6. The medical approach to the menopause is either stave it off by pretending they can stop it happening, or ignore it by suppressing the symptoms…
Either way, it’s all about defying nature. When a woman’s body starts to produce less oestrogen and progesterone, there’s a reason for that. We are undergoing a natural change, a transition, which the body is able to cope with, given the right support. Pumping it up with synthetic hormones, aka hormone replacement therapy (HRT), or trying to quash the symptoms with pharmaceuticals including antidepressants, sleeping tablets, anti-inflammatories, analgesics and anti-anxiety drugs, is not the answer. It is not even helpful. Quite the opposite!
These drugs can sometimes relieve the symptoms, but they come with many possible, very worrying, side effects. HRT is made up of synthetic steroids designed to mimic the activity of oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone. There is plenty of evidence to show that HRT increases the risk of heart disease, stroke and blood clots, breast, ovarian and endometrial cancers.
Anti anxiety drugs – the Valium-type drugs – can cause drowsiness, irritability, dizziness, memory and concentration problems (hmm, all common symptoms associated with menopause, so we could just blame it on that…). Oh, and let’s not forget physical, and psychological, dependence. Aka addiction.