Let’s Talk Food Facebook Group is hosting a Menopause Coffee morning to mark International Women’s Day. Dr Laura Wyness RNutr, my co-host and co-moderator of the group, will be talking all things menopause related focusing specifically on diet and lifestyle aspects of managing this stage of life.

Menopause is a process that is part of women’s lives but maybe not talked enough about. Another of the great taboos. There are a wide ranging set of symptoms and effects that women experience, for some women these can be very disruptive and difficult to manage. Many of them can be lessened to an extent by changes to diet and lifestyle.

Menopause can occur any time between 40 and 60 years, the average age is 50-51 years although 1-100 women are affected by early menopause before their 40th birthday. Menopause is defined as when periods stop but this is a gradual process lasting between 2 and 5 years on average.

Oestrogen declines and this drop is the main trigger for the effects we associate with menopause such as hot flushes, restless legs, changes in sleep pattern, mood changes and changes in body shape. Oestrogen has a protective effect on some aspects of health such as reducing risk of heart and circulatory problems and helps maintain bone strength. As a result, we need to look after some aspects of health a little differently after menopause than before.

What would you like to know more about? Come join in our Menopause Coffee morning and talk all things menopause.