BRAIN FOG ALERT

WHERE HAVE ALL MY WORDS GONE?

Do you find that you get half way through a sentence and "BAM" the words have gone! This is really driving me crazy, I can be deep in conversation and completely lose my train of thought. Not only does it make me feel stupid but its yet another constant reminder that my body is going through this relentless change.

I can forget the names of simple things, for example the other night I asked my daughter to pass me the salt, well actually I asked her to pass me the, "you know, the thing by there, that there, there" all the while pointing at the salt getting angry with myself for not being able to find the simple everyday word that I needed. Much to her amusement I must add!!

Putting this in to context though, it has a major impact on my life and undoubtably i'm not alone on this. Many women at this stage in their lives have important, powerful jobs and loosing their train of thought in an important meeting would not go down well so could have major implications personally and professionally.

Just imagine being in a room with all eyes on you and you have nothing, your head is empty, you just cant think about what you need to say. This is an everyday occurrence for some, for teachers, lawyer's any woman who has to stand up and talk in front of a group of people. Yet also just walking down the road and seeing someone you know and forgetting their name, it's embarrassing and frustrating.

Dealing with brain fog is difficult, we have established that it can have huge implications for women in their everyday lives. But how can it be managed? Brain fog like everything else during the menopause is the result of fluctuating hormone levels, YES ladies Oestrogen again is responsible for this. So what can be done to help manage the symptoms.

Brain fog is really an umbrella term for a group of symptoms, you may have all of them or just one or two, the symptoms include:-

• Difficulty concentrating - feeling like you have cotton wool in your head, you cant think clearly.

• Memory loss - Unless its written down its not happening! (thats my new motto)

• Forgetfulness - Why did i go upstairs? who are you?....

• Difficulty finding words - stop mid sentence totally blank.

Having these symptoms can also lead to Anxiety and mood swings putting added pressure on you, making the whole situation overwhelming.

According to a recent Channel 4 Documentary Sex, Mind and the Menopause with Davina MacCall on channel 4 , 73% OF WOMEN EXPERIENCED BRAIN FOG RELATED TO THE MENOPAUSE * (women aged 45 - 55). Thats a huge amount of women!

OK, so there is no magic cure unfortunately, but there are things that we can do that can help us cope better with the symptoms:-

RESTFUL SLEEP - Ok I hear you all saying, restful sleep are you joking? but seriously try and get as much rest as you can. You need good quality sleep as if you're tired you are going to feel even less connected to whatever activity you have to do. Look at your sleep pattern, what is stopping you sleeping? how can you help this? .

MANAGE STRESS LEVELS - Having brain fog can result in losing confidence in yourself and becoming anxious and stressed about many things day to day. Try to find time in your day where you can take time to relax and spend some "you" time, try Yoga, mindfulness, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) all this can be done at home or you can join a class of like minded women where you can discuss issues together. You really don't need to struggle alone, remember the more stressed you become the worse the brain fog will be.

KEEP ACTIVE - Regular exercise, and this doesn't necessarily mean going to the gym unless you want to. It's believed that regular physical activity can help with memory issues, so keeping active is very important. 20 - 30 minutes a day, walking, cycling, swimming, dancing any form of activity you choose will help.

EAT WELL - It's important to eat well during the menopause and a diet rich in saturated fats and sugar should be avoided. The Mediterranean diet is and excellent diet to follow as its rich in Omega 3 and other unsaturated fats which are known to be good for brain health.

Other foods that are good include:

• Fresh fruit & Vegetables,

• Whole Grains,

• Fish, Beans,

• Nuts

• Olive Oil.

HRT - If symptoms become unmanageable then see your Dr, where you can discuss if HRT is right for you. It doesn't suit everyone however to some its the best thing they have ever been given.

Its important to note that its easy to blame the menopause on every last symptom that you get when you reach a certain age, however please if you or a family member are worried about how you are feeling or behaving then book an appointment with you Doctor for a chat. Your local GP will be friendly and approachable and full of knowledge and guide you in the right direction.

Good luck ladies and I hope that by reading this you get some handy tips to help with brain fog, or at least know that you are not alone or going mad!

REF - Channel 4 commissioned Finestripe Productions to produce the documentary "Davina McCall, Sex, Mind and the Menopause". For that programme Finestripe commissioned Savanta ComRes to conduct a representative survey of 4,014 UK women aged 45-55 who are currently or have previously experienced the perimenopause or the menopause, with support from Fawcett on the survey design.

VAGINAL REJUVENATION

What is it and how can it help women during and after the menopause?

So i've mentioned in my previous posts that i'm a nurse and that I work in medical aesthetics. One thing i'm passionate about is woman's health and this is a huge part of my day to day role. I find if women have the knowledge and understanding about whatever issue is bothering them then they can tackle it head on, knowing all the facts making this an easier process for them.

Vaginal rejuvenation is a relatively new form of treatments that encompass three different approaches to feminine health. The treatments can be done individually to treat a specific problem or as one combined treatment. The procedures are designed to enhance the aesthetics and functionality of the vagina. This may involve High-intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) for tissue tightening, Labial Augmentation with dermal fillers for shaping and rejuvenating the labia, the O - shot (orgasm shot) for improved sexual function, through Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) injections and PRP itself for overall tissue revitalisation.

These techniques aim to address concerns related to laxity, appearance, stress or urge incontinence and sexual satisfaction. All this providing a comprehensive approach to intimate wellness through non-surgical and minimally invasive methods.

All this may sound radical but believe me these treatments can be life changing to the women who have them. I have women traveling a few hours to have this treatment with me, as its not something thats can be done by just anyone and this is very important, you have to have very specialist training to provide this treatment.

During the menopause we all know that our skin gets thinner and we start to lose collagen at a faster rate. According to the American Academy Of Dermatology "women's skin loses about 30% of its collagen during the first five years of the menopause". This collagen loss also happens in and around the vagina, this can lead to dryness occurring resulting in painful sex, this then can have a knock on affect on your relationship. The dryness can also lead to small dry patches appearing that can split and become very uncomfortable day to day.

Don't let it affect your relationship there is a solution

So did you know that you can have PRP injected into your clitoris? well, yes you can.... and the results so far are exciting. PRP or Platelet Rich Plasma is obtained from a simple blood test, then spun in a machine to separate from the rest of the blood. The Plasma that contains the growth factors that stimulates the growth of new cells, is then injected back into the areas of the vulva and vagina that need a little TLC. This treatment is great if you are suffering with vaginal dryness, any soreness in the vulva, painful sex and if reaching an orgasm is a little slow....

When PRP is injected in and around the clitoris it can make the area more sensitive to touch, so ladies reaching a certain age doesn't mean things need to stop! this could be the answer you are looking for.

PRP is by no means new, women all over the world have been having it on their face for years. It's also widely used by Orthopaedic Doctors in joint and tendon injuries with great results. So its certainly worth a try if you are looking for a natural treatment with such beneficial results.

Next we move on to Labial augmentation with filler, What?..... I hear you ask? You can have filler in your labia? The answer is yes, we really can fill your labia majora with dermal fillers to "puff " it out.

There are many reasons that woman have this procedure and they don't have to be going through the menopause, but it can help address many issues like:-

• Asymmetry.

• Restore volume loss.

• Improve wrinkling of the labia, due to childbirth and ageing.

• Enhance the overall appearance.

Hyaluronic Acid based filler is injected in to the outer lips of the labia, hyaluronic acid is known for its hydrating properties, immediately improves the appearance by adding volume, correcting any asymmetry and giving a younger appearance. Not only this but it can give you back lost padding that can make general day to day life more comfortable for you. The procedure takes less than an hour and the results can last about 12 months.

Lastly and maybe the part that can have the biggest impact, is vaginal HIFU. This isn't a new exercise craze or Martial Art this is a real medical treatment. It stands for High Intensity Focused Ultrasound.

We all want tighter skin on out faces right? well now we can tighten the skin in our vaginas as well thanks to this revolutionary treatment.

There are many reasons why women are choosing HIFU to tighten their vagina's and here's why:-

• Long lasting results

• Improved muscle tone

• Increased blood circulation

• Tissue tightening

• non-invasive and painless

The treatment strengthens your pelvic floor muscles to act like scaffolding to hold everything in place, So ladies if you pee a little when you least expect, then this is the treatment for you!

Don't stop exercising or laughing with friends when there is a solution to help!

HIFU works by targeting the muscles of the vagina at depths of 4mm and 3.5mm the HIFU wand causes micro trauma by thermal heating (that is painless), this heat then stimulates the production of elastin and collagen. This process results in the improvement of muscle tone and tissue tightness, and takes about 30-45 minutes in total.

So there's lots of information there to take in, but i hope that it's been helpful for you. There are treatments available that can help that don't involve surgery and can be so effective and have a huge impact on your quality of life. But one bit of advice is do your research, make sure that you go to a suitably qualified practitioner as these treatments involve in-depth understanding. But most of all know that there is something that can be done to help.

My head is splitting

Over the last few months I have had terrible headaches, I've always been a headachy person but this feels different, the type of headache you get just before your period is due but every day. I know its hormonal and my body adjusting to the changes, but that doesn't help the effects that it has on me.

I know that the lack of sleep doesn't help, I would love to have a full 8 hours, this would help immensely (or booking in to a health spa every day, oh how nice that would be!) but seeing as both of these are not possible, I'm going to have to find a way to manage my symptoms.

I would describe my headaches mainly as tension headaches, with some migraines thrown in for good luck, but mainly I feel it in my head neck and shoulders. The type where you just want to lay your head down in a dark room and shut the world out, but you know you can't as you have to be a responsible person with a life and a job.

I'm probably taking over the counter medication daily, which I know can't be good for me, so I did some research on what supplements could help. Magnesium kept coming up for quite a few symptoms of the menopause including headaches so I decided to give it a try.

Research on magnesium has found it to be a potentially well-tolerated, safe and inexpensive option for migraine prevention, while it may also be effective as an acute treatment option for headaches including migraines, tension-type headaches and cluster headaches, particularly in certain patients.

National Institutes of Health (NIH) (.gov)

I really have high hopes for these supplements, I would love to be headache free so keeping everything crossed that these are my magic cure. I know my dreaded hormones are to blame and probably lack of sleep thrown in for good luck isn't helping, but watch this space for further updates. In the mean time if you are suffering from more headaches there are steps you can take to try and help.

• Drink lots of water

• Try and rest when you can, take time to relax and have some you time, as we all know stress can make headaches worse.

• If need be take time off work.

• Use migraine caps ( I love these kept in the freezer, they really help)

• Take over the counter medication as needed.

• See the Gp if you feel that things are getting worse or you are getting no relief.

• Have a massage ( ask your partner if you cant go to a salon) even 5 minutes can help.

So ladies the dreaded hormones yet again are responsible for more disruption and impact on our daily lives. Hopefully I find taking magnesium helpful and I start to feel a little more human again, only time will tell. Well tomorrow is Mothers Day so my plan is to get a massage of all 3 of my little (not so little) darlings and be spoilt rotten all day. Happy Mothers Day to all you Mothers out there hope you have a relaxing day and manage to relax and enjoy. xx