This girl is on fire
This phrase can be applied to many different kind of scenarios;
- On the dance floor
- Escaping a burning building
- High achieving at work
- Finding the flow in a running race
- Navigating her way around ‘the pause’
I can’t help but see the last one as almost the most dramatic and torturous of them all (ok escaping a burning building is horrific) but for all those ladies out there, you know what I am talking about.
World Menopause Day was held on the 18th October. It wasn’t until this year did I realise that this day even had a day. Days like this area about raising awareness, staring a conversation and a day to aiming to break taboo and improve women’s health and wellbeing by raising awareness about symptoms of menopause. In 2024 the focus was on Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT).
Now would I be talking or even thinking about this day if I was not going through this ‘pause’. I don’t think so. For me, until I was ‘in the thick of it’ did it start to really start to hold my attention – until then it was just an older person talking about hot flushes and HRT.
There is so much we don’t know about the hormonal storm that rages in a women’s body as we age but the good news is, there is more research and interest which is shifting the information available. It continues to be a highly confused space but in our age of information, more research pages, Doctors and Women specialists are online to help guide us in a direction of calm and clarity.
Asking the question to you doctor about HRT is an important question to ask. From time to time, we all need to investigate medical intervention to help move through life. The decision to explore HRT is a personal one and only you can make that decision based on the information you have to hand.
No Magic Patch
From my experience, I had high hopes when it came to HRT – I hedged my bets on this being the magic patch my body needed to find balance, calm and coolness again.
So much was being affected by my hormones; moods, weight and food tastes were all changing and not in the way I felt comfortable with.
My moods
These were wilder than a rollercoaster, those around me suffered in the wake of my inability to stabilise myself and I just couldn’t figure out how to be happy again.
My body
The shape and composition from my head to my toes was changing, I just didn’t recognise who I was looking at in the mirror anymore. And if I am being frank, I didn’t like who was looking back at me. With my exercise regime still as rigorous why was my body suddenly going through a change when every moment was still the same?
My appetite
Never one to dis on carbs, suddenly the thought of eating this key macronutrient key to an athlete was unappealing. I just didn’t want to eat the way I had been for the last 10 years…I craved freshness and protein and now, certain loved foods weren’t agreeing with me anymore.
Cue – HRT
After a long conversation with my GP weighing up the pros and cons of these patches I decided to give them a go. I was now a middle-aged female on HRT – I was suddenly feeling very mature and not in a good way.
After the absence of my period for almost 8 months spotting appeared, no could the HRT be regulating my period again? This was not right. But worse than that, my mental health started to decline. My mood swings were worse than when I wasn’t on the patches, I couldn’t find love or life and would wake each more with pure ‘dread’. This was not at all going the way I expected.
And just like that, well after 3 months I decided for my own mental health and sanity to stop using the patches. My script has run out instead of hot footing it to the pharmacy, I sat tight and waited. Waited to see if my moods would suddenly start to ‘uplift’.
They did. Almost immediately, the dread that sat heavy on my shoulders started to lift, waking up felt brighter and moving into my day felt somewhat easier. I loved my husband again and felt co-inhabiting with him was what contributed to my daily life fulfilment.
Conclusion
For me HRT was anything but a magic patch, it as a nightmare. Choosing to not take HRT presents continued health issues that are not to be ignored and with this, I am working with my GP to ensure I am staying on top of my health, particularly that of a aging female.
To read up and learn more about Menopause and HRT visit the Australasian Menopause Society this creditable source is a wealth of information and a great place to start if you are doing your own research on the topic.
Moving through life presents numerous challenges along the way, some good, some bad and some just downright confusing. Be in tune with how your body is changing and navigate in a skilled way to ensure you are staying on top of both your physical and mental health.
PLANTED LIFE COACHING
If you need support and guidance to help navigate your running journey, coaching spots are now available. Email me to learn how my coaching services can enhance your running and working it in with the ‘pause’.
