Menopodcast - Menopause For The 21st Century Sarah Auerswald and Julia Frey

We’re calling it done. This is our last episode of the podcast (at least until Sarah finally starts going through Menopause herself and can add anything new…) We’ve had laughs, we’ve read a lot of great books, we’ve learned a lot, we’ve interviewed smart, interesting women - and we’re both moving on to other projects. We appreciate all of you who’ve listened and we hope you all have the BEST possible Menopause - and beyond! Good Menopause To You!

Author Susan P. Mattern’s book is subtitled “The Science, History and Meaning of Menopause,” so you know we had to read it! It’s filled with fascinating concepts: about Menopause as an adaptation by Homo Sapiens to help keep our species thriving, and about the idea that Menopause is a Cultural Syndrome, only having been named by Western Doctors and scientists in the 1700s. Ultimately, we found the book a challenge to read - as laypeople, if you will. But cool ideas!

Sometimes science decides to look at things we think are common sense and quantify them. OK, fine, science, have a good time. We could have already told you that having people in your life with whom you can talk about Menopause would be a good thing - both online and in person. And now you get it, too. What we didn’t already know was that it looks like it’ll help keep Dementia at bay, so that’s a bonus. We read two articles that kicked off this show - we’ll post the links on Facebook.

This episode was inspired by an article we found on NextAvenue.org, which asks whether the stigma regarding talking about Menopause is lessening. Has it gone mainstream, they wonder, because Gywneth Paltrow talked about her own perimenopause, and Grace & Frankie had a sex-toys-for-older-ladies storyline? We say: Not yet it hasn’t. BUT there are good signs it could happen in our lifetime! The Brits seem to be leading the way (again) in this, and we thank them. Millennials, it’s up to you!

In big news for the Menopause community, there’s a study published in the Lancet showing an increased risk of Breast Cancer from taking HRT. Could be double the risk previously thought. So, as always, it’s important to check with your medical professional to assess your personal risk. Plus it turns out the UK is experiencing a shortage of HRT! We asked our UK friend Rachel Lankester from Magnificent Midlife to give us her perspective.

We open up our first episode back after our hiatus by catching up with each other: Sarah’s still growing out her grays - and Julia reveals a big secret! (Listen to find out what!) Then we discuss an article we saw in the Guardian. Turns out in the UK, they’re trying to enact legislation to protect menopausal women in the workplace. What a concept! We love it, but we wanted to hear from our friend from the UK Rachel Lankester from Magnificent Midlife, so she sent us audio.