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Meet women, who speak about their experience with menopause - in a very personal herea Story. 
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Stories

Despite a rapid start into menopause, accompanied by severe symptoms, Monika Baumgartner (61) found ways to deal with the symptoms and got to know her body in a new way. Today, she is bursting with energy and joy, which she greatly appreciates.

With courage for change through menopause | herea Menopause Network

Menopause came surprisingly quickly when Monika had her uterus removed (hysterectomy) due to uterine fibroids. There was probably no causal connection between the operation and the symptoms. However, immediately after the operation Monika's autonomic nervous system appeared to be notably distressed, leading to inner restlessness, sleep disorders and mood swings. Initially, the symptoms were attributed to the operation. After a while the overall picture increasingly fit menopausal symptoms.
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Decision to take hormone replacement therapy
As a nature-loving person, Monika initially relied on natural products to treat her menopausal symptoms. However, she soon had to realize that these methods did not bring the desired effect. Despite initial skepticism, Monika decided to start <a href="https://herea-network.com/en/what-is-hormone-therapy">hormone replacement therapy</a> (HRT) with estrogen for topical application and estradiol for vaginal application &ndash; a decisive step towards regaining her quality of life.
Her gynecologist was very supportive of her decision and was able to give her good advice. Based on her medical and family history, her doctor advised Monika to continue low-dose HRT for life to reduce risks, e.g., the osteoporosis risk.
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"I am very happy to have started HRT and will continue to take it."
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HRT reduces many troublesome symptoms, but that alone is not enough to feel completely comfortable in your own body again. Monika has always been a very active woman; with yoga, meditation, lots of exercise in nature, physiotherapy, and a healthy diet, she found her inner peace. At the age of 61, she can feel free, active, and light-hearted again.
Menopause is associated with many emotional challenges, not just in terms of getting older. For women with children, menopause often coincides with increasing independence of grown-up children. One suddenly has a lot more time to deal with oneself (and possibly one&rsquo;s partner) than before. It was therefore important for Monika to keep an eye on her mental well-being during this phase of her life.
Hormone balance and happiness are closely linked; therefore, it is even more important to maintain a positive attitude to life in such a hormonally turbulent phase. Another milestone for Monika was, when she stopped dyeing her hair at the age of 58.
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<img src="https://adm.herea-network.com/assets/99ef423e-8f5e-4859-812e-d96b33617f8c?width=1600&amp;height=1200" alt="Photo 2023 10 28 16 17 20" />
Monika hiking with her daughter.
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Monika sees menopause like puberty, the key difference being that menopausal women are old enough to consciously confront the "negative" changes in their bodies.
As a social service provider who was used to working directly with people, Monika had to cut back considerably in her career. In fact, she would have liked to invest more now that her children were out of the house, and she would have had more time for her job again. However, the menopausal symptoms forced her to continue working in the office.
Nevertheless, menopause also has its advantages: After suffering from PMS (premenstrual syndrome) symptoms for years, Monika was extremely relieved when her period stopped and with it the associated symptoms.
When talking to women of the same age, Monika often encounters a lack of understanding when it comes to hormone replacement therapy. Women of her generation have learned to persevere, not to show weakness. There is an "I can do it without HRT" attitude, says Monika. After all, their role models from the previous generation never talked about the taboo subject of menopause. In addition, the media communication surrounding the "<a href="https://herea-network.com/en/news/13-whi-study">Women's Health Initiative</a>" study has clearly influenced this generation's decisions on women's health.
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"It's a shame that some women slow themselves down by not considering medical support. For me, the benefits of HRT are greater than the risks."
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Although the Swiss healthcare system now offers one or two points of contact for women who want to take a closer look at the topic of menopause, it still takes a lot of initiative to receive optimal treatment. Women who don't take the initiative are more likely to be left behind.
Although the Swiss healthcare system now offers one or two points of contact for women who want to take a closer look at the topic of menopause, it still takes a lot of energy and endurance to receive optimal treatment. Women who don't take the initiative are more likely to be left behind.
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Monika advises other women:
<ul>
<li>Don't be afraid of menopause.</li>
<li>See the benefits, even if there are difficult moments and you have to rediscover your body.</li>
<li>Try out different ways of dealing with the symptoms; there is no "one truth".</li>
<li>Be well informed.</li>
<li>Do not categorically reject HRT. HRT can be supportive and has many small benefits. Estrogen is also good for the psyche, the hair, the skin, and the body.</li>
<li>Take the opportunity to look at yourself. There are many positive things that can emerge from this time and it&rsquo;s worth being courageous.</li>
</ul>
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<img src="https://adm.herea-network.com/assets/b84b7a86-8212-42c6-82dc-dbdb9cec23ac?width=1368&amp;height=1824" alt="Photo 2023 10 28 16 20 57" />
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Monika summarizes that it takes the right combination of measures to get through menopause well. You may have to try a few things, but in her experience, the tenacity to change has paid off!

With courage for change through menopause

Jennifer Chan de Avila (41) is a political scientist and was used to living a fast, full life. At the age of 36, she entered menopause prematurely and was presented with a fait accompli by her body. Since then, she has had to radically change her lifestyle. Today, mindfulness plays a big role for her.

Menopause at 36 – (supposedly) saying goodbye to feminine ideals

A job that demands 150%, travels to 12 cities in three months, an intense personal life, and little regard for her own resources: That's what life looked like for Jennifer Chan de Avila in her mid-30s &ndash; and she loved it. At that time, she was working as a postdoc at a university in Berlin planning to pursue an academic career. A university career means a lot of pressure, a lot of personal sacrifice, and a lot of extra work to prove herself in academia. But Jennifer was comfortable with this fast-paced life. Stress had never been a problem for her before, whether as a scientist, a journalist, or at her student job in the nightclub &ndash; she always could rely on her body and its performance, no matter how much she demanded of it.
It was even more difficult for Jennifer when, at the age of 36, her body suddenly showed her a limit that she had not expected until much later: menopause. Like approximately 1% of all women, Jennifer's natural cycle stopped about 15 years earlier than average.
Although one in 100 women experience what is known as "premature menopause" or "premature ovarian insufficiency," it is rarely talked about. As a result, it took Jennifer a long time to suspect what was going on and have a diagnosis. Premature menopause was accompanied by highly stressful symptoms: extreme hot flashes, up to 18 in one night. Consequently, insomnia and fatigue. During the day, she was bothered by panic attacks and depressive moods that led to difficulties at work. "When someone asked me to prepare a short presentation on my results, I sometimes burst into tears. I no longer felt up to any challenge," Jennifer recounts.
Farewell to youth and fertility 
A few months after the first symptoms, an ovarian cyst was detected in the gynecological consultation and surgically removed. Initially, this was also held responsible for the symptoms. But they remained. Moreover, the onset of symptoms coincided with the use of the morning-after pill, which is why irregularities in the cycle were initially associated with that.
At some point, Jennifer was convinced she was mentally ill. She did not recognize herself and could not explain the changes of her nature. When she finally visited an endocrinology practice, everything happened very quickly: a blood test, a half-a-minute conversation with the doctor, diagnosis of premature menopause. Jennifer's hormone profile corresponded to that of a post-menopausal woman. This information was supplemented with the question of a desire to have children and the assessment that hormone replacement therapy was absolutely necessary. The short and not very empathetic conversation left Jennifer shocked and desperate. Although she had no desire to have children, in her perspective she was suddenly confronted with the end of her youth, femininity, and fertility. These attributes are given great attention in many social circles, especially in Jennifer's home country Mexico.
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"Patriarchal social structures lead us to believe a woman's worth is related to her youth and fertility, and this needs to be dismantled."
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Interestingly, these social constructs were precisely what Jennifer attributed her research to. Her academic focus was on gender and gender relations. She was surrounded by a modern, progressive environment, and she was very aware that defining a woman's worth through fertility and youth emerged from an oppressive patriarchal system. Nevertheless, self-doubt overcame her after the diagnosis, the feeling of not being complete without her fertility. Deconstructing this perception built through years of social programming were Jennifer's greatest challenge. In addition, she struggled with having the choice to start a family taken away from her, regardless of a current desire to have children.
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Exercise, fresh air and doing things you love &ndash; mindfulness has been extremely important to Jennifer since her diagnosis.
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Training as a menopause doula
After Jennifer got used to the idea of menopause and started hormone replacement therapy, which fortunately alleviated her symptoms, a period of rebellion followed. "I wanted life as usual, I wanted to work, party, drink, date, not give up on my fast-paced life in Berlin," she reports. But slowly she had to accept that her body knew limits and that she had to take care of herself. This realization led Jennifer to gradually change her lifestyle: she reduced her workload, made sure to get enough sleep, started meditation, exercised, followed a healthy diet, and gave up on alcohol. Ayurveda, yoga, and spirituality were the biggest contributors to Jennifer feeling good about her body again. In the meantime, mindfulness comes naturally to Jennifer and those around her have also become accustomed to it. Her circle of friends supported her during this time, some friends were deeply touched and really suffered with her. Thus, she was able to overlook the occasional uncomprehending comments such as "Don't be so silly, menopause wasn't so bad for me either", which were rare but did happen.
Jennifer had to realize that the topic of menopause, and especially premature menopause, is hardly present in society. The challenge for a woman to say goodbye to her fertility and the feeling that of now being an "old woman" is largely left to be dealt with alone. The fact that society often portrays postmenopausal women as "invisible, irrelevant, unhappy, and bitter" does not help. To support other women during this time, Jennifer is currently training to become a menopause doula. A doula provides mental support in addition to medical care from the medical profession and takes on a mentoring role during the challenging phase of menopause.
In the future, two approaches could help: Society must move away from the ideal of youth and fertility as judgment criteria for a woman. In addition, a stable network must be created through education and counseling services to catch and support women as they enter menopause and thereafter.
Information on premature menopause is available <a href="https://herea-network.com/en/what-is-menopause">here</a>.

Successful at work, a caring mother and wife, active in sports and sociable – as a woman between 40-50, Fiona B. is confronted with several full-time jobs at a time. This makes it all the more important to resolutely tackle bothersome symptoms of menopause.

Successful at work, a caring mother and wife, active in sports and sociable – as a woman between 40-50, Fiona B. is confronted with several full-time jobs at a time. This makes it even more important to resolutely tackle bothersome symptoms of menopause.

Getting back to a calm and serene aura

For a working mother and wife like Fiona B. (49), the years between 40-50 are often the most stressful time of life - it certainly doesn't help to have to deal with troublesome symptoms that menopause brings to many women on top of the challenges at work and in everyday family life. Fiona noticed the first changes at the age of 44. The normally even-tempered woman suddenly had frequent mood swings and significantly less patience with those around her than she was used to. Although Fiona herself had already expressed the suspicion that these mood swings were a first sign of the impending menopause, this was hardly taken seriously by those around her. At 44, she was still too young, especially since she had just given birth to her son 4 years earlier.
It was not until 3 years later, when her periods stopped, that Fiona's suspicion was confirmed by her gynecologist. At this time, a sharp drop in her hormone levels was also detected. During this time Fiona suffered increasingly from the hormonal changes, she had severe hair loss, felt less energetic and the skin all over her body became drier.
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To regulate the symptoms, Fiona was initially given herbal preparations. However, these did not bring about any significant change; on the contrary, severe hot flashes were added to the list of here symptoms. The hot flashes frequently occurred at night and affected sleep. At first it feels like a fever, you get really hot from the inside, after about 5 minutes the heat subsides and a film of sweat remains on the skin, Fiona describes.
Significant relief of symptoms with hormone replacement therapy
Since the initial therapy did not have the desired effect, a few months later, after consulting with her gynecologist, Fiona started <a href="https://herea-network.com/en/what-is-hormone-therapy">hormone replacement therapy</a> (HRT), consisting of an estrogen cream applied in the morning and an oral progesterone preparation taken in the evening. Fortunately, HRT brought improvement in all symptoms without triggering side effects such as weight gain and water retention. Most of her symptoms, such as the hot flashes and mood swings, have virtually disappeared altogether, with only general dryness of the skin, vaginal mucous membranes, and eyes, and a decrease in libido still noticeable. However, the dryness is easily treatable with various creams and other agents.
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Overall, Fiona's quality of life has improved significantly with HRT, and she is able to cope with the day-to-day challenges of a demanding job and family with her usual composure while continue to pursue her numerous hobbies such as biking, yoga, Pilates, climbing, skiing, and jogging. The very fact that she has always been very active helps counter some of the effects of menopause.
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Women should start thinking about menopause early, for example, with the help of books like "Women on fire."
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For other women, Fiona would recommend addressing the issue of menopause early. Even in the minds of most gynecologists, it is still quite firmly anchored that menopause only becomes an issue for women over 50. This makes it all the more important for every woman to listen closely to her body and notice symptoms early on. In particular, the book <a href="https://www.orellfuessli.ch/shop/home/artikeldetails/A1056990227?ProvID=10917737&amp;gclid=EAIaIQobChMI_8yixrTe_wIVicDVCh1T4A3TEAAYAiAAEgJQcPD_BwE&amp;gclsrc=aw.ds">Women on Fire</a> by Sheila de Liz, MD, has helped her to better understand what is going on in her own body and to deal with the topic in an easy-to-understand, humorous way. It's important to bring more awareness to the topic and for women to openly share their experiences and seek help, rather than simply accepting their symptoms as part of getting older. That's why Fiona also likes to talk about the topic with her friends and now on Herea. In the end, menopause does have its positive effects, too &ndash; you don't have to deal with period pains and PMS, you don't have to think about sanitary products when going out or traveling, and you don't have to deal with hormonal contraceptives. It gives back a certain amount of freedom.