It’s tough to have a hysterectomy and be told that because you are in post-menopause, your symptoms will go away. But they don’t.
For numerous women like Sherri, the hot flushes and night sweats can become worse, even in post-menopause, as does sleep, even if the hysterectomy was long ago.
Most women, like Sherri, think that the continuation of hot flushes are due to menopause, however they can’t be, because when women’s periods have ended for a year or more, they are through their menopause. As Sherri discovered, hot flushes that continue to carry-on into our late 50s, is known to be due to our changing blood vessels and the inflammatory changes that arrive as we age. (Maas, 2020).
If women aren’t sleeping, then this can also cause their hot flushes to increase in intensity and frequency – leading them towards weight gain as well as sore joints and other health problems as they age. Thank you Sherri for sharing your experience.
“I am 55 and I had a hysterectomy at age 34 due to cervical cancer. I have always struggled with weight but this seemed to kick it up a notch. Having luckily kept my ovaries, but due to no periods, it was hard to judge my menopause stage, until I hit 50, but then my symptoms got worse.
When I got to the point that something needed to change, I joined Wendy’s programme. I wasn’t sleeping, I had night sweats and I had put on 12 kilos over the past 12 months. I felt confused and desperate.
Over the past 12 weeks, my sleeping has improved dramatically and now sleep through on most nights. I no longer have night sweats so not having to kick off blankets is keeping my husband happy too. I’ve lost 7kgs so far in only 12 weeks.
Following the program and suggestions, swapping meals around as Wendy suggests, eating in a different way that I have been and increasing my water intake and following Wendy’s suggestions for changing up my timing of eating to help my gut and liver health, is all I have changed so far.
I also do a tabata style workout (40 mins) 3 days a week and I follow the programme for more walking every morning. This was great during Covid as well, because it helped me to get out of house and have some sanity. I’m feeling so much better.
I always found that women didn’t want to admit they were going through menopause as if it was taboo to mention it. But with Wendy’s programme, the facebook coaching community support is wonderful. It is amazing to be in a group of like-minded women, having the same issues with menopause and able to share the experiences and reading Wendy’s posts and getting help from so many others.
Even though I have done my 12 week transform me program I am definitely staying with Wendy’s program, as I’m finding the support of not only Wendy, but everyone in the facebook coaching group is what has kept me at it.
Without the support I think it would be way too easy to slip back into old habits and because I still want to lose more kilos, I’m sticking around.“
Sherri, P., Australia.
