Menopause - Woman's Hour

I love listening to Woman's Hour. Occasionally it really annoys me though and today's consultation of a CBT expert and a HRT advocate really annoyed me. 

It feels typical that CBP and HRT are getting so much air-time, being presented as a panacea to this 'problem' - when in fact they are products that get constantly bandied about, sometimes quite aggressively pushed by the establishment. The constant refrain of evidence-base is really tiring and patronising. In my experience it is not enough that women say something works - it needs to go through a trial to become respectable!

In general, we don't get to hear enough about more alternative approaches/philosophies that aren't about pushing an agenda but more about positive change. Women get often told what is best for them and their power to know for themselves and to make their own decisions are often sabotaged. Woman's Hour falls into that trap sometimes too by consulting 'experts', particularly those from the medical world.

I have always been interested in exploring self-empowering ways and would like to share what I have found helpful, sometimes truly transformative. I have learned about women yoga (Yoni Shakti), yoga in general that is gentle and deep rather than dynamic and pose-centred, use essential oils to balance hormones and calm nerves, take the herbal supplement Menopause Support by Dr Vogel, and daily linseed intake which contains plant based oestrogen and Moringa powder help too. I am managing the symptoms quite well with ways that feel nurturing and help me turn to others with the same attitude. Generally exercise, meditation, talking to women, sharing and ACCEPTANCE that I am changing into a different stage of womanhood help greatly.

For me this stage of womanhood is about finding my ground, my voice and my power, so that I can contribute more courageously to public life. We have to get away from thinking that the peri-menopause/menopause is a negative thing, which needs to be suppressed by medication, so that we can continue in our old ways, one could argue supporting patriarchal structures. I feel that we women suffer all too often from lack of confidence and low self-esteem allowing men all too often take to the platform.

Instead we ought to see the menopause as a powerful transformational process of self-care, self-discovery and self-actualisation so that we can begin to rise and be part of the bigger change that this world needs, which for me ultimately is about 

care

justice

peace

We women have to be part of the change. 

We have something to say. 

Let's embrace our wild spirit.