need.

Careers can be very fulfilling at this time, as often the level women have reached is the level they want to be at and they’re in the environment they want to be in.

If those things aren’t true, it is important to get some good coaching to look at making a transition. Because of the aforementioned gendered ageism, women need to feel confident and not get pushed to the side.

Some Pro Tips are:

  1. Know your value and be able to articulate how your skills contribute to positive business outcomes. Be proud of what you have accomplished and be able to detail your track record with your current or prospective boss.
  2. Network across generational networks. Developing good relationships across the generations can go a long way to being seen as relational, valuable, and relevant. You have a lot of institutional knowledge and earned wisdom as these are very valuable in the world of work. Sharing this knowledge and wisdom with younger colleagues will help you to nurture trust and influence. You will also be able to keep up to date on current trends and technologies.
  3. Always manage up well!
  4. Be sure to challenge your own assumptions about age. You are not old as don’t hold yourself back!
  5. Also, it doesn’t hurt to know your rights when it comes to possible age discrimination as just in case ;).

As women move into their late 50s, they are usually feeling on more solid ground and into the stage of “Reintegration.”

This is a time of that empowerment I mentioned earlier. Many women will take big, concrete steps toward feeling greater purpose and meaning. If women have had children, they are usually launched by this time, leaving women with more time to focus on what they truly want professionally and personally.

If that isn’t fully happening career-wise, many women add creative pursuits or volunteer opportunities that are meaningful and fulfilling. In the workplace, many women derive deep satisfaction from mentoring and sponsoring younger colleagues.

Our vibrant 60s

Women in their 60s are often both vibrant and elegant. Wisdom is in vogue now, so 60-year-olds should glow in the workplace and in other areas of their lives.

For women for whom this is not the case, grab a good friend and go visit nature, give each other facials, get a massage, go see Mamma Mia Here We Go Again or Book Club.

It is time to enjoy the stage of “Individuation” when women accept all of who they are and kick to the curb anything that doesn’t fit. It is time for women to appreciate all they have accomplished and to accomplish more with purpose and passion!

Women who have found their perfect career spot will enjoy taking on new challenges that keep them growing in ways that are fulfilling.

Do keep in mind the “Pro Tips” noted above as women in their 60s shouldn’t under-sell themselves as they have such wide and deep institutional knowledge and experience to share.

More women are working longer because they are vibrant and have no desire to move out to “pasture” yet. Many women need and want the financial security of working longer.

And let’s be honest: mature women are solid gold for the workplace. By this time in their lives, they have a treasure trove of experience and well-honed interpersonal skills; they handle stress and problem-solve well.

Women in their 60s are loyal, reliable and wise. Some women will want to move toward non-profit opportunities to gain a feeling of purpose and meaning and bring all of the attributes acquired with age and experience that they share in other environments.

Women in their 40s, 50s, and 60s are powerful and dynamic and are to be deeply valued by themselves and by their professional and personal environments. I encourage women to really enjoy this journey with gusto as bumps in the road and all.

Are you still in the workforce, back in the workforce, considering a new job? We’d love to hear about your experience. Ageism, expectations, menopause symptoms as give us the full scoop by leaving a comment below or reaching out to us on our Facebook page or in our closed Facebook group, Midlife & Menopause Solutions. 

 

Yes, premenopause and pregnancy is still very possible. Premenopause (most commonly referred to as perimenopause) is a period of years that occurs before menopause when your hormone levels start to fluctuate and you may begin to experience menopausal symptoms. The average age for premenopausal onset is 51, but this varies woman to woman.

Women in type 1: premenopause have one of the highest rates of unintended pregnancies in the U.S.–second only to teenagers. Mind blown, right? And while the rate of teen pregnancies has been dropping, peri-pregnancies are on the rise. So, to answer the question, yes, premenopause and pregnancy go together like, well, two things you really didn’t think would. We know that this is welcome news for some women who’ve waited to have children. While it’s terrifying for others who either never wanted kids, or have already turned their son’s bedroom into a she-cave and are ready for the next chapter. So let’s talk through this (hint: Birth control is still your friend), because a woman armed with information is a woman prepared to take on anything. Even a baby.

And, as always, be sure to include your doctor in any conversation concerning your physical, mental, and emotional health–three things pregnancy is sure to impact.

If you don’t already have a doc, get connected with a Gennev menopause-certified gynecologist who will give you a trusted opinion. Book an appointment here.

Pregnancy Midlife: Yes, It’s a Real Thing

Yes, your estrogen and progesterone levels are decreasing and the quality of your eggs is not what it was during your traditional child-bearing years. And yet, everything necessary to conceive is still working–in a somewhat wonky way, sure.

But working enough that it’s possible to get pregnant. Yes, this will feel like an insult added to injury for some women. We’re right there with you.

Some premenopause pregnancies are intentional, as fertility treatment makes it possible for women to push childbearing back and concentrate on their careers. However, women pre-menopause can still have as high as a 5 as 10% chance each month of finding themselves on “the plus side of the pee stick,” as one older mom described it, even if the pregnancy is unwanted.  

Signs You May Be Pregnant

Oddly enough, premenopause and pregnancy share many of the same symptoms, which can make it more difficult to figure out just what, exactly, is going on with your body. Some women might find this ironic–and some would simply throw those women and their irony a seering side-eye. We never said this was going to be easy. But the truth is, any of the symptoms below,** combined with your age, means a check-in with your doc would be a good idea.*

Testing for Premenopause

You may be wondering if there’s a test you can take to determine if you’re premenopausal. The answer is, no, not really. Hormone menopause tests are essentially useless because your hormone levels naturally change during the menstrual cycle.

Follical-stimulating hormone (FSH) testing is used to confirm menopause, but is not reliable to diagnose premenopause. According to menopause.org, “a single FSH level can be misleading in perimenopause because estrogen production does not fall at a steady rate from day to day. Instead, both estrogen and FSH levels can vary greatly during perimenopause. Also, if a woman is using certain hormone therapies (such as birth control pills), a FSH test is not valid.” 

The Rabbit Died. Now What?

If you discover that you are indeed pregnant, there’s a lot to think about. We can’t, nor would we want to, make any decisions for you. Your body is your body, meaning you control who has a say in how to proceed. But we can provide information so that you’re able to make an informed decision.

Risks For Pregnancy During Premenopause

Let’s look at the risks you might encounter as a midlife mom-to-be. Notice we said “might.”* None of what you’re about to read is going to fill your heart with joy. Also, it’s entirely possible that none of what you’re about to read will come up during your pregnancy. Or one will, but the rest won’t. Or five will–you get the point. We’re providing a starting point for the conversation you’ll have with your doctor once the pregnancy is confirmed. Nothing more.

If You’re Not Pregnant, Consider Your Birth Control Options

The prevailing wisdom is that until you’ve gone 12 full months without a period, you should use some sort of birth control if you don’t want to get pregnant. Read that again. Got it? Good. Depending on your health and history, you have a pretty wide range of choices at your disposal, all listed below. Also, you’ll see that there are some issues to consider when choosing a method.

Birth Control Choices

Odds are you’ve been taking a birth control that works for you, and that’s great. It is possible, though, that a different form might address some of your premenopausal symptoms better than your current method, so it’s worth checking in with your doctor to see if a tweak or two might help.

Considerations with Premenopause Birth Control

Oral, hormonal birth control that contains a combination of estrogen and progestin can help manage perimenopausal symptoms like irregular periods, hot flashes, acne, and bone loss. They may also help prevent uterine and ovarian cancer. However, because combination oral contraceptives do help manage perimenopause symptoms, it can be hard to tell where you are in the transition. When you stop taking birth control pills, you’ll have withdrawal bleeding, which mimics a period–even after menopause. You may need to stop for some time and then have FSH levels tested, but obviously use another method during that pause.

Additionally, estrogen-containing contraceptives are not appropriate for women who have a history (personal or family) of estrogen-dependent cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes, blood clots, or heart disease.

Women who are over 35 and smoke shouldn’t. And they shouldn’t take hormonal contraceptives, either.

Studies have shown that contraceptive injection may increase the risk of osteoporosis. Women who are at high risk or who smoke should probably find another option.

Sterilization and/or long-term contraception such as implants may not be the best options as they are rather invasive for a woman at a low risk of unintended pregnancy.

Female condoms can be awkward to use for the inexperienced, but they are well lubricated and may reduce or eliminate the pain of intercourse for a woman with vaginal dryness. Male condoms have to be used consistently and according to instructions to be effective, and breaks do happen. If you’re using a lubricant, be sure your condoms and your lubricant are compatible.

The rhythm method (also “natural family planning”) may not be appropriate for a woman in premenopause as irregular periods can make it hard to track your cycle and establish when you’re fertile or not.

Premenopause and Pregnancy

Bet you never thought those three words would ever cross your mind. Join the club. Years of women’s issues, especially midlife transitions, have been ignored for far too long, leaving intelligent, capable women asking questions they should have been taught the answers to decades ago. So we have some catching up to do. That’s ok. We learn fast. And we have each other to stay informed, supported, and understood.

Going through premenopause and feel like you need to vent? Leave a comment below, or talk to us on our Facebook page or in Midlife & Menopause Solutions, our closed Facebook group.

*It is not Gennev’s intention to provide specific medical advice, but rather to provide users with information to better understand their health and their diagnosed disorders. Specific medical advice will not be provided, and Gennev urges you to consult with a qualified physician for diagnosis and for answers to your personal questions.

**We are providing these links for informational purposes only; they do not constitute an endorsement or an approval by Gennev of any of the products, services, or opinions of the corporation, or organization, or individual. Gennev bears no responsibility for the accuracy, legality or content of the external site or for that of subsequent links.

Have you taken our menopause assessment? Join over 100,000 women to learn more about your symptoms and where you are in the menopause journey.

“Is this normal?” “Am I going crazy?”

We hear variations on these questions all the time as some women’s menopause symptoms are pretty extreme, and for most of us, at least a few symptoms are totally unexpected. And that can be frightening, if you aren’t sure what’s going on in your body.

Understanding the menopausal body

To help women understand their bodies better, Gennev’s Chief Medical Officer, ob/gyn Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su, to develop a tool called the “Menopause Assessment.” The Assessment asks women about the impacts perimenopause and menopause have had on their life and health: hot flashes, sleep disturbances, changes to skin, hair, and weight, vaginal symptoms, urinary issues, and gastrointestinal upsets, among others.

It also asks a woman’s level of concern about future health impacts such as osteoporosis, neurological issues, and heart disease.

So, what did we learn about menopause?

Since we introduced the Menopause Assessment in 2018, nearly 1,000 of you have taken it. As it’s almost the end of 2018, we wanted to give you an idea of what we’ve learned so far.

And just as an FYI, we respect your privacy, always. Our Menopause Assessment is HIPAA-compliant and the information shared is used to improve our recommendations for you.

The top symptoms reported:

“I try to do all the right things but I still have fatigue and
brain fog.”

Questions aren’t limited to, “Do you have this symptom,” but also how often the symptom occurs and how disruptive it is to a woman’s life and sense of well-being. Having a few mild hot flashes during the day is very different from soaking through three sets of clothes and being unable to get more than a couple of uninterrupted hours of sleep a night.

Assessing your place in the journey

The goals of the Menopause Assessment? To help women locate where they are in the perimenopause/menopause journey, to provide some answers and solutions for relief from symptoms, and also to help all of us better understand the boundaries of “normal.”

“Menopause is kicking my butt,
it’s been really hard for me to deal with this”

Every woman’s experience of menopause is different, and the complexity, the wide range of experiences, and the social stigma mean the medical community hasn’t given it as much attention as we’d like. At Gennev, we want to change that, and having meaningful insights across a broad spectrum of those experiencing perimenopause and menopause can only deepen and enrich our understanding.

“I just feel flat…..”

Some other things you told us

Hot flashes are also very common at 63% of respondents, and of those who reported having them, 66% said impacts of the hot flashes were “moderate to very high.” And lots of women have gastrointestinal issues such as nausea, bloating, and gas. Joint pain was a common symptom, as was a reduced ability to achieve orgasm. And insomnia was a biggie as many of us find it hard to go to sleep, stay asleep, or return to sleep on waking.

You also shared with us some additional challenges in the comments: Anxiety is very common among women in perimenopause and menopause, and it is nearly debilitating for some. Women have lost jobs or relationships from depression or rage. Body odor changes plague many, and fatigue, recurrent UTIs andpainful breasts make it hard to work, exercise, or enjoy intimacy.

“I am 53 yrs old and I remember saying, “˜I’ll ride it out,’
but how long is this ride?”

So what did we really learn? That lack of estrogen is truly systemic, affecting virtually every part of our bodies and every aspect of our lives. We learned that “normal” encompasses a wide range of symptoms, a huge variability in intensity and frequency, and very little predictability in terms of duration and response to treatments.

And there appears to be so little help as many women were truly frustrated at the lack of solutions offered and the dismissive attitude of some doctors.

Next steps

At Gennev, our mission is to make menopause easier, to help women take control of their health to feel better now and prepare for long, healthy, active lives beyond. 

We encourage you to speak with a doctor. Our team are experts in menopause care and can help get you on a path to feeling better.

“I’m not really sure…. Just help. Please. Thank you.”

If you’re ready to understand your body better and get some personalized tips to manage menopause symptoms, take the Menopause Assessment. It’s totally free and created by a board-certified ob/gyn who is a menopause specialist.

 

 

Regular contributor Barbara Mark, PhD, takes on the challenges of dealing with the signs of perimenopause and menopause in the workplace. 

In the year 2018 there are about 31 million women in the US workforce who are between the ages of 45 and 64. Eighty percent of these women will experience symptoms related to perimenopause. Of that 80 percent, about 25 percent will experience symptoms so severe that they will consider quitting their jobs.

“Of that 80 percent, about 25 percent will experience symptoms so severe
that they will consider quitting their jobs.”

 

There’s nothing blissful about ignorance

Many of us don’t know enough about menopause to know how to best prepare ourselves so that it’s more manageable. We don’t know what perimenopause is, and we don’t know how to identify what’s happening when it starts. So of course, we don’t know how to manage the symptoms we’re experiencing when we’re in perimenopause.

Not knowing all this is truly terrible, since some of the symptoms are scary enough to make women think they have a serious medical problem.

You might ask: Why is this important and what is all the fuss about? Based on information from my own clients as women in professional/corporate positions as and from women who have participated in research I’ve been doing, women are having a really difficult time of it. If this is you, here is some useful information.

Things to know about perimenopause & menopause

  1. All those born with a uterus go through menopause.
  2. Perimenopause can start as early as your late thirties. It usually lasts a few years as maybe 3 or 4. However, if it starts early, it may be over a decade.
  3. Some women who have certain medical conditions and treatments experience peri/menopause very early.
  4. The symptoms can include any or all of our body’s systems; the most typical symptoms are hot flashes, night sweats, sleeplessness, irritability that can escalate to absolute rage, big mood swings, lack of ability to concentrate, poor memory, frustration, lack of libido, heart palpitations, migraines as just to name a few.
  5. Our hormones levels as primarily estrogen as are dipping. And because estrogen is located in most of our bodily systems, we can experience some pretty unnerving things!

Added to this, we live in a very youth-obsessed culture and there is a lot of gendered ageism that women experience. Nothing says “old woman” like menopause in the minds of people in our communities and workplaces as including in our own minds!

As a result, there is a big stigma attached to being perimenopausal/menopausal. Most professional women, especially women not in any kind of healthcare organization, are loathe to have anyone know that they are experiencing symptoms.

(Feel like you’ve been hit by a perfect storm of menopause and life stuff? Read all about what’s happening and why from Barbara Mark.)

Many women who have a difficult time with symptoms are often seen by their teams/direct reports, their peers and their bosses as not performing well in any number of ways. This can be very damaging to your career.

What is a woman to do? Well, instead of hiding out and suffering in silence, take care of yourself.

Little things can make a big difference:

Times are changing and some companies (or at least individuals within companies) are aware that menopause is “a thing” and deserves consideration just as pregnancy, family illness, or other crises do. This doesn’t make you a bad person! It is a temporary state of being with an end point (and yes, there’s an end point, thank goodness).

In the meantime, some of us are going into corporations to create awareness and support options. Also, turn to Gennev for lots of information about what you may be experiencing and how to address the symptoms. We are here for you!

How are you handing the signs of peri/menopause at work? Is your workplace pretty open and accommodating, or are you hiding in the supply closet for every hot flash? Let us know in the comments below, on Gennev’s Facebook page, or in our closed Facebook group, Midlife & Menopause Solutions

Also by Barbara Mark: why midlife should be “me time” and how to make it so, and the stunning similarities between adolescence and “middlescence.”

 

As I look back on 2019, it was an amazing year for women in the second half of life.

Everywhere we turned, we saw women owning their lives. From celebrities to politicians; career-focused women to those who have mastered their family needs, we witnessed women taking charge. We also heard from women who were suffering from changes in their health, and from others making huge strides in their well-being.

This article is dedicated to you. As a community, you grew thirty-percent: 85% of you are from the U.S. and 15% of you are from countries around the world.

You showed us that you’re hungry for information, so we recapped the Top 10 articles most read by this community to bring 2019 to a close.

As the team and I curated this special edition, we were struck by the diversity of what women in midlife must deal with. It’s not just menopause. It’s also aging parents, kids, careers, discerning fact from fiction, feeling appreciated in life and finding gratitude and contentment.

We hope you enjoy “” even share “” this recap of 2019. Here’s to an incredible year for women’s health. The best is yet to come!

Happy New Year!

 

 

 

 

Jill Angelo,

Co-Founder and CEO, Gennev

Compounded bioidentical hormones

Looking for a more “natural” solution for menopause symptoms, many women are choose bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. But what is BHRT? Is it safer than HRT? Get the facts on hormones, compounding, hormone “matching,” and how to be your own best advocate when it comes to your care. Read the full article.

Is this normal?

It’s the question we at Gennev hear most often: I’m experiencing X as is this normal? Chances are, yes. Yes, it is. And we’re so glad you asked. We believe the more women (and others) know about the changes of menopause, the safer we’ll all be. So keep asking, and we’ll keep helping you find answers. Read more on what’s “normal” in perimenopause.

Benefit from a gratitude practice

Gratitude is good for you. It may be hard to come by when you’re waking up and changing PJs for the third time in one night, but gratitude is actually a powerful healer. Find things to be grateful for, and you may find you have more than you imagined. Learn more about the benefits of gratitude.

Helping caregivers take care of themselves 

The “average” caregiver is a 49-year-old woman “” likely also in the throes of the menopause transition. If you’re caring for an elderly parent, ailing partner, young children, etc., you’re at more risk of injury and depression. Find out how to care for you while you’re caring for everyone else.

Internet hygiene in menopause

This term, coined by OB/GYN Dr. Jen Gunter, is about how to parse through all the health “information” you find on the Internet. Our own Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su, provides some wisdom around vetting online sources to keep yourself safe and informed.

The right way to get calcium in menopause

Remember when “getting calcium” just meant drinking a glass of milk? As we age, our nutrient needs change, and calcium is a biggie. Be sure you know the best ways and times to get your calcium to maximize its benefits to your body.

I think I had my first hot flash

Gennev CEO Jill Angelo talks about having her first hot flash, and how modern women and companies like Gennev are changing the definition of “menopause as the beginning of the end” to better reflect the truth: that it’s the start of a second chapter that can be just as rewarding as the first. 

Healing from a hysterectomy

About a third of American women will have a hysterectomy by age 60. Because it’s so common, and because it’s serious surgery, our Docs of Physical Therapy took us through ways women can prepare for it, recover from it, and move forward in a healthful way. Read more about how to heal from a hysterectomy.

Practicing safe supplements

You suspect you probably need to take a supplement or two to meet all your nutrient needs. You head for the grocery store vitamin aisle and immediately want to give up. There are just too many choices and not enough information. Until now! Practice safe supplementing.

Flash Count Diary podcast with Darcey Steinke

Writer Darcey Steinke had a hot flash and started identifying with whales “” in a good way. Certain whales experience menopause because their experience and wisdom is more important to their communities than their ability to have babies. Sound familiar? Listen to this fun podcast with a gifted writer on the transformative experience menopause can and should be.

What articles did you get the most from this year? Did you share any articles with friends? If so, which ones? We’d love to know, so please share your thoughts with us on the Gennev community forums!

 

The CEO of Gennev, Jill Angelo, recently wrote a blog about the importance of knowing “normal.” What is normal for our bodies, and what signals a need to get some help?

“Is this normal???”

So much can change so quickly and so profoundly as we move through the menopause transition, we often don’t know if what we’re experiencing is normal as heck, we may not even know what we’re experiencing is hormonal!

So a lot of women as understandably as end up in the ER with harmless heart palpitations or worse, endure unsafe symptoms simply because they assumed (or were told), “it’s just menopause.”

The more conversations we have, the more accurate, actionable information that’s out there, the better women will be able to assess their experience and make informed decisions about their health.

Let’s talk about that “it’s just menopause” thing

Very often, the symptom IS just menopause.

Sometimes it’s not.

And sometimes, even if it IS “just menopause,” you should still consult with a doctor because if that symptom is impacting your quality of life, you may have good options for managing it and getting your life back.

Some in the medical community call them the “walking wounded” as those whose symptoms are definitely uncomfortable, something is undeniably wrong, but it doesn’t show up on any tests. The patient knows something’s amiss, but test after test comes back negative or maybe “borderline” but not conclusive, so it turns into a “wait and see if things get worse.”

Women are very very good at being the “walking wounded.” We think, It’s really not serious enough to see a doctor about, or It’s just hormones, or perhaps, My doctor won’t be able to help; why bother?

Plus, so much of menopause doesn’t show up on a test as that crushing fatigue, interrupted sleep, itchy skin, tingling fingers, painful breasts don’t show up on a test as but that doesn’t mean they’re not happening or that they’re not really impacting your quality of life.

We think it’s men who are reluctant to see their physician when they need to, but the truth is many women don’t either. For lots of reasons.

  1. Insurance. More women work in the home or at jobs that don’t provide health insurance.
  2. Money. Medical care costs money, even with insurance, and women typically earn less.
  3. Access. Women in rural communities may not even have a GP locally, much less a specialist, if needed. If a woman doesn’t have a car, or if her job makes it difficult to get time off, her access to health care can be really limited.
  4. Time. Caring for children or parents, working, bearing the larger burden of household chores as all of these can exhaust a woman’s time in caring for others, leaving little time for herself.
  5. Trust. Many women have had the experience of having their symptoms belittled or even dismissed by a health care professional, and that may be especially true if a woman is in perimenopause or menopause. If you believe your doc isn’t terribly interested in as or capable of as helping you, there’s not much incentive to try.
  6. Many menopause symptoms are simply embarrassing in today’s culture (gas, hair loss, vaginal dryness), so women choose to live with them rather than get help.

If any of those keep you from seeking answers to health questions or help with a condition, then we want to tell you about a better way.

At Gennev, we believe all women should know their normal, and we think the medical community at large should have better guidelines to define and help women understand the boundaries.

Helping women understand menopause and their bodies better

So we’re attacking this rather large concern from a couple of angles:

The Gennev Menopause Assessment

We created our Menopause Assessment to give women an idea on where they are in the menopause transition and how their symptoms compare to other women.

What better way to realize you’re “normal” than to see your results come up smack in the middle of a whole lot of other women’s?

After completing the Assessment, women have the option to consult with one of Gennev’s menopause-specialist ob/gyns or nurse practitioners to review their results and get answers to any remaining questions.

Geneva’s Virtual Menopause Clinic

Speaking of menopause specialists, Gennev’s telemedicine service is staffed entirely by health care professionals who are well versed in menopause symptoms and treatments.

Remember that list above of reasons why women don’t go to the doctor? Telemed can answer all of them, meaning no woman has to go without the care she needs.

And if one of our practitioners believes your symptoms are outside the boundaries of “normal,” they can help you figure out what to do next to protect your health.

Don’t be one of the Walking Wounded, suffering unnecessarily and worried your symptoms may point to something worse than “just menopause.”

Take the Menopause Assessment. If you have questions or concerns, schedule an appointment to talk with one of Gennev’s telemedicine specialists about your unique menopause experience. Get back your peace of mind and get on path to regaining control of your health in midlife and menopause.

Would you consider yourself one of the Walking Wounded? Have you chosen not to seek help, or have you tried but were unable to get a satisfactory answer? We’d love to hear your story and share it with other women who may be in the same situation. Join our Facebook page, or in midlife & menopause solutions, our closed Facebook page.

 

A jog on a Hawaiian beach was all it took for Jan, a post-menopausal registered nurse, to fracture a bone in her foot. The sand shifted slightly as she took a step, and she felt the pain.

The vacation that Jan and her husband had anticipated for months? Ruined.

Jan always assumed she got enough calcium to keep her bones strong through her healthy diet and didn’t dwell on taking supplements before she entered menopause. Even her nursing training had only briefly touched upon nutrition.

If she had known the full truth, she might have spent more time in Hawaii outside of her hotel room, catching sun rays, instead of in the emergency room, getting x-rays. At Gennev HQ, we’ll show why you need calcium, where to get it, and how much is enough.

Check out our review of the 10 best vitamins for menopause symptoms.

The low-down on calcium and menopause

Minerals like calcium are vital to a healthy body. Your bones and teeth are home to 99% of your body’s calcium, while the remaining 1% helps your blood clot, your nervous system relay information, your muscles and blood vessels contract, and performs many other functions.

Your bones are constantly remodeling, breaking down and rebuilding to repair injuries and the daily wear and tear from normal activities.

During bone remodeling, your bones release calcium into the bloodstream and reabsorb it back. If your body doesn’t have enough available calcium, it will use the calcium released into your blood to repair nerves, cells, and muscles instead of reabsorbing it into your skeleton.

In childhood, our bodies build more bone than we lose. This is how we grow. From adolescence until our thirties, our bones are the strongest because they build up and break down at an equal pace.

In our mid-thirties, this changes. We start to lose bone mass faster than we can maintain it.

Bone loss speeds up when your body’s estrogen production decreases during perimenopause and menopause, as estrogen aids calcium absorption from food and reabsorption into bones.

This all can lead to osteoporosis, a condition where bones become porous, brittle, and break easily, and its precursor, osteopenia. Forty percent of post-menopausal women in the US will have an osteoporosis-related fracture at some point in their lives. Some women have even died from osteoporosis hip-fractuces . Our friend Jan is one of these women. If your mother or grandmother had osteoporosis, you are at greater risk of developing it.

The calcium that you consumed as a teen and young adult is what shapes your risk of osteoporosis entering menopause.

“˜This is great for my daughter,’ you might say, “˜but how does it help me now?’

You can’t have your teenage body back, including your bones, but keeping adequate levels of calcium in your bloodstream as you enter menopause and beyond can help your bones stay strong.

How much calcium for menopause do I need?

For more than 20 years, the USDA has defined the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of calcium for American women as 1000mg for women 50 and under and 1200mg for women over 50.

Some nutritionists now suggest that as low as 500mg per day may be enough. However, more research is needed to support this conclusion.

The best way to obtain the calcium you need is to…

The foods you eat are the most effective sources of calcium. Great sources of dietary calcium include yogurt (310 mg/serving), cheese (up to 210 mg/serving), sardines (325 mg/serving), cow’s milk (300 mg/serving), fortified soy milk or orange juice (300 mg/serving), tofu (205 mg/serving), and leafy greens (up to 360 mg/serving). [Learn more: A Guide to Calcium-Rich Foods]

You can figure out how much calcium you’re getting from your diet by checking food labels or using a calcium calculator. Note: the “DV” (daily value) for calcium on food labels is based on 1000 mg, so “30% of DV” is 300 mg. If you are over 50, this isn’t 30% of your daily need!

Your doctor may also suggest taking a daily calcium supplement. For best absorption, take calcium supplements in doses smaller than 600mg; if you need more calcium than this, space out your supplement several times throughout the day

Calcium carbonate is the more affordable and available form of calcium supplement. You may already have calcium carbonate in your medicine cabinet as an antacid, like Tums or Rolaids. Take it with food, as stomach acid increases absorption.

Calcium citrate is another form of over-the-counter calcium. You can take it with or without food.

Side effects of calcium supplements may include gas, bloating, and constipation. Calcium carbonate tends to have more side effects than calcium citrate, so if you’re experiencing gastro discomfort, consider making the switch.

How to maximize calcium absorption

What to watch out for

The amount of calcium that’s right for you may defer from the norm if”¦

How much calcium should a postmenopausal woman take?

Getting more than the RDA value of calcium may increase your risk of kidney stones, heart disease from increased calcification in the arteries, and potentially colon cancer, though more evidence is needed to support these claims.

Preliminary research shows that vitamin K2, which plays an important role in calcium metabolization, can help with heart health if this is a concern for you; be sure to talk to your doctor first.

(Did you know that vitamin K is great for your bones, too? Women who get at least 110 micrograms of vitamin K daily are 30% less likely to break a hip than women who don’t!)

There is no catching up, only moving forward

Studies suggest that exceeding the RDA of calcium doesn’t actually increase bone health in patients with osteoporosis but meeting your daily needs now and taking preventative measures will reduce your risk of fracture in the future.

If you are 65+ or have risk factors for osteoporosis before entering menopause, get a bone mineral density test (BMD) to evaluate your bone health before you break something.

And remember that calcium is only part of the equation for strong bones: if you want toprevent osteoporosis, exercise, a healthy diet, and refraining from smoking.

Jan now maintains her bone strength by eating calcium-rich foods, doing yoga with her husband, and walking to the grocery store instead of driving. She can focus her attention on her book club and adult children knowing that she’s doing everything she can to prevent another fracture.

Are you dealing with or at risk of osteoporosis? We’d love to know what you’re doing to manage your health and keep your bones strong. Please share with us in the Gennev Community Forums!

Meet writer Helen Pitlick! A seasoned communicator with a master’s degree in digital media to back it all up, Helen loves to create content that helps women feel more confident at all stages of their lives. When she’s not in front of her laptop, Helen enjoys pottery, pretending to play soccer, and hanging out with her dog.

 

If you haven’t heard of the documentary Dream, Girl, you soon will! Team Gennev, in association with Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) is bringing Dream, Girl to Seattle for its premiere public screening on Thursday, January 19, followed by a panel discussion/Q&A with local women educators, innovators, and entrepreneurs. We hope you’ll join us for an evening of conversation and inspiration around the challenges entrepreneurial women face and how to overcome them. Learn more about our panel and then purchase your tickets directly from SIFF.

 

Dream, Girl: showcasing and celebrating female entrepreneurs

What do you need to start living your dreams? For would-be entrepreneurs, the challenges of starting a business can seem overwhelming. And for women”” particularly women of color””the barriers to business ownership can be even greater.

When team Gennev first watched the trailer for the documentary Dream, Girl, we knew we had to bring it to Seattle. The film showcases several female entrepreneurs, exploring their aspirations, challenges, setbacks, and triumphs. For us, it spoke to so many things we’re experiencing as a startup organization: the learning we need, the responsibility we carry, but also the exhilaration, the camaraderie, and the importance of celebrating every success, big and small.

what do you need to start living your dreams?

Happily, we had the opportunity to talk with one of the leaders of the Dream, Girl team: co-producer and co-founder Komal Minhas. Film producer, writer, investor, and entrepreneur, Komal started her business, KoMedia, at just 23 years old, so she knows a thing or two about flying by the seat of one’s pants.

Komal joined the team after viewing a Kickstarter campaign launched by creator Erin Bagwell. In her video, Erin spoke openly of quitting her job after having been sexually harassed at her workplace.

“When I saw that Kickstarter campaign,” says Komal, “I knew that I had to stop everything I was doing and come and help her amplify that message and bring it to the world.”

And what is the message that inspired Komal to sign on to Erin’s dream?

It’s right there in the title: Dream, Girl. With everything that that implies: Be hopeful. Take risks. Work hard. Support others in pursuit of their dreams and allow them to support you as you push towards yours.

Dreaming big works, as the film itself demonstrates. Dream, Girl has been screened at the White House, it showed to a sell-out crowd at NYC’s historic Paris Theatre, and last year, Erin and Komal were named to Oprah Winfrey’s SuperSoul100 list.

screening for Dream Girl at White House

“people are so happy we have a range of voices and stories
that we don’t traditionally get to see on screen and all together”

Like us, audiences have found a lot to love about this buoyant, inspirational, often funny documentary and the utterly charming women it showcases.

what has made Dream, Girl so popular?

“Some of the feedback we get is that people are so happy we have a range of voices and stories that we don’t traditionally get to see on screen and all together,” Komal told us. “People tell us they feel connected to these diverse and amazing women. And we cover a real breadth of topics””from lack of mandated paid parental leave in the US, to sexual harassment in the workplace, to pausing your dreams to build a strong relationship elsewhere, to finding funding for your project, to what it’s like to be a mom in the workplace””there are so many different topic areas that connect for people.”

At every screening they attend, Komal says, there are moments that make all the effort worth it. For example, during a post-screening discussion at a major firm, a young female employee said she felt she was not being seen at the company as much as her male colleagues were. A senior-level exec was also at that screening, and he stood up and made a promise to remedy the situation, take time with her, and figure out steps forward. Witnessing this sort of genuine progress helps keep Team Dream energized and moving forward.

However, Komal says, perhaps their biggest success has been in finding and supporting each other through the journey and in “strategically and thoughtfully” building a community around the film and its message.

building community: the unique distribution model of Dream, Girl

Speaking of building community, the Dream, Girl team have been very intentional in their distribution model, choosing to push the film through community screenings such as Gennev’s first, before pursuing digital channels. Why?

Because, Komal says, “We have been told time and again that our hosts, our audience members love seeing this film in person. You don’t want to see it alone, you want to see it as a collective and you want to talk about it and really get into the topics. We’ll eventually go digital with our film””that’s a future goal of ours so we can get the word out there as much as we can””but we find that right now, community screenings really give our audience the space they need to take it in.”

Komal and Erin do want their message to reach a larger audience, and they had a taste of what that could look like after the US presidential election. Deeply unsettled by the result of the election, the team made the unique””and uniquely generous””decision to allow people to view the film for free over the Internet. In four days, Dream, Girl was viewed more than 12,000 times. Clearly, people really crave the film’s positive, hopeful message.

“Listen, be kind, and be thoughtful about inclusiveness in the workplace.”

We asked Komal what companies like Gennev can do to take that positive message forward. Given today’s political climate, she told us, the onus is more and more on corporations to recognize and nurture female talent. “If we can make more inclusive workspaces, and help more people feel safe in the places where they spend the majority of their time, that’s the greatest thing companies can do. Listen, be kind, and be thoughtful about inclusiveness in the workplace.”

We never end a conversation without asking for that One Big Piece of Advice””this time for would-be female entrepreneurs. Her answer? “Take care of your health. As millennial women, we get so caught up in the hustle, needing to achieve, needing to accomplish so much by X date and being on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list”¦. Just take care. We have so much more time than we think we do. Clara in the film didn’t start her business until she was 50 years old. It’s important to prioritize your health above all else: your company needs it, the world needs it, and your employees need you.”

More information is available on our Facebook event page, so take a look, then get your ticket while there’s time!

 

Our environment can be pretty heavy with things that are bad for our health, including endocrine-disrupting substances.

An Important conversation with Mary Purdy

Cleansers, detergents, scrubs, things we use to clean our environments and ourselves may be doing more damage to our health than than they prevent. What about products that go on and in our bodies “” soaps, creams, powders, makeup, body wash, deodorants and anti-perspirants, hair sprays, plastic containers to hold our food in the fridge or microwave. How many products do you come in contact with every day, all days of your life?

And it’s not just the products we use. Disruptive chemicals can be in our clothes or furniture or daily use objects as fire-retardants or easy-clean surfaces. 

Mary Purdy is an expert on helping us minimize our exposure to toxins in our environment and maximize our efficiency in ridding them from our bodies, homes, and workplaces.

 

TRANSCRIPT TO FOLLOW

I’m struggling right now. It’s the uncertainty of things that really needles me.

You can likely guess how well I’ve been sleeping. Has anyone else been having crazy dreams lately?

Community

My husband and I are embarking on a move in the next two months, but now we can’t go look at possible places. And professionally, I am concerned about the welfare of my team. Are they able to be the parents they need to be right now with all that I’m asking of them? Am I reaching out to them enough to let them know I care?

Gennev is a business as we’re an online clinic for women in menopause, and recently we added gynecology and primary care services too. We see you as “essential workers” in this crisis. In addition to your “day-job”, you’re likely the primary care giver, meal planner and online-learning specialist.

But even more, we’re a community.

We started as a community in 2016. And, it’s still the heart of our organization. Sometimes it gets overshadowed by the telehealth services and the products we offer. But it’s still our core.

There is a reason why Zoom happy hours have become so popular. People need people!

So, I’m dedicating this Friday letter to community and how you can get what you need, when you need it.

Weekly Webinars. These are new. Our healthcare team is hosting specialists to talk through meal-planning, strengthening your immune system, managing isolation and grief, etc. As long as you keep coming and asking for more, we will keep tackling new topics and offering AMAs.

Community forums. These are messaging boards for questions and answers. The cool thing is, they’re moderated by our health care team as AND as they’re safe and confidential. You can ask whatever you feel comfortable, and it won’t show up in your Facebook feed. Our latest forum has begun on COVID-19, which lists all our COVID-19 resources.

COVID-19 Resources. When it comes to women in midlife, we have our own health concerns around COVID-19. We’ve published some helpful podcasts, videos and articles”¦and we’ll keep adding to them over time.

Midlife & Menopause Solutions. This is our private Facebook group for those of you who like daily discussion in a less structured environment. We monitor who joins, so it’s safe. It’s still Facebook, but we do our best to ensure that women who rely on one another for advice are the only ones allowed in. No selling. No trools.

Instagram, Facebook (public), Twitter. These are our public channels. If you like to keep updated on happenings, tips and announcements from Gennev and the women in our community, please follow/join/like. We’ll like you back.

Menopause library. Our trusty library of long-standing, original menopause education is and always will be there. And, like all the other community resources I listed, it’s free”¦and searchable. Use it when you need it. Weekly we publish new articles, podcasts and video.

What kind of community do you need? With us, you have options.

Personally, I’m a lurker on social channels; I’m a consumer of podcast interviews and webinars (where I can multi-task), and from time to time, I like a good forum chat. I don’t need to engage, but I like to know what’s going on.

What’s missing from our approach? Human-to-human contact. You’re going to see more options for small group sessions and forum boards with the Gennev team very soon.

Isolation is real right now. And I think we’re learning that technology isn’t enough. We still need people.

I kind of love how we’re getting back to the essentials of life. It feels more inclusive to me.

If there are aspects to how we do community that you’d like to see changed or improved, email me at jill@gennev.com. Yes, that’s my personal email. Human to human.

Be well,

JIll