3.3 - Hot Flashes + Hot Facts: What Menopause is Really Like

Welcome back to season three of G+T Conversations! We are your hosts, Gwenda + Tatjana, and in this episode, we invited a guest, Rachel Kurien, to speak about hot flashes and hot facts on World Menopause Awareness Day.

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G+T Catch-up:

• Tatjana is planning another family trip (to Dubai).
• Gwenda provided first aid to a female who was hit by a car. The woman is safe now, and Gwenda decided to renew her knowledge and undergo a first aid training.

Some of the things we mentioned in this episode:

• 18 October 2024 is World Menopause Awareness Day.
• Globally, an estimated 1.2 billion women are currently going through menopause, with about 47 million new women reaching menopause each year. (Global Impact of Menopause Report, 2015)
• About 93% of Indian women in rural and urban areas report having insufficient knowledge about menopause and its effects. (Indian Menopause Society 2010)
• Early symptoms Rachel experienced: irregular periods, hot flashes, night sweats, mood low, GSM, and sleep.
• Menopause is the one day when you haven't had a period for an entire year. Everything before is pre and everything after is post.
• Biggest challenges for Rachel: sleep, hot flashes, mood dip.
• Myth 1 to debunk: It's not all negative. Menopause is a time in a woman's life for change and improvement (think: caterpillar to butterfly).
• Myth 2 to debunk: We lost our youth. We come into our power. Women going through menopause have so much knowledge and life wisdom.
• Societal Change we need: creating awareness, evidence-based and fact-based knowledge sharing, break taboo and shame surrounded menopause, and normalize it!
• Rachel's advice for us: manage your symptoms with the 5 pillars of menopause (nutrition, movement, relaxation, sleep, purpose).
• Rachel's Event: The Hot Flash Bash (A symposium for women at any stage of the menopause journey) on 09 November 2024 in Mumbai.

Some books and podcasts Rachel Kurien mentioned:

• 'The Wisdom of Menopause' by Christiane Northrup, M.D.
• 'Finding Your Balance' by Nozer Sheriar and Shonali Sabherwal
• 'Finding Me in Menopause: Flourishing in Perimenopause and Menopause Using Nutrition and Lifestyle' by Nitu Bajekal
• 'The Menopause Manifesto: Own Your Health with Facts and Feminism' by Jen Gunter
• 'The Menopause Reset: Get Rid of Your Symptoms and Feel Like Your Younger Self Again' by Dr. Mindy Pelz
• 'Fast Like a Girl: A Woman's Guide to Using the Healing Power of Fasting to Burn Fat, Boost Energy, and Balance Hormones' by Dr. Mindy Pelz
• 'The New Menopause: Navigating Your Path Through Hormonal Change with Purpose, Power and the Facts' by Mary Claire Haver
• 'The Menstruality Podcast' by Red School
• 'The Dr Louise Newson Podcast'
• 'Not Your Mother's Menopause with Dr. Fiona Lovely'

Don't forget to attend Rachel's event The Hot Flash Bash in Mumbai on 9 November 2024. You can find all information here.

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Tune in every Friday for a new episode.

* G+T Conversations is created using Spotify for Podcasters. The music is Motivating Indie Rock (30s) by UNIVERSFIELD (https://freesound.org/s/755863/, License: Attribution 4.0) and Fifties Stomp Clap Loop 115BPM.wav by waggstar (https://freesound.org/s/698782/, License: Creative Commons 0).