Menopause – Further Reading

In this page you will find articles and videos about menopause and people’s experiences. You will also find advise on diet and sleep.
Sadly, we are all different so what works for one, may not work for another.

But I hope these articles will help bring comfort. It may seem an isolating time of life, but you are not alone.

Articles

ARTICLE: Why good gut health is key to improving menopause symptoms

East Anglian Daily Times, written by Emma Jamieson, June 2022

Menopause is something that will affect half the population, and yet is only just getting the attention that it truly deserves. Emma Jamieson explores the effect of good gut health on peri-and menopause symptoms.

ARTICLE: Jo Whiley: The menopause made me feel like a liability on radio.

Daily Mail, written by Frances Hardy, October 2021

Jo Whiley has faced heavy criticism as co-host of Radio 2’s Drivetime but she reveals she was battling a crippling brain fog that often left her lost for words

ARTICLE: Bereaved husband urges men to spot mental health signs

BBC website: November 2021

A bereaved husband has urged men to recognise signs of mental health symptoms linked to the menopause.

This article includes a short video of David Salmon talking about his wife’s suicide.

ARTICLE: Work your muscles and rethink your diet

The Guardian, written by Zoe Williams August 2021

From the right way to exercise, to what to eat and drink and the case for HRT, experts explain how women can prepare for midlife changes to their bodies.

ARTICLE: What to eat to sleep better during menopause

A.Vogel website: written by Eileen Durward, Menopause Advisor, 25 March 2019

Digestion and blood sugar play a big part in regulating hormones.

In this article, Eileen Durward, Menopause Advisor, talks about 5 evening snacks that help improve her sleep.

ARTICLE: Ignorance about menopause is destroying lives – and its not only women who suffer

The Guardian newspaperw website: written by Diane Danzebrink. Founder of The Menopause Support network. January 2020

Diane explains her own struggles with menopause and highlights to woeful lack of support from GPs and workplaces. This led her to launch the #Menopause Matters campaign.

The highest rate of suicide among women in the UK is between the ages of 45 and 49, when most women will be experiencing perimenopause. This could be the ultimate hidden cost, and it matters.
Diane Danzebrink

ARTICLE: I came within a hair’s breadth of killing myself

The Sun, written by Vanessa Chalmers, October 2021

AT the age of 45, Diane Danzebrink was driven to her lowest point. Plagued by a deep depression, she almost took her own life. At the time, she had no idea that the dark cloud that had descended was in fact a symptom of the menopause.

For Diane, the “lightbulb moment” was the catalyst for change, and she became a driving force behind a leading campaign. She launched #MakeMenopauseMatter with 155,000 petition signs and cross-party Westminster support in 2018.

ARTICLE ‘It feels impossible to beat’: how I was floored by menopause

The Guardian newspaper, written by journalist and author, Rose George, August 2018

, writes for The Guardian newspaper.

In this article she details her debilitating experiences of menopause.

For Rose George, menopause has proved far worse than ‘low moods’. It feels like a derangement. And what the hell is it for?

ARTICLE: Tips for menopause and late night snack attacks

Delicious Alternatives website: written by Shirley Plant, nutritionist and cookbook author
22 November 2015

More information on diet and sleeping.

This includes a basic recipe for a late night snack of cucumber, avocado and tomatoes.

ARTICLE: 12 Natural ways to balance your hormones

Healthline website: Written by Ariane Lang, January 2022

A change in diet has definitely been the way forward for me. But this site looks at all manner of changes.

The trick is not to change everything at once. Pick one change and stick to it for a fortnight, or even a month. Once its imbedded as your new normal, try the next change.

Not all the ideas on this sitework for me. But some that do:

Engage in regular exercise
Aids digestion as well as releasing happy endorphins)
Avoid sugar and refined carbs
This has made the most significance. Especially to hot flushes and weight loss
Consume healthy fats
I cook with coconut oil. I eat avocados daily. And eggs are back on the menu. Hurrah!. And I snack on Brazil and Pecan nuts
Avoid over and under eating
My hot flushes happen about 30 minutes before I get a hunger pang. So grazing on nuts not only stops me feeling hungry but stops the flushes.
Now I’m eating the right foods, I find I eat less too. We have been in lockdown for a year as I write this, and my weight has not increased despite working from home and having less exercise from not walking around our work buildings
Get consistent, high quality sleep
Easier said than done. But I sleep better on days that I have high doses of Vit B12, and magnesium glycinate has been a game changer too.

ARTICLE: What I Tell My Patients Who Want To Lose Weight: A Hormone Expert Explain

MBGHealth, written by Dr Sara Gottfried, April 2016

woman outside cafe — Click to view article

In this piece, Dr. Sara Gottfried, hormone expert and Harvard-trained MD, explains how hormonal imbalances can hold you back from weight loss

ARTICLE: Perimenopause: ‘Little by little we’re breaking down taboos’

BBC website, written by Emily Barclay (photo), May 2021

Emily Barclay set up a perimenopause support group after her own struggle to get a diagnosis says taboos around the issue are finally breaking down.
(You can find out more about Emily’s journey below)

ARTICLE: Better sleep during perimenopause and menopause

Nutritional Weight and wellness: 11 October 2019

Click to view webpage, listen to podcast and view transcript

This webpage looks at sleep problems during menopause. Among other things, It focuses on Magnesium Glycinate, something I have found to be a huge benefit to my sleeping problems.

“I would call magnesium about as close as you can get to just an all around get healthy, get sleeping, type of a supplement”

You can download the podcast or view the full transcript on the webpage.

ARTICLE: Perimenopause: ‘I went from triathlon training to needing naps’

BBC website, written by Kate Scotter, March 2020

A precursor to the Emily Barclay article above, this talks about Emily’s menopause journey.

Videos

VIDEO: How Menopause affects the brain (TED talk)

Many of the symptoms of menopause — hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, memory lapses, depression and anxiety — start in the brain. How exactly does menopause impact cognitive health?

Sharing groundbreaking findings from her research, neuroscientist Lisa Mosconi reveals how decreasing hormonal levels affect brain aging — and shares simple lifestyle changes you can make to support lifelong brain health.

VIDEO: Davina McCall – Sex, Mind and the Menopause

Channel 4, May 2022

Click to view video
(You need a Channel 4 account to view)

Davina explores how menopause can affect the mind as well as the body, with memory loss and brain fog decimating women at work. And the latest on hormone therapy and women and testosterone.

VIDEO: Menopause – the change nobody talks about.

BBC News, Produced by Carissa Jumu, August 2020

From September 2020, menopause was added to the school curriculum in England, a move that has been welcomed by campaigners.

Now that the menopause is finally being talk taught in schools, this BBC Video gives voice to the myriad of menopause symptoms, by those how have experienced them.

Three women, who have been through the menopause, describe their experiences and talk about how poorly understood “the change” is.

You will find more articles on menopause on her blog.