well informed and to me she was talking about the menopause. I’d missed the little “peri” but I
was still on the slippery slope.
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FRASER 2
Fraser, of Ratho, Midlothian, had her first baby at 32 and her second at 36. With her biological
clock ticking even louder after the doctor’s appointment, she reappraised her life. “I had to
contemplate doing things I had put on hold, but I also felt I had lost the youthfulness to do all
these things. You suddenly realise that you are not a young woman any more.”
She considers that she got off relatively lightly. Apart from the psychological effect of being
reminded of her approaching middle age and by definition her mortality, the only physical signs
of perimenopause were a slight thickening around the waist and much shorter periods with a
considerably heavier flow. Her husband was supportive and understanding, but shared her lack
of knowledge about the condition. Perhaps that is not surprising, considering the word does not
exist in the Chambers Dictionary. It can, however, be found on the Internet along with its
alternative, premenopause, which is also missing in the dictionary.
It could have been a lot worse for Fraser. Perimenopause is described as a transitional stage of
two to ten years before the complete cessation of the menstrual period. Its average duration is six
years and it can appear in women aged 35 to 50. A stage of women’s lives which is seldom
discussed, it leaves many experiencing puzzling changes and not knowing why. What is actually
happening is a gradual decrease of oestrogen.
The main symptoms are shorter, longer or unpredictable periods with a heavier or lighter flow,
low blood sugar, fatigue several days before periods, weight gain, decreased sex drive,
headaches ranging from mild to migraine and a dry and/or itchy vulva or clitoris. Some women
have increased yeast infections. Sufferers are advised to talk to other women and compare notes.
Practical advice includes stabilising blood sugar levels by eating at regular intervals and avoiding
missing meals, especially breakfast.
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Women who feel they need help are advised to seek the advice of a health professional.
However, the homeopathic route offers alternative treatments using natural remedies without the
potential cost and side effects of conventional medication. Dong Quai is a natural herb taken by
Asian women for centuries. Experts point to significantly fewer complaints of perimenopause
from the Far East. Described as a female ginseng and overall sexual tonic, it is said to regulate
the hormonal and menstrual cycle but can also lead to heavier flow. It is not recommended to
take Dong Quai during the week of a period.
Phyotestrogens are natural plant substances which mimic the effect of oestrogen without the side
effects of the synthetic form of the hormone. They are most potent in soy, and Asian women
whose diets are high in soy proteins report fewer menstrual complaints. Women can similarly
benefit by eating soy foods or taking soy isoflavones supplements.
Decreased sex drive can be overcome by taking Avena Sativa, an extract taken from green or
wild oats which raises levels of free testosterone and increases libido. Taking 500-700mg per day
in pill form is said to bring noticeable results in a week. The popular Native American herb,
Black Cohosh, can ease painful periods and offset the effects of hot flushes as well as prevent
period cramps and induce lighter menstrual flow. Vitamin E and Evening Primrose oil
supplements are also said to be beneficial.
Fraser is philosophical about being affected by perimenopause, but adds: “The impact of it was
significant. I was approaching 40 and it was hard to be told I was biologically dying. It’s about a
loss of youth and entering of middle age. I felt I had a changed understanding of age even though
I didn’t act or feel any older at all. There was an inevitability in this which had nothing to do
with intellect but everything to do with the body. It was the inevitability of being a woman.
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“You go through your childhood then reach puberty before going on to your future, which is
about productivity and having children. Then you go to your doctor for a routine smear and she
tells you you’re finished as a woman. It’s quite a lot to take in.” She laughs at her reversed
situation. “All the things I had escaped for 25 years were visited upon me with the onset of
perimenopause – the heavier and more frequent periods, the irritability, the tearfulness.”
She is under no illusion about what the future holds. “The real thing is still to come and HRT is
life-threatening. What a bloody awful choice - but I’m not there yet.” Fraser takes heart in
sharing her thoughts with other women. Her sister is 52 and was never affected by the
menopause or its predecessor. Fraser works with a group of women and finds the subject easy to
talk about though harder to contemplate during the quieter, more solitary moments. She says:
“You do expect to go through the menopause and we talk endlessly about how all our clothes
don’t fit round the middle and the change in menstrual cycle. But the irony is, we’re still capable
of having babies. It’s bizarre.”
Her advice to young women yet to reach the crucial age is to be aware that it’s going to happen,
not to be afraid and to look after personal health. Reflexology helps control her hormones. But
she insists that education is the key. “I really think it’s important to raise this issue and link it
with other aspects of women’s lives associated with being forever young. We’re still being held
hostage by our hormones.”
ENDS
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