{"id":1784,"date":"2019-06-13T10:38:26","date_gmt":"2019-06-13T00:38:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.amt.org.au\/?p=1784"},"modified":"2019-06-13T12:47:49","modified_gmt":"2019-06-13T02:47:49","slug":"somethings-gotta-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.amt.org.au\/index.php\/2019\/06\/13\/somethings-gotta-change\/","title":{"rendered":"Something’s Gotta Change"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Sharon Livingstone<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s winter. You put the heater on in the massage treatment room, warm the towels, warm the treatment table, provide a cosy blanket across the client. How lovely. How thoughtful. Clients love it. Then, about 10 minutes into the treatment, your female client kicks those thoughtful towels and covers off, and the oil has gone tacky from their perspiration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peri-menopause and post-menopause can be unsettled times for women but open discussions on menopause are rare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Massage therapists are in the privileged position of being a trusted practitioner for our clients. People are comfortable discussing health matters with us. And we need to be able to discuss menopause with our female clients because there\u2019s a likelihood that they may experience a symptom in our treatment room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Secret That No One Discusses<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

My mother died when I was in my early 20s, a time when \u201cmenopause\u201d was, to me, a social construct. By the time I started to think about what menopause might mean for me, my grandmother had also died, leaving me with no direct maternal guidance on what lay ahead for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I asked my doctor for some information. Her answer was \u201cGoogle it\u201d. I wanted an easy to access brochure with all the information and options laid out in plain English. I was quite cross with her answer but the more I\u2019ve learnt about menopause, the more I understand why my doctor sent me down the interwebs rabbit hole. I stumbled out of that rabbit hole with more questions than answers. Should I take hormone replacement therapy? Or will that give me breast cancer? What about an investment in lubricants and creams for vaginal dryness? Will I lose the will for intercourse? Do I need a good lawyer for my impending kleptomania? Should I put a rubber sheet on the bed for night sweats?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We discuss female puberty ad nauseam and even dudes are quite knowledgeable with menstruation and the menstrual cycle. We\u2019re also content to chat loudly about menstruation as we sip our flat whites. But while we\u2019re all experts on what happens when you have your first period, we\u2019re not so expert about your final period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Menopause is the secret that society doesn\u2019t seem interested in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is Menopause?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Menopause is the final menstrual period a woman experiences. 12 months later, she is deemed \u201cpost-menopausal\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peri-menopause refers to the time leading up to menopause when a woman may start experiencing changes in her menstrual periods such as, irregular periods or changes in flow. Cycles can be shorter or longer in length. Symptoms may also include hot flushes and night sweats, aches and pains, fatigue or irritability as well as premenstrual symptoms such as sore breasts. These changes may be caused by fluctuations in the production of hormones from the ovary. Some women can experience menopausal symptoms for 5-10 years before their final menstrual period. There is no way to predict the age at which a woman\u2019s menopausal symptoms will start or how long they will last.1<\/sup><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Did you see that bit about there being no way to predict when menopausal symptoms start or how long they\u2019ll hang around for? That means not knowing how long you\u2019ll need to pack your sanitary items every time you leave the house (not just when your period is \u201cdue\u201d because of that whole \u201cirregular periods\u201d bit). That means not knowing when you\u2019re going to stop feeling like you\u2019re about to internally combust. That means not knowing when your moods will fluctuate from calm to freaking furious in the snap of your fingers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Imagine how a client with menopause symptoms might be feeling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Menopause means different things to different women. Some see it as a freedom \u2013 no more periods or (pregnancy related) contraception and a time to think more about themselves. Others see it as an ending or loss of purpose \u2013 they\u2019re no longer able to have children. Others yet see it as yet another sign of getting old. Women report feeling \u201cinvisible\u201d in a sexual and literal way. One menopausal client told me how she sat in a cafe for ten minutes watching everyone else being served while she wasn\u2019t. When she went to the counter to place her order, the staff apologised profusely, saying \u201cI didn\u2019t see you over there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is a popular, although questionable, \u201cGrandmother Theory<\/a>\u201d of why menopause happens. This theory further pushes women into a role where their identity and purpose is defined by their usefulness to others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Symptoms<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Some of the common symptoms of peri- and post-menopause are:1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n