THE menopause is a part of life for half of the world’s population, but it is a subject which still is neither spoken about nor researched enough.
Most women experience the time when our natural menstrual cycle comes to an end and we stop having periods at some point between the ages of 45-55.
However, symptoms can begin before that, which is a time known as the peri-menopause. Women can get a range of symptoms, including headaches, hot flushes, heavy and painful periods, sleeplessness, fatigue, brain fog and weight gain.
Yet it only is in recent years that society has begun talking openly about that natural process which for decades was referred to ominously as “the change” and not discussed in polite company. Now, October is World Menopause Month and today is designated World Menopause Day.
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Edinburgh-based nutritionist Dr Laura Wyness has co-authored a book called Eating Well for Menopause. Published this summer, it offers a range of insights, information and ideas to help women stay as healthy as possible during and after the menopause.
It’s not just about tasty ways of combating unpleasant hot flushes, though. Wyness told me: “Women need to be more aware of their heart health. Cholesterol levels can spike quite quickly after menopause.
“Oats and barley have a soluble fibre called beta-gluten which helps to lower cholesterol if you have three grams or more every day. There are so many ways to enjoy them – porridge, overnight oats, oatcakes, pearl barley risotto, broths, stews …”
She went on: “Heart disease in women is under-diagnosed and under-researched. Coronary heart disease kills twice as many women as breast cancer.
“Your blood pressure can rise after menopause. Ask your GP for a cholesterol test and get your blood pressure checked too. Know your numbers!”
The scale of the issue facing women is shocking. Charity the British Heart Foundation (BHF) said: “Over a 10-year period, more than 8200 women died needlessly following a heart attack. They could have been saved if they had received the same quality of care as men.
“We’ve pulled together the evidence in A new briefing, Bias and Biology, that sets out the scale of the problem. A BHF-funded study has shown that, even with improved diagnosis of heart attacks for women using a sex-specific blood test, they were only half as likely as men to receive recommended heart attack treatments.”
Coatbridge-based graphic designer Allyson Shields, of Shields Design, created the look for the highly successful Know Your Menopause poster campaign – which since it began in 2019 has been translated into a number of languages, from Gaelic to Punjabi. There is also an online pack to download, with a section on good nutrition.
The campaign started when one of the founders went to her GP with a common symptom of the menopause which the doctor didn’t recognise.
Shields (below) said: “The poster campaign is a nudge to help medical professionals be more menopause aware. The aim was to get the poster into every GP surgery but it would be good for every workplace to have a poster up.
‘We need more awareness, so women understand what is happening to their bodies and know to go to their GPs and ask for help when they need it. I think I have been one of the lucky ones but I do try to eat healthily and I think that does make a difference.”
While it is recommended that women take vitamin D and calcium supplements, most of the nutrition our bodies need can be found in foods around us. On the subject of bone health, Wyness is a keen advocate of dairy, something Scotland’s farmers produce so well.
She said: “You reach peak bone mass in your 30s. About a third of our calcium comes from dairy. Fish with bones, such as tinned salmon, is good too.
“It can be challenging for vegans to get enough calcium. Plant milks are an issue because unless they are fortified, they really are just flavoured water. Dairy is such a nutrient-dense food – it is very useful, especially if it is fermented, like yoghurt.
“We need to get 30g of fibre a day to feed our gut biome. It produces serotonin which plays a key role in mood and brain health. It also is needed to produce melatonin, which helps us sleep well.
“In Scotland, we grow a rainbow of fruits and vegetables. Berries are really good for cognitive brain function. Buying them frozen out of season gets you a nutritious boost over the winter.”
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Wyness mentions exercise snacks, which I thought were delicious nibbles for getting one through a workout. But that’s not all – with research showing many menopausal women don’t move enough or do enough weight-bearing exercise to keep our bones healthy, Wyness says exercise snacks can be used during wee bursts of activity, like dancing about the kitchen while our breakfast porridge is cooking or pumping a couple of bags of barley in the air while waiting for the kettle to boil.
It’s a fun way to tackle a serious issue. We are fortunate that Scotland’s larder provides us with so many of the foods and drink we need to stay healthy through the menopause, and beyond.
Wyness will talk about her book at a special event at the Waterstones book shop on Edinburgh’s Princes Street from 6-7.30pm on Wednesday October 18.
Ruth Watson is the founder of the Keep Scotland the Brand campaign
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