Take the mystery out of menopause

Hot flushes? Mood swings? Does the thought of eating an apple promise more pleasure than sex with your partner possibly could?

Welcome to menopause, says Sunshine Coast nutritionist and naturopath Kerri Abbott, who has authored an eBook titled ‘Menopause – You’re Not Alone’ to help women navigate their way through this challenging time in their lives.

“Let’s not beat around the bush – menopause can feel like hell for some of us,” she says in her eBook, which is filled with facts, helpful advice and a healthy dose of humour. It recognises not only the physical and emotional symptoms women face, but also the strains that can be placed up relationships.

“I wrote the eBook to give women hope,’’ Kerri says. “There is light at the end of the tunnel.

“All those uncomfortable symptoms make us feel we have lost control of our mind and body but there is help available. Diet, lifestyle, supplements, stress relief and complimentary therapies can all play an important role in restoring some ‘normal’ back to your life.”

The 52-year-old mother of five says she penned the eBook after helping a number of clients who were struggling to cope with the symptoms of menopause.

“It seems that so many women reach this time of life almost completely unprepared because menopause is simply not spoken about enough. They don’t know what to do about the hot flushes, the mood swings, their lower sex drive, their anxiety – a whole range of physical an emotional symptoms that can seem overwhelming.”

She said that one of her clients joked that her sex drive “got lost in the Bermuda Triangle”. Another said that she’d rather eat an apple than have sex.

“We laugh, but of course, it’s not so funny when you consider that lack of sex drive is the next most common reason women attend my clinic after hot flushes. It’s also the reason a lot of relationships break down.”

Kerri says that while a sense of humour is vital at this time of a woman’s life, what is even more important is an informed approach to managing the symptoms of menopause.

“It’s vital not only for the woman to be informed, but her partner too,” Ms Abbott said. “I tell women not to see any issues as a failure on their part, but to recognise it as a health issue to work through together with their partner.”

Kerri’s eBook looks at diet, lifestyle changes and the benefits of exercise, minimising toxins, ways to de-stress and the potential benefits of supplementation.

“I’m in the middle of menopause myself,” she says. “So apart from all the study I have done, that makes me pretty qualified to understand what most of us are going through at this stage of our lives.”