Posted on: Tuesday, September 28, 2004
ABOUT WOMEN
Change may not be all that bad
By Christie Wilson
Advertiser Staff Writer
When it came to menopause, I pretty much filed it away in the same category as retirement and my kids' college education: I'll worry about it when I get there.
Well, I'm there — almost.
I always figured "The Change" wouldn't strike until I was well into my 50s. (Calling it "The Change" makes it sound like a scene from an old Lon Chaney movie in which he transforms into a werewolf. Hmm, maybe that explains the whiskers.)
Then came some episodes when I woke up in the middle of the night drenched in sweat and couldn't get back to sleep, or when I seemed to be the only one in the office who thought the thermostat needed to be cranked down another 10 degrees. It's Hawai'i — it's hot, right?
And there were the occasional disabling headaches that may or may not have been caused by unstable hormone levels or, as my husband pointed out, overconsumption of chocolate. I wasn't ready to cop to either.
I finally put it together when I experienced other symptoms. Then I looked around at my circle of female acquaintances and realized many of them had experienced menopause, apparently without my notice. Or else they had suffered in silence.
When I went to the doctor to confirm my suspicions, she ran down a checklist:
Hot flashes? "Maybe."
Night sweats? "I guess."
Periods of sleeplessness? "Sometimes."
Mood swings? OK, that's code for "Have you been extra bitchy lately?" Women are no judge of our own bitchiness. We think we're the picture of reasonableness and that the rest of world is taking STOO-PID PILLS IN ORDER TO TEST OUR COMMITMENT TO CALM, REASONABLE LIVING!
"Uh, you'll have to ask my husband about that one."
On the way out the door she handed me one of those ancient pamphlets titled "So You're Going Through Menopause" or something like that. The pamphlet, of course, made no mention of recent studies showing that hormone replacement therapy — the long-accepted treatment for menopause symptoms — could increase the risk of heart attack, stroke and breast cancer.
Since the symptoms seem to have subsided and are not yet intruding on my quality of life, except for those blasted headaches, I've decided the best course of action for now is to take no action.
In the meantime, I ran down my own pre-menopause checklist:
As a lifelong milk drinker, taker of calcium supplements and devotee of weight-bearing exercise, I figure I'm good on the osteoporosis thing.
The dry-skin thing is another matter. After decades of serious sun exposure, I'm deep into collagen-envy.
The idea of no longer being able to bear children doesn't bother me a bit, and although decreased libido is another possible side effect, some women find not having to worry about birth control sexually liberating.
OK, I can do this.
Reach Christie Wilson at cwilson@honoluluadvertiser.com or (808) 244-4880.
