Date: Fri 29-Jan-1999

Publication: Hea

Author: KAAREN

Quick Words:

Menopause-Karen-Giblin

Full Text:

Boomers Hit Menopause -- And They Want Answers!

(with photos)

BY KAAREN VALENTA

Every 7.5 seconds, another Baby Boomer turns 50.

Forty-three million women in the United States are now facing midlife and

menopause, and in the next two decades that number is expected to double. An

estimated 4,000 women begin menopause every day.

Is it any wonder that menopause has become a hot topic?

That wasn't the case, however, almost ten years ago when Karen Giblin began

early menopause after a total hysterectomy. A three-term member of the Board

of Selectmen in Ridgefield, Karen soon found herself dealing with a number of

severe symptoms, including hot flashes, heart palpitations, and memory loss.

"It was really disconcerting to me -- it was frightening," she said.

Talking with other women, she found others in the same predicament, searching

for answers amid confusing and conflicting information. Leadership was needed,

she decided, so Karen enlisted the help of the Visiting Nurse Association to

set up a program. Her first meeting drew 30 curious women. Soon the meetings

grew so large they were moved to the auditorium at Danbury Hospital.

The group started as the Red Hot Mamas (a humorous reference to hot flashes)

and later, as its influence grew, Karen Giblin founded Prime Plus/Red Hot

Mamas. The quest for information has made Prime Plus/Red Hot Mamas the

nation's largest menopause education and support program, with groups offered

in 18 states across the country.

"Menopause is a natural part of aging, not a disease," Ms Giblin said. "It

involves the slowing down of the production of three sex hormones -- estrogen,

progesterone, and androgen -- and marks the natural end of the reproductive

years that began in puberty."

The average woman enters menopause at age 51, give or take five years, she

said. It can happen naturally or surgically if a woman has an oopherctomy, a

hysterectomy in which the ovaries also are removed. It also can be induced by

drugs or X-rays.

Menopause is considered premature if it occurs before the age of 40, Ms Giblin

said. Some women are at risk for earlier menopause, such as smokers, who

generally enter menopause one to two years earlier than nonsmokers. Women with

very little body fat, such as athletes and fashion models, also tend to have

earlier menopause. Women who have extra body fat will be less symptomatic

because fat allows the body to make more estrogen, she said.

Seventy-two percent of women experience hot flashes and night sweats during

menopause. Many experience emotional and gynecological changes, and changes in

sexual functioning. Other symptoms include insomnia, heart palpitations,

memory loss, joint pain, fatigue, and lethargy.

Reducing Symptoms

"Symptoms don't last forever, and that's good news," Ms Giblin said. "Most can

be reduced if you eat a healthy diet, stop smoking, exercise regularly, and

ask a health care professional about appropriate lifestyle changes, hormone

replacements, and alternative therapies."

Women who exercise regularly have a lower degree of menopause symptoms, she

said. There are over-the-counter products available, such as lubricants to

help with vaginal dryness.

"Estrogen is very confusing to women. Perhaps that is why only 25 percent are

on hormone replacement therapy," Ms Giblin said. "Many women don't understand

what the choices are and what the benefits are. There are a variety of regimes

available. Not any of us are alike, so doctors must create an individualized

and customized treatment plan for each women."

Hormone replacement therapy includes a variety of oral tablets, skin patches,

vaginal creams, injections, and specialized medications that can be prepared

by a compounding pharmacist.

"Women are inclined to think of it as one treatment, but there are also a host

of complementary and alternative treatments available," Ms Giblin said. Women

in China and Japan have a lower incidence of breast cancer and fewer menopause

symptoms. This is attributed to a diet that is lower in fat and higher in

plant estrogens found in food products such as soy, tofu and miso, which

function like natural estrogen in a woman's body.

"There are plants, botanical herbal remedies, including chasteberry, black

cohosh, dong quai, licorice root, gensing. Women have been using them in an

increasingly phenomenal rate. But they should be used under the supervision of

a licensed health care practitioner because there are potential benefits and

risks for each of them."

With the drop in estrogen, post-menopausal women face serious health concerns

including an increased chance of heart disease and osteoporosis, the thinning

of the bones. While hormone replacement therapy reduces these risks, some

studies have indicated that hormone replacement could contribute to the

development of cancer.

"I think it is very important to look for a physician who has a good

reputation in his or her field, someone who keeps up with the latest studies

and treatment, someone who is compassionate, a good listener and responsive to

your needs. Find a doctor who is up-to-date, well-informed and compassionate,"

Ms Giblin said.

"It is very important for women to take charge of their health care," she

said. "A woman should know her own medical history and her family's medical

history so she will know her potential health risks. And she must share

information about her medical history and her sexual history with her doctor."

Ms Giblin advises women to retain copies of personal reports, lab reports, and

medical tests. "Write things down. Keep a calendar to remember symptoms which

happened to you so you can share the information with your doctor," she said.

Regular Check-ups

Most women have a regular plan for automobile maintenance but not for

themselves, Ms Giblin said.

"Have regular check-ups. Make an appointment specifically to talk to your

physician, not when you are having your annual pap test. Keep a log of

symptoms; bring a list of questions to ask. Take along paper and pencil to

write down the answers you get -- that's real important, I think.

"When women start coming prepared, making demands, it will break the old

stereotypes of women as being submissive, passive, dependent," Ms Giblin said.

"Our generation is demystifying menopause and openly discussing it. We want to

know how to manage the symptoms and the treatment options."

Karen Giblin was appointed by Gov John G. Rowland to the state's Permanent

Commission on the Status of Women. She worked in conjunction with Philip

Sarrel, MD, a professor of ob/gyn at Yale University, on a research project on

sexuality and menopause, the results of which were presented at the

2,500-member North American Menopause Association's (NAMA) annual meeting in

Toronto last September.

Prime Plus/Red Hot Mamas has been incorporated into the medical town meetings

held monthly at Danbury Hospital. On Tuesday, March 9, the program will be

"Menopause: Making Decisions For A New Beginning." John McGrade, MD, of the

Candlewood Ob/Gyn group; Jeffrey Jorelick, MD, a urologist on the staff of

Danbury Hospital; and Pat Hough, RN, will discuss menopause, urinary

incontinence, and breast health. The program will be at 7:30 pm in the

hospital auditorium. Call 797-7247 for more information.

For more information about the Prime Plus/Red Hot Mamas Menopause program,

write to Karen Giblin, 23 North Valley Road, Ridgefield, CT 06877.