WHAT YOUR MOTHER NEVER TOLD YOU!

I will always remember the first time my mom talked to me about menstruation, or more specifically, the first time she did not talk to me about menstruation. We didn't have any discussions or talks about it, so when the time came for my first period, I wasn't prepared for it at all.

As luck would have it, I started my period in a Cadillac that had a white interior and I got blood on the white leather.  Mortified at what had just happened, when we got where we were going I went to the restroom, stuffed enough toilet paper in my underwear to catch the bleeding and then figured out a way to smuggle out some wet Kleenex to clean up the car.

In case you're thinking that embarrassing incident inspired my mom to finally fill me in on menstruation or maybe how to use sanitary napkins or insert a tampon, sadly, you would be mistaken.  I had to learn it all by trial and error. Like putting one in the wrong way and it became a floatation device. 

I do recall some brief conversations with my mom about classic topics like the birds and the bees, dating, and how much it can hurt to break up with your first boyfriend. But there were no discussions on the subject of menstruation or topics like menopause or depression. 

She suffered from sleeping issues and insomnia caused by a hormonal imbalance and it's possible that she mentioned things, but she never sat me down and said "now Michelle, just as your period started, one day your period will also stop."  Or, "Now honey, sometimes women have times when they feel very down about things in their life."  Or, "Michelle, when you get older you will need to keep six pairs of pajamas near your bed because you will get night sweats so badly you will have to change clothes during the night."

I have a feeling I'm not alone with this list of "Things my mother never told me."  My girlfriends had very few talks with their moms about these same subjects. In many cases, it might be because when we were younger and still at home, our moms hadn't gone into menopause yet, so they didn't have the life experience to share with us about things like night sweats, mood swings, the inevitable end to menstruation or that it was taboo to talk about such things.  So, I really don't fault our moms for not preparing us for these issues.  Today we become our own teachers and health care advocates; we do not need to wait for our mothers. If your mom didn't explain to you about hot flashes, that's okay-go online and research it, and read books on the topic, and talk to your doctor and your girlfriends. Find a woman in her late 40s and beyond, and you'll find someone who will chat with you for hours about these topics.  If you are feeling blue most of the time, give your doctor a jingle and make an appointment, and read up as much as you can on the subject-a lot of women experience depression in one form or another during perimenopause and menopause. Talk about your symptoms with your physician to distinguish if it's a passing thing or something that might need some treatment. 

Once you've done your research and gabbed with your girlfriends and checked in with your physician, and are feeling pretty knowledgeable about these topics, pick up the phone and give your mom a call.  Who knows, maybe you could say something like, "Hey Mom, I've just learned a lot of information about menopause that I thought you might find to be interesting."  And in the process, you will help teach something to the first woman who ever taught you-your mom.

 BY Michelle King Robson

HOT FLASH HAVOC HALLOWEEN QUOTE:

Women are Angels,

And when someone breaks our wings,

We simply continue to fly . . . . . on a broomstick!

We are flexible like that.

Every month we will review books for your education review: 

As Executive Producer of the movie Hot Flash Havoc, I meet thousands of women challenged by their age, their changing lives, their changing health and how they want to face their "Second Act".  Having great advice to face yourself and others head on and to realize there are no problems, only solutions, can change your life in a positive manner.  Dr. Wulf Utian is a master in making you think and meet these challenges from an informed decision.  Heidi Houston, Executive Producer, Hot Flash Havoc, a movie of menopausal proportions.
 

"CHANGE YOUR MENOPAUSE - why one size does not fit all"  by Dr. Wulf Utian
www.utianllc.com
 

OUR BODIES ARE DIFFERENT
 

Surely women are women? Of course women have specific similarities, but it is their differences that serve to drive home the subtitle of this book, namely, in contemporary menopause management, one size does not fit all! I will return to this subject shortly, but first it is

Dr Utian

necessary to provide the background information to menopause and its appropriate management.
 

Let me emphasize one point immediately. Until the late 1990's, whenever the word menopause came up in some medical circles, it was almost universally equated with another term "Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), as if the one could not get along without the other. This implied you could not be fully active or healthy after menopause unless you took hormonal medication. Today, a new philosophy prevails.
 

Contemporary menopause management is a complex subject involving many aspects of preventing or treating both minor and major medical problems, requiring on occasion advanced diagnostic technologies, and incorporating a broad range of potential treatments, starting with the most noninvasive such as changes in lifestyle, and progressing to some new and very complicated pharmaceutical products.
 

(Excerpt from the first chapter)

Quote from another great menopause book:

"It's MY OVARIES, Stupid!" By Elizabeth Lee Vliet, M.D. 

Women need straight talk, sound information, and more of the complete story behind the headlines."

Dr Vliet

Remember it is your body, take care of it.  This is an easy read with understandable information that looks at the whole woman to cover lifestyle factors, illnesses, surgeries, dietary and environmental toxins that sabotage your hormones and fertility.

Dr. Vliet has studied, researched, and written on the effects of hormone changes on migraines, fibromyalgia and chronic pain, PMS, PCOS, depression and anxiety, osteoporosis, cardiovascular risks, etc.

Her books include: It's My Ovaries, Stupid!, Screaming to Be Heard: Hormone Connections Women Suspect... and Doctors Still Ignore, and Women, Weight and Hormones. Find more details at: www.herplace.com/books.htm

OCTOBER 18, 2011 - WORLD MENOPAUSE DAY

Hot Flash Havoc: Video Scenes From Amazing Documentary on Menopause 

Dr Simon

You can see an array of video clips from the film Hot Flash Havoc including those featuring Vibrance team members Drs. James Simon and Alan Altman.

By 2015--just down the pike--an estimated 2.3 billion women worldwide will struggle with the physical and emotional side effects that perimenopause and menopause causes. The World Health Organization (WHO) designated Oct. 18, 2011, World Menopause Day in an effort to draw special attention to the large international

Dr Altman

public health challenge that menopause brings.

The award-winning documentary Hot Flash Havoc echoes the sentiments of World Menopause Day year-round as a valuable, unbiased resource that helps women take control of their health and well-being, from menopause and beyond. 

Helps to unravel misunderstandings concerning peri-menopause, menopause, hormones pros and cons and the controversial Women's Health Initiative (WHI) of 2002. 

For the Vibrance Network To read entire article click here.

I have been very honored to have been interviewed on some of the finest TV shows. Here is a link to one of my favorites.

And another favorite.

HOW TO BUY A DVD

Just in case you can't get to one of the Hot Flash Havoc events and you need the information sooner, you can buy the DVD online through www.hotflashhavoc.com. We will ship it out to you in a FLASH.