Hi and thank goodness I’ve found menopause matters.
I’m 56 and I’m about to start my final year of a Degree in SFX and Prosthetics, which has really opened my eyes to the gendered ageism in the entertainment industry, I can tell you.
I had a pretty standard menopause, moody, sweaty, weight gain etc.
But battled through, it was only after about two years after my last period the difficult issues started.
Firstly sex started to become very painful, I had never heard about Vaginal atrophy prior to this.
Then I started to develop significant arthritis, all over, but mainly the problems became acute in my hands, to the extent I’ve had to have part of my thumb joint removed.
Thankfully I have a great GP, who put me on HRT, which has significantly slowed down the progression of arthritis and reversed the virginal atrophy (isn’t that a vile term).
On reflection I wish I had known about the longer term effects of menopause and I would definitely have considered HRT much earlier.
As mentioned above, I’ve also been affected by gendered ageism, if feels like once you pass menopause, it’s ok for people to write you off as passed it, and having little worth to contribute.
Well that’s me at the moment, and thank you again for having me here.
XxSadie
