Sixty Four and Menopausal? Impossible!!

About 9 months ago something unexpected happened to me. Having not changed any of my eating or exercising habits I gained 16 kilos in around a month. I was obviously devastated. I went from guilt to shame. What did I do to cause this? My weight had been stable for years and all of a sudden I couldn’t fit into my clothes! This became the subject of most of my conversations with my friends and family.  Then one day my sister shared with me that Hormones could be the culprit. I quickly made an appointment to have my blood tested for hormonal irregularities only to find out there were none. That did not appease me.

Me at my Woodstock fest, photo by Warren Burstein

Calling up my health care provider, in my case Maccabi, I asked for an appointment with a female Menopause doctor. Much to my surprise and chagrin they said there were none. Oddly enough I found out from my sister-in-law who just arrived in Israel and has a friend whose latest passion is the issue of Menopause that this is not true. She sent me a list of female doctors in the field and within a week I had an appointment. There was a co-pay but I would have paid anything to see the right doctor. BTW, when I made an appointment to see a male Menopause doctor I was told I had to wait months.

I know that my case is a bit unusual. Generally, Menopause happens much earlier in life. Decades earlier in fact, but not in my case. Not only did I experience a drastic weight gain but add to that insomnia, increased short-term memory, and other unpleasant issues I’d rather not talk about….

So I show up for my appointment which happened to be at Hadassa Mt Scopus Hospital in Jerusalem. The doctor – a woman as I explained earlier- asked a number of pertinent questions and concluded that I cannot possibly be suffering from Menopause starting at the age of 63. Well, I told her, I may be a freak of nature but I AM!!! She examined me and when it was obvious that I would not leave her office without a solution she agreed to give me a prescription for low-grade Estrogen patches after assuring her that I would first have another Mamogram and then I am to try the patches for three months to see the effects.

The cover of the revolutionary book The Hormone Shift by Tasneem Bahtia M.D.

In the meantime, I did my due diligence. My sister recommended the latest popular book for women “The Hormone Shift”. This informative book was written by a well-versed on the subject doctor Tasneem Bhatia, M.D. a board-certified Integrative Medicine and Nutrition specialist. My sister told me that chapter 9 tells us what to eat to get our bodies back in shape. That didn’t interest me so much since I was convinced that it would be nothing new under the sun and I was right. “Robin,” I told her “I eat right and exercise as I always have and it’s not making a difference!”  So my focus was on the first 8 chapters. What is going on with my body????

As Dr Taz- as she is called- explains; most women are unaware of the Hormone issue. They are not told about the hormone shift as they get older and simply blame themselves for their body changing in very unattractive and more importantly, unhealthy ways. Part of the reason is because most doctors including gynecologists are men. Would you go to a woman doctor if you were suffering from Prostate Cancer? I suggest you would not.

The first chapters of the book speak about common issues that women deal with when it comes to their bodies. She uses the expression “Gas lighting” when it comes to going to a male doctor with aches, pains, and other symptoms only to be told there is nothing wrong. Sadly I witnessed this with my eldest daughter who suffered for years with no explanation from any doctor until decades later was informed that she has Endometriosis, a disease that could have been diagnosed and treated years ago had the doctor actually researched her symptoms instead of discounting her and her complaints.

I went on to read about the importance of nutrition, exercise, and hormone therapy when our bodies change during and after the onset of Menopause. The benefits of incorporating Eastern and Western modalities in order to get our bodies back in shape and to basically feel good. She goes into detail about the benefits of various vitamins such as B, E, and D in addition to Magnesium, Zinc and more. I am a true believer that if you eat right you can get these vitamins naturally but many of us simply don’t take the time to plan our meals and eat like we know we should.

In reference to the Good Foods and the various popular diets, her recommendations do not reveal anything surprising. Avoid white everything- flour; bread; pasta; rice; and sugar for starters, avoid a lot of starches and fried food, add to that stay away from processed foods, soft drinks, canned foods, etc. Again, not anything we don’t know already. She recommends veggie smoothies as a great way to start our day, brown rice and rice cakes, natural nut spreads, fruits and vegetables, goat dairy products over cow- also not surprising and protein however all in the right proportion of course. She is in favor of Intermittent Fasting but surprisingly recommends it for no longer than three months.

As I predicted, I eat all of the right things and exercise as she recommends at least two hours a week. So… obviously the culprit is my hormones. Starting this week after my recommended Mamogram, I will begin HRT Hormone Replacement Therapy for the first time. I can’t wait to update you on the results. The doctor told me if after three months it doesn’t help to go off of them. I responded, if after three months it doesn’t help I will be back in your office for the next Hormone recommendation. Women; take control of your health and insist on getting what you believe you need. Remember – No one knows your body as much as you do!