Pat Jones and Amanda Fisackerly, chairman, EWiB

EWiB chairman Amanda Fisackerly organised an excellent Saturday morning talk about “The Menopause” with Pat Jones, SRN menopause specialist nurse and complementary therapist.

I didn’t think you could laugh at the “menopause”, but Pat gave a light-hearted look at the menopause, its symptoms and what you can do about them.  She said the main cause for menopausal symptoms was the lack of oestrogen produced.

There was much discussion about the pros and cons of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). Pat says “At the end of the day, everyone is an individual and the solution for every woman’s menopausal symptoms is going to differ. What we’re aiming for is a good quality of life.”

She said that menopause can affect women as early as 30, although the most common age was 50. “Some women can be as late as 56,” she added.

Alternative remedies such as black cohosh, red clover, dong quai, sage, agnus castis and phytoestrogens, like soya were discussed. “You need to give anything like this at least three months to see what the effects are,” she said.

A healthy lifestyle will help tremendously in getting through the menopause.  “Take care with your diet, make sure you get enough exercise and don’t put a lot of weight on.”

Useful website : British Menopause Society www.thebms.org.uk