Last week, my husband reminded me it was time for my
car’s regularly scheduled tune up. The brake lining, fluid levels, tire
alignment, balancing—it all needed to be checked out.
For both David and me, maintaining safe,
well-running cars is a huge priority. After all, we spend a tremendous amount
of time in those cars, commuting to work, meetings, family gatherings, and just
running errands. Then it hit me (a question, not a car!): why are so many of us
incredibly organized and attentive when it comes to the wellbeing of our cars,
but not when it comes to the wellbeing of our primary vehicles (the bodies that
we ride around in 24/7)?!?!
If our cars groan, sputter, or smoke, we take them
into the mechanic without a second of hesitation, but when our bodies are
flashing, flushing, overheating, and experiencing many of the more than 30
symptoms of perimenopause and menopause, we far too often suffer in silence! Many
women, even if undergoing hormone replacement therapy, don’t get rechecked when
they find themselves experiencing old or new symptoms.
Just like our cars need
adjustments from time to time, so do our hormones and healthcare.
Our cars have all kinds of flashing, blinking,
chirping alarms for a reason: to tell us to attend to their needs. Our bodies
are built with alarms, too. When we don’t feel right, it’s our bodies’
dashboards telling us that something is wrong. So why don’t we pay attention to
them? Why do we wait until we find ourselves on the equivalent of a highway
shoulder? When it comes to caring for our perimenopause and menopause symptoms,
we all too often wait for a crisis to hit us before attending to them. It’s as
if we had been waiting for AAA to come and give us a menopausal tow into the
nearest garage! (Bad visual, right?)
It’s time for some preventative care—a tune up, if
you will. Preventative care is the true foundation of living and being well. Every
10,000 miles or so, we take our cars in for a looksee from our friendly
mechanic. The same should be true for our bodies. Why check the lining of our
brakes, but not the lining of our vaginas?
It’s way too common for women to not check their estrogen,
progesterone, testosterone, and other hormone levels. We need to do this in
order to make sure that all of our “equipment” is working well. We would never
think of driving with anything less than a well-oiled engine and plenty of fuel,
but when was the last time you asked your gynecologist to screen you for
vaginal atrophy? Is your vagina lubricating and running right? If not, your health,
sex life, enjoyment, and romantic relationships can suffer.
Here
are my five steps to getting on the road to hormone happiness:
1. Listen to Your Body. Listening to our bodies’ dashboards is the first and most important step in our bodies riding smoothly during perimenopause and menopause. Until you pay attention to those flashing lights, you can’t do anything about them.
1. Listen to Your Body. Listening to our bodies’ dashboards is the first and most important step in our bodies riding smoothly during perimenopause and menopause. Until you pay attention to those flashing lights, you can’t do anything about them.
2.
Find a Menopause Specialist. Gynos are great, but
they often aren’t trained in the specifics of perimenopause and menopause tune ups. To
find a specialist near you, consult my Menopause Doctor Directory, get a referral
from your primary care physician, or ask the women in your life who’s guiding
them toward hormone happiness.
3.
Chart Your Menopause Symptoms. To help track your
symptoms, sign up for my free
Menopause Mondays Newsletter to receive my
Menopause Symptoms Chart via email. Each day, chart the frequency, duration,
and severity of your perimenopause and menopause symptoms and take this chart
in with you to your appointment with your menopause specialist.
4.
Know Your Numbers. Ask your menopause specialist about receiving
a complete blood workup,
including a hormone panel. The proper testing together with your completed Menopause
Symptoms Chart will enable your doctor to create an individualized program just
for you. There are lots of numbers involved, but don’t worry, no algebra needed!
5.
Stay on the Path. Remember, one tune up is not enough. Constantly
listen to your body, monitor your symptoms, and maintain an open dialogue with
your menopause specialist.
As we continue on with our summer travels and get
our cars all ready to roll, let’s remind ourselves to put our own personal
health needs on our tune-up list. After all, without that our bodies can’t properly
take us where we want and need to go. So turn up your car’s volume and heed the
wise words of the Beatles…
Baby
you can drive my car
Yes I’m gonna be a star
Baby you can dive my car
And maybe I’ll love you
Yes I’m gonna be a star
Baby you can dive my car
And maybe I’ll love you
Ellen Dolgen is a Health and Wellness Advocate,
Menopause Awareness Expert, Author, Speaker, and health blogger.
Ellen
is the author of Shmirshky:
The Pursuit of Hormone Happiness -- a cut-to-the-chase book on
perimenopause and menopause that's filled with crucial information, helpful
guides, and hilarious and heartfelt stories. Known for her humor, compassion,
and sassy personality, Ellen has appeared on numerous television and radio
broadcasts, including: the Rachael Ray Show, The Doctors, Oprah Radio, Playboy
Radio, “Tell Me More" on NPR, Doctor Radio, and dozens of other regional
and national media outlets. Ellen is a frequent guest on the popular radio
show, "Broadminded," on Sirius XM Radio (Stars XM 107) and is a
regular contributor on Huff/Post 50 along with blogging for many leading
women’s health sites. Ellen has dedicated herself to women’s wellness through a
wide breadth of activities ranging from being a founding board member of the
UCSD Student Wellness Center, working with pharmaceutical companies in helping
them to effectively address women’s health needs, serving on hospital advisory
boards, and advocating for cardiovascular health.
Ellen’s
motto is: Reaching out is IN! Suffering in silence is OUT!
For
more from Ellen Dolgen:
Visit
her at EllenDolgen.com
and subscribe to her Menopause Mondays newsletter.
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