Menopause Before 40: Coping with Premature Ovarian Failure

By Karin Banerd

Every woman will eventually make the journey through menopause. For most, menopause occurs around around age 50. Those women are lucky, because they can access the plethora of books that will help guide them through every phase of menopause. But for at least 1 in 100 women, menopause can occur as early as age 35, sometimes younger. And thousands more women will experience premature ovarian failure due to other medical conditions and treatments, such as cancer treatment. Whatever the cause of early menopause, women going through it are left in a vacuum, where finding a healthcare practitioner experienced enough to treat them is difficult, let alone finding suitable information.

Until now. With Menopause Before 40: Coping with Premature Ovarian Failure, Karin Banerd adds an important voice to menopause literature, addressing the distinct needs of the woman in premature menopause, as they are quite different from those of natural menopause. Banerd's personal experience and knowledge of premature menopause offers a unique perspective, as she shares her intimate, treacherous and painful journey that started at age 35.

In the book, Banerd describes the warning signs of hormonal decline and the havoc these unexpected changes wreaked on her life. She also highlights the unique context of premature menopause, how it necessitates a different set of responses from doctors, and what she feels those responses should be. She goes on to explain exactly what premature menopause is and how it differs from natural menopause. And finally, she details various strategies for maintaining optimum health during the menopausal years. The last section, in particular, demonstrates how premature menopause can be a wake-up call for making nutritional and lifestyle choices that have far-reaching effects into the senior years.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: Oct 21, 2004
• ISBN: 9781412226479

Karin Banerd

Karin combines writing with her other passions: teaching, gardening, playing soccer, and raising parrots, sheep, dogs, and her five children. Her writing and photography have appeared in avicultural magazines, textbooks and other educational materials. She is currently working on her next book about midwifery. Karin lives with her family and animals in the countryside near Ottawa, Canada.

Book preview

Copyright 2004 Karin Banerd. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author.

First published in Canada in 2004 by

Your Health Press™, a division of Sarahealth Inc.

in association with Trafford Publishing.

Cover and text design: P. Krulicki, Colborne Communications Important Notice:

The purpose of this book is to educate. It is sold with the understanding that the author and publisher shall have neither liability nor responsibility for any injury caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the information contained in this book. While every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy, the book’s contents should not be construed as medical advice. Each person’s health needs are unique. To obtain recommendations appropriate to your particular situation, please consult a qualified healthcare provider. The herbal remedies recommended in this book are for educational purposes only and should not be used without consulting a qualified expert in herbal medicine.

Note for Librarians: a cataloguing record for this book that includes Dewey Classification and US Library of Congress numbers is available from the National Library of Canada. The complete cataloguing record can be obtained from the National Library’s online database at: www.nlc-bnc.ca/amicus/index-e.html

ISBN: 978-1-4122-2647-9 (ebook)

ISBN 1-4120-3464-7

missing image file

This book was published on-demand in cooperation with Trafford Publishing. On-demand publishing is a unique process and service of making a book available for retail sale to the public taking advantage of on-demand manufacturing and Internet marketing. On-demand publishing includes promotions, retail sales, manufacturing, order fulfilment, accounting and collecting royalties on behalf of the author.

Suite 6E, 2333 Government St., Victoria, B.C. V8T 4P4, CANADA

Phone [phone]   Toll-free 1-888-232-4444 (Canada & US)

Fax [phone]   E-mail [e-mail]

WEB SITE    www.trafford.com   TRAFFORD PUBLISHING IS A DIVISION OF TRAFFORD

HOLDINGS LTD.

Trafford Catalogue #04-1292   www.trafford.com/robots/04-1292.html

10 9 8 7 6 5

Contents

OTHER YOUR HEATLH PRESS GUIDES™

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

PREFACE

INTRODUCTION

PART 1| MY MENOPAUSE JOURNEY

1 EARLY BEGINNINGS

2 STUMBLING IN THE DARK AT 35

3 SEARCHING FOR HELP

4 CONTINUING TO FIND ANSWERS AND THERAPIES

PART 2 PREMATURE MENOPAUSE AND HORMONES

5 WHEN HORMONES ARE OUT Of WHACK

6 HORMONES THAT RUN THE SHOW

7 LONG-TERM RISKS Of HORMONE IMBALANCE

PART 3 COPING STRATEGIES

8 AWARENESS AND ATTITUDINAL CHANGE

9 TAKING ACTION

10 MAINTAINING A GOOD SEX LIFE

11 SUPPLEMENTS AND HRT

12 WHAT YOUR HEALTH PRACTITIONERS CAN DO FOR YOU

USEFUL LINKS

BIBLIOGRAPHY

OTHER YOUR HEATLH PRESS GUIDES™

by Your Health Press™

Stopping Cancer at the Source by M. Sara Rosenthal, Ph.D. (2001)

Women and Unwanted Hair by M. Sara Rosenthal, Ph.D. (2001)

Living Well with Celiac Disease: Abundance Beyond Wheat and Gluten by Claudine Crangle (2002)

Living Well with an Ostomy by Elizabeth Rayson (2003)

The Thyroid Cancer Book, Second Edition by M. Sara Rosenthal, Ph.D. (2003)

Thyroid Eye Disease: Understanding Graves’ Ophthalmopathy by Elaine A. Moore (2003)

Healing Injuries the Natural Way: How to Mend Bones, Muscles, Tendons & More by Michelle Cook (2004)

Soon to be released...

Pediatric Glaucoma and Cataract Disease: Your Questions Answered by The Pediatric Glaucoma and Cataract Disease Foundation and edited by Alex Levin, M.D., F.R.C.P., Director, Ophthalmology, The Hospital for Sick Children TBA

Coping with Molar Pregnancy and Choriocarcinoma by Tara Johnson and Meredith Schwartz TBA

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First and foremost, I’d like to thank Dr. B. Norman Barwin, C.M., director of the Infertility and Gynecology Clinic and the Midlife and PMS Centre, Ottawa, Ontario, and past president of the Infertility Awareness Association of Canada for his review of the scientific and/or medical content in portions of Parts 1 and 2 and all of Part 3. Additionally, Your Heath Press™ gratefully acknowledges The Hormone Foundation (www.hormone.org), the public education affiliate of The Endocrine Society, for its balanced content on menopause management, which was necessary for the fact-checking of this text in light of the WHI study outcomes.

Over the past few years, the help of my medical practitioners has been vital to my continuing survival and my ability to attain some quality of life.

Dr. Peter Jechel was my family doctor for 12 years, and despite the glitches during my many visits, he vindicated himself many times over with his enduring compassionate ear and his constant support. The first time I met him, I was struck by how young he looked. The thought of him performing a pap smear on me seemed inconceivable. Years later I found out that we’re the same age!

Dr. Alan Preston was wonderful throughout our three years together during his partial retirement. I valued his support, ready ear, and above all his sense of humor. He believed I could eventually free myself from depression.

Maybe it is because they saw me through the darkest hours that I consider both men my friends.

Dr. Elaine Jolly and Dr. Suzanne Lago have been my gynecologists. The former is the director of a wonderful clinic, the Reproductive

Endocrinology, Osteoporosis and Menopause Clinic in Ottawa, Ontario; the latter, Dr. Lago, is a young and recent addition to the clinic who exhibits the same warmth, caring, and enthusiasm as Dr. Jolly and the other staff. The clinic has been very patient with my complicated history, but Dr. Jolly was the first one to take me seriously and to spend time fitting together the puzzle that set me on the long road of recovery.

I know I’ve been a challenging patient for all of my doctors, and I’m extremely grateful for their patience.

I owe enormous gratitude to Dr. M. Sara Rosenthal, my publisher, whose books on women and health speak with her warm, compassionate voice. This book was her idea. I wrote to her and she kindly responded. She suggested I might have something to say about the topic of premature menopause. To have someone I respect believe in me to that extent has been the beacon guiding me through some of my bleakest moments.

My editor, Larissa Kostoff, has guided me throughout process of writing this book with her patient suggestions, comments, and questions.

I’m also blessed to have a real fairy godmother—a very special relative, Dolores Banerd, who has always been there for me and whose presence in my life has become stronger over the past few years.

My father has been a great supporter, and is particularly proud of my writing accomplishments and my courage and determination. It’s gratifying for me as an adult to have such a strong relationship with a parent.

I’d also like to acknowledge my children, who’ll never know how often they’ve given me reasons to keep trying again and again and again. Watching them grow, witnessing their distinct personalities unfold, and sharing in their lives (in the small ways that teenagers allow) has been and will continue to be an endless source of pleasure for me.

Last, but not least, my husband has been my emotional anchor: He has provided steadfast support and nurturing, and safe harbour that’s allowed me to continue to pursue my passions. He claims it’s all been worth it. I sure hope he’s right.

PREFACE

Those of you familiar with feminist terminology may have heard the phrase: The personal is political. This means that within one woman’s story are the stories of many women, and often, the collective female health story. Karin Banerd first contacted me in 2001 by email. Karin had read the first edition of The Gynecological Sourcebook (now in its fourth edition) and was frustrated by its limited treatment of premature menopause and premature ovarian failure. At the time of Karin’s email, I was developing my on-demand publishing company, which was designed to cater to orphan or stigmatizing conditions that traditional health publishers ignore. Karin was correct; there was certainly a dearth of material in this area, and my book was no help at all to women going through premature menopause. Karin had been through premature menopause in the 1990s, when there was no Internet access, and no information to find. Women like Karin had only nuggets of often incomplete or inaccurate information. Shuffled between specialists and sent off to a psychiatrist to deal with very real, physical discomforts, thousands of women like Karin were lost in the health care system. Premature menopause is not just one event, but a process that changes the lives of women experiencing it. It’s not just about flooding, irregular cycles, and hot flashes. Early menopause dramatically impacts women’s relationships with their lovers or spouses, friends, children, colleagues—and most of all their relationship with themselves. A woman’s identity is so entangled with her natural cycle, it’s impossible to experience premature menopause in body only—it affects our emotional and spiritual health. Some of this is also iatrogenic or doctor-caused trauma, in that recurring themes of incomplete information and an absence of informed consent and respect for persons dominate many women’s experiences with premature menopause. I replied to Karin by email that perhaps she ought to consider writing about premature menopause rather than wait for someone like me to get around to it. I told Karin that if she wrote the book, I would publish it.

Through my work as a feminist sociologist and bioethicist, I recognized the need for women’s health books in women’s voices—books about women’s health issues written by the women going through the health problems, not just an objective medical voice (or mine, for that matter) describing the processes in detachment. In bioethics, we call this patient narrative and in philosophy, it’s known as phenomenology. More folksy language might term it herstory. Whatever you want to call it, this new work by Karin Banerd is an example of bravery. It was a difficult and emotional book for her to write, and an equally difficult book to edit, as we toiled over how personal the personal needs to be in order to tell the story. Karin shares with us not just the symptoms of her premature menopause but her life experience with it, which I know from my own research echoes the life experiences of thousands of North American women. The women’s health movement, which produced works such as Our Bodies, Ourselves, exists because of the recognition that women heal through their health storytelling. In 1988, the popular drama thirtysomething was deluged with mail after running a storyline involving the character Nancy, whose ovaries were removed because of cancer. Nancy described her early menopause to a television audience in poignant detail, and it so touched women that the producers could not handle the volumes of mail triggered by the episode.

Women routinely live with the changeable effects of their hormones—the many physical discomforts and shifts in moods and emotional responses women experience during a normal cycle are one thing; but factor in pregnancy, breastfeeding, and menopause, and women’s lives can be shaped in fundamental ways by their reproductive lives.

We’re also living in a world that was not built for us: Our economy and the buildings we work in, for example, were designed for males—not for bodies that menstruate, get pregnant, breastfeed, and go through menopause—especially premature menopause. There are also unfair power arrangements in both our working and intimate relationships that predispose women to depression, a subject I cover in depth in my book Women and Depression. So it’s important to recognize there are other things going on before and during our reproductive life cycles and cornerstones; there are social causes for mood swings, and social causes that exacerbate the normal physical discomforts that we go through during the various stages of our lives.

Karin’s story will show you how one woman’s body affected one woman’s life; but by publishing her story, other women will know that they are not alone and will see themselves in Karin. I’m proud to bring you the first of a long line of women’s voices health books on topics traditional health publishers ignore.

Dr. M. Sara Rosenthal

INTRODUCTION

Menopause is a journey that all women must take sooner or later. The World Health Organization defines this stage of a woman’s life as 12 continuous period-free months. For most of us, the menopause experience begins sometime in our late 40s to early 50s and typically lasts anywhere from one to two years. But for some it can begin much sooner with premature ovarian failure, also known as POE Mine started before I had even reached the age of 35.

The journey of premature ovarian failure and premature menopause is potentially a much more treacherous one than that of normal menopause, for a number of reasons. The traveler frequently journeys alone through largely uncharted territory. She’s often ill prepared, and may receive little medical or societal recognition along the way. As well, the hormonal decline she experiences is more likely to be a protracted, bumpy, and irregular ride compared to the relatively short and consistent decline for a woman at a typical menopausal age.

With much of my journey now behind me, I’d like to share with you my experiences and my insights as I navigated through premature menopause. My story is not meant to be an exhaustive detailing of all the facts and treatment options surrounding menopause, but rather a personal account and a general guide. Now is a particularly good time to be researching the length and breadth of women’s menopause experiences since in the last few years, likely thanks to the baby boom generation, there’s