A Hot Take on Hormones

Welcome to a biological briefing for the bewildered! Manopause, Peri-Menopause and Menopause! These “pauses” are profound, powerful shifts that can be at times be inconvenient, maddening and confusing, kind of like a sort of reverse puberty!?! IKR!

Yet, these tend to be something whispered about in hushed tones, yet both are natural, inevitable parts of life, affecting men and women respectively mid-careers, mid-life and also…mid-sentence... 

I'm starting with the chaps? Why? They don’t get off scot-free you know, although 'manopause' is generally a slower, quieter, slightly grumpy affair. Manopause, is the gradual decline of testosterone and testosterone is the hormone that fuels the desire to, say, run up a flight of stairs or the confidence to wear that bold rather tight-fitting gym wear. Incase you didn't know testosterone levels drop in men by about 1% a year after age 30. 

Showing up as fatigue and lack of energy…yup, falling asleep early evening on the sofa during your favourite programme. It’s that kinda feeling when even retrieving your favourite snack requires a small, strategic committee meeting. It makes itself felt in a kinda nonchalant 'whatever-ish' attitude. This hormonal ebb can lead to what is clinically known as irritability and apathy. The world is suddenly full of things that are simply not worth the bother. People, be kind, this isn't just a bad mood, it's a genuine chemical dip. Suddenly, the male mid-section is expanding because less testosterone often means the body stores more fat around the midriff. The phrase 'built for comfort' becomes less of a joke and more of a need. 

Come the weekends, some our gentlemen friends may be truly wiped-out, so permission to rest is well-received, note, a quick power nap can do wonders for energy levels and everyone’s sanity. My awesome Dr keeps reminding myself and my husband to nourish our bodies, prioritise sleep, to add more protein to the diet, exercise daily, and hydrate! It may sound cliché, but it's the foundation of good health!

Oh, my! Ladies, if I told you I was having a bit of a time lately, it would be the understatement of the century. My life has been cheerfully gate-crashed by one absolute nightmare…Perimenopause and waiting outside the school gate for me in a menacing fashion is its slightly more aggressive older sister, Menopause. They’ve essentially turned up uninvited, rifled through my hormonal closet causing chemical chaos in oestrogen and progesterone levels, (read: the hormones that keep everything running smoothly). When they start to wind down, our body’s decide to throw a little leaving party, and things get...well...a bit wild (to say the least) and unpredictable. 

Because oestrogen plays a role in cognitive function this means, glitches (yup, memory lapses and brain fog). So if you're at that phase when you’re struggling to find the word for 'trousers', yup, all perfectly normal, albeit, somewhat of a daily challenge…Frustrating as heck, it's the brain's way of telling me to slow down, to stop, and maybe, just maybe, try harder to embrace the quiet moments. 

What else? An occasional mini thermal event. My brain’s temperature regulator (the hypothalamus) is getting confused by the dip in my oestrogen, it thinks my body is overheating, so it frantically opens all the doors (blood vessels). Yup, my internal thermostat is on the fritz. Those internal volcanic eruptions? Yup, another signal to take a break, get some air, and remind everyone around me that I am indeed a human force of nature. Sudden heat attacks causes my skin temperature to rise by several degrees in minutes. If on any given day I look like I’ve been sleeping on a volcano or come from a fully clothed snorkel at Smith's Cove, this is because my body is working overtime. Not just in the day but at night as well, leading to insomnia with the added fun of night sweats and well, doesn't sleep deprivation make everyone a little bit... edgy! Remember that filter you used to have? The one that stopped you from saying exactly what was on your mind? Consider it retired!

Alas, though to state the obvious that everyone’s experience is different because well we are all chemically unique. The 'pauses' are a significant time of change, my final thoughts (IF I can manage to hold onto one long enough)…

This whole 'change' business can be a right royal pain in the backside, but honestly, laughing about it is the only way to avoid ending up in a padded cell. If you're currently sailing this delightfully choppy sea with me, remember two things. 

-You are not alone. 

-We are all in this sweaty, fuzzy-headed, exhausting, slightly bonkers boat together.

Afterall we’re all just a magnificent human-mess of chemical tubes and signals, trying our best to embrace our evolution.