Brain fog, dryness: This OB / GYN wants to normalize menopause

A few days after Dr. Jenganter learned that her new book, Declaration of Menopause: Getting Health with Facts and Feminism ($ 18.95; Kensington Books), became the New York Times Best Selling List, a gynecologist Obstetricians Naomi Wolf and Christiane Northrup as they discussed poop as they dispelled the myth about the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy and disseminated false information about the vaccine on Twitter and substacks. Have been blamed. The ban on social media is emphasized.

Gunter, known to about 340,000 Twitter followers Resident gynecologistI wasn’t always ashamed to fight false information about a woman’s body. She undertook vaginal steaming, unnecessary feminine hygiene, and most famously, the sale of jade eggs at Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop.

Given that women’s health and wellness are a $ 1 billion business, Gunter is shocked by the silence surrounding menopause.

Many are made of “hot” things — Gunter calls them “hot” because they last longer than a moment … “We know how we got pregnant. But I don’t know anything about menopause. “

Of course, we need to talk about menopause. And Gunter is here for that.

Gunter’s first book, The Vaginal Bible, dispelled myths about the human body. In her latest book, she provides detailed information on science-backed biology. Not only does she want women to understand her body, but she also wants to break the myth that women are only valuable when they are breeders.

From silicone lubricant suggestions for vaginal dryness to sex toys for decreased libido (she recommends the famous Good Vibrations sex shop), hormone replacement and cognitive tips, the candid Canadian OB / GYN I want to normalize menopause. This process empowers women.

“All the languages ​​we use for menopause are patriarchal and misogynistic,” she says. “Why am I defining half of my life as the last menstrual period? That seems so wrong. Why not define a man by the time sperm counts decrease It is very important to know about menopause And it’s important not to use it as a clear feature. Men say, “My life is explained by my fertility rate.” It’s like being there.

We recently talked to Gunter about this book about why there is no culture that welcomes menopause, which is characterized by the moment when women stop menstruating. She speaks with advice columnist E. Jean Carroll on a live stream that airs Tuesday at 6pm PST. Tickets are free, but reservations are required.

Why did you decide to write this book?

During the tour of The Vagina Bible, I was asking about menopause everywhere I went. When someone asks me, others follow. When I told reporters that they were using estrogen patches during an interview, that was all they wanted to talk about. Someone encapsulated the interest, “I missed the menopause because of the lack of culture.” I started thinking about it. Why is there no culture? Looking around our society, older women are disappearing everywhere. How many gray-haired female anchor anchor anchors? How many “sexiest women” are there for men? I didn’t want to write the book “There’s a fire. This is what you’re doing.” I wanted people to understand hormones. I wanted people to know how hormone therapy was born. I wanted to discuss the Grandmother Hypothesis. I wanted people to know the story behind the Women’s Health Initiative and how the drug dropped the ball. Without all these factors, a cure cannot be well explained to people.

Everyone is paying attention to the downside of menopause. As an obstetrician and gynecologist, and as a woman who has undergone menopause, what do you say to reassure others?

First of all, menstrual irregularities are terrible. It’s good that you don’t have to worry about getting pregnant. The transition to menopause can be difficult for some women, just as the difficult symptoms associated with puberty often appear. Understand that in most cases there are treatments that can help with those things. We have acquired modern medicine and are now able to regain normal hormonal stability. I didn’t think it was negative or a change in my values. I think it’s a change in ovarian function. Symptomatology can be exacerbated if you feel sick about yourself because you couldn’t breastfeed. It affects how you care and seek help, if not directly.

Why is there no culture that welcomes menopause?

It is difficult for people to talk about “there”. It’s hard to tell the doctor. Doctors and medicine reflect society. It’s difficult when you’re in the clinic and have the dynamics of power. One wants to blame or admit all of menopause. Menopause does not occur in a vacuum. It can be traced back to our sad endeavors in sex education. You should teach human biology, not sex education. Data cannot be categorized without an understanding of basic biology. Entered the medical school at the age of 20. I’ve had good information about biology for most of my life so far, so when something happens to my body, it’s not “Why am I having menstrual diarrhea?” Many women have menstrual diarrhea. It’s not uncommon.

You’re so easy For example, it’s a good idea for a couple to check for a lack of sexual desire at a local sex shop and share that they used a silicone-based lubricant to dry their vagina.

This is a deal. People are easier to have sex than to talk about it.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is recommended as a way to improve depression, burning sensation, and insomnia. Is this something women can do at home?

Many of them are done with practitioners. You will be surprised at what is common. Many healthcare providers offer CBT for insomnia. People can’t believe it helps. It is rewiring your brain. Quite powerful. All symptoms, your brain said you were there. It is also effective for overactive bladder. It works better than medicine. However, most insurers do not offer it or it is difficult to find. We are in a healthcare system that makes it easier to resume surgery than cognitive-behavioral therapy.

You suggest that mother’s depression may benefit from hormone therapy. How are women promoting menopausal hormone therapy?

First of all, a lot is happening during the transition. Make a note of the list of all the symptoms that bother you. What do you want to disappear? Check the list with your provider. The number one cause that bothers you may be a sign of cancer. I want my provider to make sure there are no warning signs. In the absence of warning signals, hormones reduce the risk of osteoporosis. Some antidepressants are suitable for burning. From a hormonal point of view, the risk of heart disease is low, and for transdermal patches, the risk is very low with oral progesterone. Even the risk of breast cancer is very low. Individual health factors need to be weighed. A short 6-month trial is as dangerous as trying. And you can see if your quality of life is improving. If you are depressed and cannot sleep well, you may need more than progesterone.

I’m confused. So many women have told me that doctors can measure hormone levels.

It’s a scam. It’s everywhere on Instagram. Naturopaths are always pushing it. I don’t think hormones are unreliable. They are always up and down. If you get burned at the age of 46, it’s normal. If menopause is occurring, no tests are needed. If you have a severe burning sensation, you may need to have your diabetes or thyroid gland tested. Doctors do it for the illusion of compassion. To be able to provide customized hormones just for you. We do not prescribe hormones based on level. Take according to your symptoms.

What are the basic things that help?

We want to talk about hormones and supplements, but the three healthiest things you can do during menopause are smoking cessation, a healthy diet, and exercise. During the pandemic I got stuck. I may have walked about 500 steps a day. Weight talk is a catalyst for people, so I focused on the desire to feel better than stretching. It was useful.

From Goop, which sells jade eggs for the vagina, to unregulated supplements, you regularly work on false information. Do you think targeting menopausal women is another form of misogyny?

There is this entire complex hormonal industry that has not been approved by the FDA. They promote hormones that we do not recommend. Just because it doesn’t have a warning label doesn’t mean it’s safe. Want to use an IUD that someone hasn’t created and tested? It’s not a woman’s fault because it was listed by someone you trust. There is some overlap between the wellness community and conspiracy theorists. The answer is not an unregulated supplement. We had thalidomide, DES, Dalcon shields for the unregulated ones. They were undervalued. It’s exactly the same as the supplement industry. They claim feminism if they despise women that untested supplements are so effective that they are effective.

Are you worried about the spread of false information on the Internet?

I will do it. Especially on Instagram. There are many companies that make false claims. For example, boric acid is used in very special cases of vaginitis. No patient was using boric acid 10 years ago. She saw it online and now sees one person using it a week. These companies and doctors sell falsehoods. Some doctors advertise themselves as hormone masters. People who see it may think, “There is a cute doctor, and he talks a lot on Instagram.” That is the danger of influencer culture. I have an army of people who tag me and warn of false information.

What are people trying to steal your book from?

Menopause is not a disease. So many words about our body influence our thinking. Please be aware that there are words to ask for help in the doctor’s office.