The Menopause and the Virus

Covid-19 is scary and all-consuming. It drives up stress while reducing our sense of control over our wellbeing. It obliterates our future planning. For many, it is their every waking thought. As lockdown continues the concerns over leaving the front door to confront strangers on the daily commute is too big a hurdle.

If I replaced the name Covid-19 with Menopause many women would identify with the emotions in that context as well. Yet Menopause is again relegated to the status of an ‘also ran’.

Whilst there is no argument that Covid-19 is the greatest health crisis this generation has ever seen, Menopause remains a life-changing event for all women and those they interact with. It really is the case that you will either experience the Menopause directly as a woman or indirectly by knowing and interacting with women. It’s that ubiquitous.

If you are one of the many women struggling with the changes that the Menopause brings, along with the array of symptoms, some troubling and others devastating, the additional stress that is part of this current situation can negatively amplify everything.

As your ovaries’ hormone production declines, your adrenal glands step in to assist with its creation. Under normal circumstances that would be fine, however during stressful times your adrenal glands produce cortisol and adrenalin, the evolutionary ‘fight, flight or freeze’ response to the proverbial sabre-toothed tiger. All production of oestrogen and progesterone stops whilst the perceived threat is present.

All of the above would be unfortunate if it wasn’t for the fact that progesterone helps us process and manage the impact of cortisol. Which effectively means that at the point we have less progesterone we have more cortisol and are less able to manage its impact. This creates a downward spiral in our ability to return to a steady state.

Why is this important? Just as our body’s response to danger or stress is to shut down seemingly unnecessary hormone production (as in progesterone, because it doesn’t make you run faster or jump higher) your body also shuts down your immune system for the same reason. This happens whether you are Menopausal or not – the result of higher levels of cortisol in Menopausal women’s bodies for longer is that they are in the ‘fight or flight’ mode for longer, further impeding our immune system. Which is bad news during a global pandemic.

Many report that when under prolonged periods of stress, they are more prone to colds or other bugs doing the rounds. They crave unhealthy food, which is more about the need to balance blood sugar, which in turn leads to weight gain, tiredness (even when waking from a good night’s sleep) and at the other end of the scale insomnia. These are also familiar Menopausal symptoms.

The Lady Killers

This is not a scene from a 1950s film set. The Menopause drives a level of change in women’s bodies that we rarely discuss. Our bodies are extremely fine-tuned, and everything has a role to play. Therefore, when our ovaries begin slowing down the impact is wide reaching.

The Lady Killers are a group of conditions which impact women’s mortality. They are something we feel uncomfortable talking about when there is not a frightening virus. Somehow at the very point we should be discussing them we choose to think even less about them. Maybe this is because they don’t increase our chances of catching it. Yet should we, they certainly put us at greater risk of complications.

Let’s address the most sensitive first. Weight gain is a recognised and much talked about symptom for Menopausal women. There are biological reasons for this. Just as women’s adrenal glands step in to produce oestrogen so do other areas of our body. Fat produces oestrogen – and the fat around our middle is particularly good at it. Therefore, women’s bodies pile on the weight in an attempt to maintain hormone levels. This combined with the fact that our metabolism naturally starts to slow at this time of life and the scales are only going to tip in one direction, unless we take focused action.

Increased weight gain, particularly around the middle puts us at risk of numerous cancers and type 2 diabetes. It puts those who have it at greater risk. Lockdown has seen a widespread increase in food and alcohol consumption paired with a drop in exercise due to the necessary closure of gyms and pools. People feel uncomfortable or fearful outside for good reason and stay at home in order to protect themselves and the NHS.

Heart disease, which is often thought of as a male condition is in fact a female condition post Menopause. Heart disease is the biggest killer of women worldwide, and women are at greater risk of having a heart attack than ever before. We are not aware of the signs, which can be subtly different to men. The British Heart Foundation reports that four women per hour are admitted to hospital every day in the UK due to a heart attack. This is an extraordinary figure, yet we are not talking about this or what we need to do to avoid being one of those four.

During this period of time when we are all so focussed on wellness and health it is a unique opportunity to raise the profile of Menopause and the associated potential health risks. It is only a small step to start thinking about women’s health holistically. Women need to have the necessary information to make life and behavioural choices.

We also need to recognise that this is not something only women in their 50s need to think about. It is never too late to start looking after ourselves. Yet once women hit 40 it should be discussed openly that they are approaching the average age that they will start to experience Menopausal symptoms (45 - 55). Putting our heads in the metaphorical sand and denying the existence of the Menopause only increases women’s health risks.

Women deserve more than this especially at this time of Covid -19.

https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/cancer-in-general/coronavirus

https://www.diabetes.org.uk/about_us/news/coronavirus

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5433412/

https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/news/coronavirus-and-your-health#risk

https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/conditions/heart-attack/women-and-heart-attacks?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIobGn2fGt6QIVie3tCh1hOwLBEAAYASAAEgJ4yvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds