Yup! I said it. Menopause is shitty. What makes me laugh is for centuries men have said women are the weaker sex. After giving birth, working along side men and doing the same job they did (in the military with weapons), and now this, I can honestly say we are not the weaker sex.

Let's get down to business. Menopause isn't just you stop your period and get hot flashes. No, it's more than that. So MUCH MORE! Recently I came across a book The New Menopause by Dr Mary Claire Haver. When I read this my mind was blown! I wondered why I couldn't take pills like I used to because one of the changes in the body with menopause is the throat getting smaller. Burning tongue? Same thing. Vertigo? Same thing. All due to menopause. So I reached out to a doctor I know in my area who has really made it her life's work to understand and treat menopause, Dr Theresa Burick. She came to the studio and talked to 10 of us women who were all postmenopausal. Along with what Dr Haver says in the book, Dr Burick told us what blood work to get, what supplements we should be taking, and what exercises are the best.

Now more than ever, doctors (not all sadly), are taking menopause a bit more seriously than before. Let me say Dr Burick really gave us some insight into what is learned in medical school regarding menopause. She told us that medical school designates 30 minutes of learning about menopause. THIRTY MINUTES!!! Something that changes a women's life drastically all for thirty freaking minutes?? Seriously? And they wonder why our healthcare is poor. Doctors in the UK and the EU take menopause seriously and guess what? They listen to the woman too. So often women get dismissed when they talk about these things. I have a friend who is post-menopausal and wanted to get on hormone replacement therapy. The first GYN she saw told her she was too old for HRT. The second GYN, after bloodwork, said she was fine. It took her fighting for someone to listen to her for her to get on HRT. She says she feels better than ever.

Menopause affects more than you realize ladies. It's time to educate yourself. Read the book, ask the questions, and get the bloodwork. It's not in your head and you're not crazy. Yes, anxiety is part of menopause; so is depression too. It's not just hot flashes and night sweats.

One more thing: I've bought at least 6 copies of this book and I always hand them out to ladies going through menopause. Best book for your health.