September is Menopause Awareness Month (as if we needed a poke to remind us that we are about to go through menopause, are actually going through menopause, or have gone through menopause . . . right?).
Whatever stage you’re in, this much I can tell you: it’s not your mama’s menopause.
Far from it. We aren’t hiding it as if it’s something to be ashamed of or a disease we need to cure. Women today, more than ever before in the history of women, are embracing this 
normal, natural, and happens-to-all-of-us transition.
What’s more, we’re talking about it not only with each other, but with our physicians, kids, co-workers, and partners. We want them to know what’s going on with us, so they don’t think we’re demented when we experience menopausal ‘brain fog’ or have morphed into cranky bi***es when we’re just going through a period of hormonal mood swings.
But just as important, it’s essential that each and every one of us — and everyone who loves us — understands that menopause is truly life-changing head-to-toe, inside and out. In fact, once we hit menopause, you are officially a post-menopausal woman . . . for the rest of your life, 
which most likely means that you will be a post-menopausal woman for half your life.
Yes, most of us experience what I call the Terrible Menopause Trifecta (TMT): hot flashes, night sweats, and mood swings. While these can often last a lot longer than we would like, for the most part, they can be considered temporary. It’s the life-long changes that have gotten my attention, all of which can be connected straight back to one huge physical change — a drop in estrogen: thinning bones, heart issues, brain functioning and more.
As a trustee of the National Osteoporosis Foundation, I am a frequent host of BoneTalk, the 
NOF podcast, where we focus on all aspects of healthy aging. To help celebrate Menopause Awareness Month, I interviewed an incredible woman who also happens to be a phenomenal NYU Langone Health endocrinologist — Dr. Margaret Nachtigall — and we talked so much about so many different aspects of menopause that we had to splice the interview into three different episodes! (Don’t you just love it when women get together and start yapping . . . ). To make sure you never miss an episode, please subscribe after you’ve tuned in.
Episode #1 is devoted to menopause symptoms and how menopause affects our bone health. Click here to listen.
Episode #2 focuses on how an entire generation of women stopped taking Hormone Replace Therapy (HT or HRT) because of a huge study that came out in 2002 that basically said HT=bad. But, once the analyses were re-visited and re-analysed, HT didn’t seem so terrible after all. My feelings? Talk to your doctor and find the solution that’s best for you. After all, in this day and age, no one should ever suffer. Click here to listen.
Episode #3 is not yet live, but you will definitely want to listen in when it goes live next week. Why? It’s all about sex. ‘Nough said.
Ch-ch-ch-changes indeed.
Happy Menopause Awareness Month!
Want more tips on how to look, feel and be amazing at any age? Check out my second book — Love Your Age: The Small-Step Solution to a Better, Longer, Happier Life by clicking here!
