Tuesday, March 23, 2010

The truth of marketing HRT....


I believe every woman should read this article and understand that this is STILL affecting our decisions (and I believe many doctors' decisions) about the use of HRT.


"Years ago, I spoke with a retired advertising executive of the Mad Men school, who confided that the key to a good pitch lay in the skillful manipulation of two emotions: fear and desire. Having just co-written a book on the cultural story of menstruation, I know that this has certainly been the case in the way hormone replacement therapy has been sold to women over the decades.


Estrogen was first synthetically isolated in 1929, but it took aggressive and often misleading claims to make HRT standard treatment for middle-aged and older women in America. The book that put Premarin, the pregnant-horse-urine-derived hormone drug, on the map was Feminine Forever, written by gynecologist Dr. Robert A. Wilson in 1966. The battered copy I read recently featured a dewy, 40-ish babe on the cover; and inside, Wilson used a potent mix of both fear and desire, promising women the moon while playing off their insecurities: "Instead of being condemned to witness the death of their own womanhood . . . they will remain fully feminine." "Women... shouldn't have to live as sexual neuters for half their lives. Many physicians simply refuse to recognize menopause for what it is--a serious, painful and often crippling disease."

Monday, March 08, 2010


Since March is my 5 year anniversary of quitting smoking (for 43 years) AND I did it while going through menopause, I feel I'm qualified to give Obama some advice:
1. Stop talking (and thinking) it's so hard to do! Having cancer or emphysema is a LOT harder than just not lighting up that cigarette.
2. Start thinking of yo...urself as a nonsmoker...it's a whole new world.
3. Being President is no excuse to continue doing something so stupid
4. Stop telling yourself lies such as "you enjoy it", "you need a cig to relax", etc.And finally...
5. Just say "I CAN!"

Thursday, March 04, 2010

Menopause and Sleep! Impossible?


One of the biggest issues we face before, during and after menopause is getting enough SLEEP! There's a different story for every woman and we really don't put enough importance on the effect all those sleepless nights are having on our lives. From peri-menopause to post-menopause, women report the most sleeping problems. Most notably, these are due to hot flashes, mood disorders, insomnia and sleep-disordered breathing. Sleep problems are often accompanied by depression and anxiety. In addition to the common sleep problems that we have throughout menopause, you could also have Sleep Apnea which can have devestating effects on your heart. I created this page to help tie in with the other symptoms.
Let's talk about how much sleep issues affect your daily life. I believe it's something that has been missing in all the talk about getting through menopause.