WWH Peri-menopause and Menopause Workshop Resources

An overview of what peri-menopause and menopause mean and why with the right approaches, it is possible to have some degree of control over symptoms.

Menopause Wellness – an insider’s guide can be downloaded here:

Workshop 1: Pelvic health with Hazel Eatwell

Hazel works for Nuffield Health in Cheltenham and also runs a clinic from Stow Physio at Bourton
You can contact Hazel directly by email: hazydaisy@hotmail.com

Take home messages:

1. Don’t suffer in silence. Symptoms of incontinence and pain during intimacy are common but not normal, and there is help. There are many treatment options so consider consulting a pelvic health physiotherapist directly or via your GP.
2. Easy wins:

• Use skin-kind vaginal lubricants/moisturisers
• Stop using irritating products/materials such as scented products or synthetic underwear
• Practice pelvic floor exercises daily
• Practice The Knack to prevent leaks when coughing or laughing

3. Seek support to stop smoking
4. Address constipation (see Mediterranean diet below)

Finding a physiotherapist:

You can visit the website of the Pelvic Obstetric and Gyaneacological Physiotherapists for physiotherapists by region.
The Squeezy App Directory also has listings.

Workshop 2: Your amazing brain with Karine Gazarian PhD

Karine is the founder of Artful Mindscape, which offers education about the transformative effects of art on our brains and bodies.

Brain health resources:

In order to gain more insight in caring for the female brain, Karine recommends The XX Brain by Lisa Mosconi:

You may want to look at further ideas for maintaining brain health here: Brain Health resources from Alzheimers Research UK

Workshop 4: Nutrition with Anita Loxton

This session offered nutrition information on how to eat well during perimenopause and menopause. Anita aims for you to feel empowered, educated and inspired to make positive nutrition changes, supporting you in your midlife and beyond.

Take home messages:

1. During your midlife, you need to stop thinking about restricting your diet or certain foods; instead, think about what you can ADD to your diet to support a healthy lifestyle.
2. Aim to eat a Mediterranean Diet, this diet focuses on a diverse range of plant-based foods with a moderate amount of fish, eggs, and poultry.
3. Try and go beyond eating ‘5+’ fruit and vegetables a day, instead aim for 30 different types of plant-based food a week, this will support your health and your gut/brain axis.
4. Aim to balance your blood sugars to prevent peaks and troughs; you can do this by adding protein and fibre to your meals, this will help you feel satiated for longer as well as adding variety to your diet.
5. Try and ensure your meals and snacks are balanced and include a protein source. Protein is great, it can help with energy production, sleep, mood and libido.
6. Become a mindful eater, if you have previously dieted a lot and restricted your food intake you may have lost your ability to listen to your internal body cues. These cues can tell you when you are hungry or full and can make a huge difference in how you enjoy your food and how much you eat.

How to set up timers, ideas for making each one easier or harder. As a rule of thumb, to make a session easier, increase the amount of rest time you have in between each interval or set of exercises. To make it harder – reduce your rest time.