Real Food Stories

94. Debunking Menopause Myths: Nutrition, Sexual Health, and a New Course with Heather

• Heather Carey • Season 3 • Episode 94

Share episode

What if everything you thought you knew about menopause was wrong? Discover the truths about the menopause transition and how nutrition can play a crucial role in managing its symptoms. Join Heather Carey on the Real Food Stories podcast as she unpacks the bewildering journey through menopause, breaking down the hormonal shifts and challenging the mixed messages from media and medicine. Learn the clinical definitions of menopause and perimenopause, and get familiar with a wide range of symptoms, from the common hot flashes and night sweats to the more obscure joint pain and burning sensations.

Heather also provides a preview of her exciting upcoming course that focuses on navigating menopause through evidence-based nutritional strategies and culinary tips, empowering you to regain control during this life stage.

We also confront the pervasive myth that menopause signals the end of your sex life. Heather stresses the importance of sexual health during this transition, diving into the physical changes associated with decreased estrogen and progesterone levels. Forget the cultural stereotypes that tie sexuality to youth—this episode encourages open dialogue with healthcare providers about hormone replacement therapy, pelvic floor exercises, and other key aspects of a healthy sex life.

Learn essential lifestyle adjustments and dietary considerations, and gain mental health strategies to navigate menopause with confidence. Turn this challenging phase into a vibrant and empowering new chapter of your life.

Share your story! Do you have a menopause story? Reach out to Heather at heather@heathercarey.com

Links Mentioned In This Episode
For Menopause Symptoms click HERE

I would love to hear from you! What did you think of the episode? Share it with me :)

Let's Be Friends
Hang out with Heather on IG @greenpalettekitchen or on FB HERE.

Let's Talk!
Whether you are looking for 1-1 nutrition coaching or kitchen coaching let's have a chat. Click HERE to reach out to Heather.

Did You Love This Episode?
"I love Heather and the Real Food Stories Podcast!" If this is you, please do not hesitate to leave a five-star review on Apple or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Speaker 1:

Hello everybody and welcome back to the Real Food Stories podcast, the place where we demystify the nutritional and health myths of midlife, and today we are embracing the journey of menopause. I am Heather Carey, your host and guide through all things menopause transition today and I'm wondering how everyone is doing. It's almost the end of the summer and in the East Coast, where I am from, it's really turning into a beautiful couple days of weather, but I know that this is a big transition for people. We're getting back into feeling more of a routine and it can be a little jolting sometimes. So take a deep breath, listen in and just flow with the new change of seasons that's coming.

Speaker 1:

I wanted to start this week to tell you first that I have been working very, very hard towards creating a course that is all about the menopause transition and nutrition. So much happens to our bodies during midlife, and it's not just those annoying hot flashes and night sweats. Besides menopause, there's a whole host of other health concerns that crop up, all due in part because of our estrogen dipping, not to mention the mess of confusion about how to navigate this time of our lives. With all the aggravating misinformation out on the internet these days, I honestly felt compelled and called to create the course, full of evidence-based information and, of course, the delicious food we could eat because I am a culinary nutritionist after all but the course that many women have said to me would be hugely helpful for them. Now, the course has yet to be named I am still mulling over the name but we start on September 23rd and if you are feeling your own sense of overwhelm about what to eat, how to lose weight during this time, how to balance hormones and even up your energy, then you will love this course. Early bird sign up is coming very soon, after everyone gets back and gets their kids back to college and gets back to their routines and has time to regroup. So I hope you will join me this fall. It could change your life and it will definitely change your outlook on this time of your life and give you a sense of hope and control.

Speaker 1:

Okay, so today we are tackling a big question, maybe the biggest for women in midlife, and that is why is menopause so confusing? I mean, I see this everywhere. It is endlessly confusing for some women, anything from the fluctuating hormones to mixed messages from media and medicine. This time of our lives is endlessly confusing and can, at times, feel downright overwhelming. The fact is, every single woman on this planet will go through menopause, but I guarantee you that not every woman knows exactly what menopause is or how to deal with it or how to ride with it. So you feel okay, or that there's even relief from the many symptoms we may confront on this journey, and relief from the many symptoms we may confront on this journey. I know so many women who believe that menopause, with its hot flashes and night sweats, is just something we need to grin and bear. Well, this could not be further from the truth, and whether or not you can get help from symptoms naturally or through hormones, that will be part of today's podcast. That will be part of today's podcast.

Speaker 1:

I want to uncover why so many women find this natural phase both perplexing and overwhelming, and what we can do about it to find a sense of peace in our lives, because for many, many women, menopause is a big deal. It's literally life-changing. So let's jump in. There are a lot of myths surrounding menopause, a lot of misconceptions and a whole lot of confusion, so let's just start with the basics first, so we are all on the same page here.

Speaker 1:

It's not easy defining menopause, but the clinical definition of being in menopause is a woman who does not have her period for a period of one year. When you go 12 months without your period, you are in menopause and then you are post-menopausal. All that time before you stop getting your period for one year is called perimenopause. Perimenopause starts, on average, in your mid-40s and can last for about seven years, maybe sometimes less, maybe sometimes more. During perimenopause, your hormones can be in a wild ride. They're fluctuating up and down. You might get your period, skip it for a few months, get it again, and on and on. Most importantly, you may start having menopausal symptoms hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, mood changes, vaginal dryness, or just to name a few of the dozens of symptoms you can have during this time and into menopause and post-menopause. Now, I would be here all day if I discussed every symptom of menopause on this episode. But if you are wondering if your joint pain or that burning feeling on your tongue may be due to menopause, I have a link for you in the show notes that shows you what you may think are some of the uncommon symptoms.

Speaker 1:

The fact is, we have many hormones in our body that do many, many amazing things, but estrogen, when it comes to menopause, rules the day here, and not to mention perimenopause as well. Estrogen affects your whole body, from head to toe, including your heart, your bones, your brain, so there's not a single area that is not affected by estrogen. The symptoms you hear about the most, and maybe even joke about the most, are those hot flashes and night sweats and mood swings. Mystery weight gain these are all about estrogen failing at its job. Hot flashes and night sweats and mood swings, mystery weight gain these are all about estrogen failing at its job. Hot flashes and night sweats, for example, happen because of the dip in estrogen. Decreased estrogen levels cause your body's thermostat to become more sensitive to slight changes in body temperature, and in turn, your body tries to cool itself down, and so it can feel just like this incredible burning feeling. Weight around your belly is another example of the power of estrogen. Reduced estrogen causes the weight from your hips and your thighs to get redistributed to around your belly. You may not even gain weight per se, but your body may just move around a bit, and so it appears that you have gained weight. And perimenopause symptoms aren't just physical. Symptoms can affect every aspect of your life, from sleep to emotional well-being. If, for example, you are waking up every night with night sweats, you are bound to start losing sleep and have a hard time falling back to sleep, which in turn can affect your moods and, obviously, your energy and your peace of mind.

Speaker 1:

Now, for some women, the menopause transition is barely a blip on the radar screen. They almost don't notice it. I have some friends who are like I just stopped getting my period one day and that was it, and never had a symptom. But for the rest of us, menopause can feel like a tsunami level change. You're losing a part of who you are, of who you know you are. Estrogen does that, and we are losing our estrogen, and that can feel really overwhelming and almost like grief in a way. And therein lies the confusion of menopause. Part of the confusion stems from how differently each woman experienced these symptoms. No two menopause journeys are the same, which makes it really hard to define a quote normal menopause experience. When you have one friend, like I said before, saying I just stopped getting my period one day, and another is having 10 hot flashes a day and crying every time they see a sad commercial, you can understand how wildly different everyone's experiences can be, not to mention the fact that most women are hugely unprepared for menopause.

Speaker 1:

Did your mom teach you about menopause? Yeah, I didn't think so Because, again, every woman on the planet transitions through menopause and it still seems to be the world's biggest secret. My mother never told me about perimenopause, nor does she even really remember when she went into menopause. It was just not talked about. And don't get me started on the many doctors who are still in the dark when it comes to menopause. I talked about my experience all the way back in episode 32. If you want to hear about that, definitely take a listen, episode 32. Okay, so let's talk about some myths around menopause that just add to the confusion around this time of our lives, and let's debunk some of these common myths. All right, menopause.

Speaker 1:

Myth number one is that menopause begins at 50 years old or in your 50s, and nothing could be further than the truth with this one. But for so many women, there is the belief that you simply stop getting your period and then you start having hot flashes. I think that is how my mother described it to me. She was about 54 years old, had a hot flash or two, no big deal. She never mentioned the 10 years leading up to that point, or her missed periods and low energy. The truth, like I said before, is that the whole menopause experience does not start in your 50s, but well before then. It takes your body a long time to transition out of getting your period, and the transition can sometimes be difficult. Your period and the transition can sometimes be difficult. Menopause starts with perimenopause, and that is typically in your 40s, not your 50s. All right, menopause myth number two Hormone replacement therapy, or menopausal hormone therapy as it is now called, is risky to take.

Speaker 1:

Okay, let's debunk this myth right now. Back in the early 90s, many, many women were taking the hormones estrogen and progesterone to help with menopause symptoms very happily, my mother included. And right then a large study was conducted to test the link between breast cancer and hormone therapy. The study initially thought there might be a link, and the press went wild and a panic ensued. They abruptly stopped the study. Things were looking dire and this just set off a chain of events that has been hard to come back from. Almost every woman on hormones stopped taking them abruptly on the advice of their doctors. But the truth is that study has been totally debunked. The data was not read correctly and in reality, the incidence of breast cancer and hormones was extremely low to almost non-existent. But this debunked study to this day has continued to set in motion a panic with many medical professionals and definitely many women, and that is too bad, because the reality is, using hormones is not only safe for most women and I need to say that not every woman is a candidate or wants to take hormones but for most women, hormones are safe. But, as I said before, estrogen plays a role in so many areas of your health that adding some back in can be very, very useful to our health. Your hot flashes and night sweats will go away, which means you sleep better, not to mention that it's protective for your bones and your heart, just to name a few. So if you're curious about menopausal hormonal therapy, please find a doctor who is knowledgeable and can have a meaningful conversation with you about it.

Speaker 1:

Okay, myth number three and one that's not talked about very often, and I'm going to talk about it today, even if it's a little uncomfortable for some of you. The myth is that menopause marks the end of your sex life. Now listen, our sex lives are very personal and there are many reasons why you may or may not be having sex, but what I do know is that it's just not talked about often or at all, especially when it comes to this menopause transition. We're even a little embarrassed to talk about it with our doctors. But I'm talking about it today because why not? And it's one of the myths, I think that is very prevalent when it comes to menopause. So what is the deal with menopause and sex?

Speaker 1:

As I've said, menopause is characterized by a decrease in estrogen and progesterone levels. Estrogen, particularly, is important for maintaining vaginal lubrication and elasticity. Reduced levels can lead to vaginal dryness and discomfort during sex and it can be really painful and it might lead some to mistakenly believe that their sex life is over. Sex can be downright painful, and who wants or needs that? There's also a cultural stereotype of sex that definitely associates youth with sexuality and desirability. Menopause, being a marker of aging, is often unfairly depicted as a point where femininity and sexual appeal start to decline. On other podcast episodes about the obsession with youth and staying as young quote unquote as possible, even though we cannot control our aging, but there is definitely an obsession in this country with staying and looking and appearing as young as possible. So it's really important to first address the physical changes.

Speaker 1:

Many of the physical changes that affect sexual function during menopause can definitely be managed with medical and non-medical interventions. It's so important to have a conversation with your doctor and, again, if your doctor cannot talk to you about this openly, it is time to get a new doctor. A good doctor should definitely talk to you about hormone replacement therapy, among other options. For some women, hormone therapy can help replenish those estrogen levels, thereby improving your vaginal health and overall sexual function. However, again, it is definitely essential to discuss the benefits and risks with your healthcare provider. Don't even, you know, think about getting something over on the internet or anything. Do this through a doctor. Another thing to consider is pelvic floor exercises, which is another lesser talked about topic. Strengthening the pelvic floor muscles can definitely enhance sexual sensation, and I'm not going to get too much into this on today's podcast, but in my upcoming course I am definitely going to get into detail about the hows, whats and whys of pelvic and sexual health.

Speaker 1:

Are there certain foods that we can eat, exercises, other modalities to help you? Sign up for my course to find out, because, the fact is, menopause can be a time for reevaluating and embracing one's body and sexuality and self-image, cultivating a positive self-worth right now, and confidence is crucial. So the bottom line and big goal around peri and menopause is that we want to be able to navigate this time of our lives with confidence and empowerment. We want to be in control of our bodies and our health. Knowledge is power here, and that's a saying that has never been more true than at this time of our lives. Knowing what to expect and when to seek help can empower you through your menopause transition. Without a doubt, lifestyle adjustments, dietary considerations what to eat can we influence our menopause experience through the foods that we incorporate and the importance of mental health are all life-changing when it comes to this time, not to mention staying active, eating well, like I said, and maintaining a supportive social network. This can all profoundly impact your menopause experience.

Speaker 1:

So today we've uncovered why menopause can be so confusing. We have touched the tip of the iceberg. We certainly have not gotten to all of it, and I will continue this conversation, for sure and definitely in the course that I have coming in September. By understanding the basics, dispelling myths and knowing how to navigate the transition, you can face menopause with total confidence and peace. Thank you so much today for tuning in. I would love it if you wanted to subscribe to my podcast, share the podcast and also reach out with any menopause stories or questions you definitely have. If you want to talk to me about my upcoming course, that would be great too. My email is in the show notes. Remember, menopause is not just an end but a beginning to another vibrant chapter of life. It can actually be pretty exciting. So join us next time on Real Food Stories as we continue to break down the barriers around women's health and menopause. And until then, keep thriving and have a great day.