Gennev: Let's talk about menopause

“I’ve been dressing myself since I was four. Why is it suddenly so hard to do?”

Changing bodies, changing priorities, outdated notions of what’s “acceptable” to wear after 40 can all make it feel surprisingly difficult to dress yourself. And whether we like it or not, people do judge us on our appearance.

We can use that very human habit to our advantage, says Mellicia Marx, personal stylist and founder of the very cool Poplin Style Directions. Our clothes can be a tool to express ourselves and project the image we want to the world. You just have to know what that image is and how to achieve it.

What do you want your clothes to say about you?

Mellicia asks her clients for the three words they aspire to in their style – “confident, edgy, and feminine” or “boho, earthy, and relaxed,” whatever they may be – and from there they can build a closet that’s like a “boutique curated just for you.”

Sound good? Listen in to Mellicia's ideas about fashion, body image, staying on budget, and feeling good enough to take on the world. 

Join us at genneve.com for more information about Mellicia and a full transcript of this conversation. 

Author, brand strategist, speaker, and motivator Juju Hook is on a mission to rebrand "midlife." It's crap, she says, and she's not wrong.

Why a rebrand? What do you think of when you hear "midlife woman"? Wrong! We've been sold a bill of goods, Juju says, and she is ready to help every woman embrace her power and glory and step into PrimeTime.

Hear the podcast, read genneve's review of Juju's book, then be sure to order a copy of Hot Flashes, Carpools and Dirty Martinis for yourself!

Get more information and read the full transcript of our conversation with Juju Hook on genneve.com. 

Did you know that after menopause, women lose many of the heart protections that helped them prevent heart disease? With the loss of estrogen, we lose elasticity in our blood vessels, making the build up of plaque easier.

February is heart health month, and since heart disease is the #1 killer of women and men in the US, we wanted to share some information with you on how to protect yourself.

We talked with Dr. Sarah Speck, medical director of the cardiac wellness and rehabilitation programs at the Swedish Heart and Vascular Institute in Seattle and co-founder of POTENTRx, a medical fitness company, about what we can do to stay heart healthy as we age.

Learn more about heart disease, Dr. Speck, and how you can put the wisdom behind the training of elite athletes to work for your heart health: genneve.com. 

Quick quiz: menopause or thyroid problem?

1. Fatigue
2. Heart palpitations
3. Dry skin
4. Trouble sleeping
5. Hair loss
6. Weight gain

Actually, it's kind of a trick question: all of these symptoms can be caused by menopause OR thyroid dysfunction.

Because menopause and thyroid disease can look a lot alike, all too often women who are dealing with thyroid problems like hypo- or hyperthyroidism are told "it's just menopause" or "you're just getting older." To make matters even more complicated, women in midlife are more prone to thyroid disease, increasing the chances that "it's just menopause" is actually "just an incomplete diagnosis."

Yes, it might be "just menopause." But what if it's not?

Thyroid disease can have serious and lasting health impacts if left untreated. So we asked Dr. Kate Kass, a functional medicine physician who specializes in hormonal health, to talk about the differences in symptoms, how to test for thyroid disease, and what we can do to optimize our health under any circumstances.

Get more information on Dr. Kass and see the entire transcript at genneve.com. 

Do you ever feel like there ought to be … I don’t know … more? You’re a high-achieving woman – great at your job and “successful” by modern measures – but you still feel like something’s missing, there’s something you haven’t accomplished yet.

Welcome to midlife.

Women in their 40s and beyond often experience a pretty fundamental shift: it’s time to stop worrying what others think of me and concentrate on how I feel about myself, my place, my work, my creative side, my spiritual soul.

Great! Also … dangerous. Frustration with finding yourself where you don’t want to be can lead to impulsive decisions.

How do you honor that part of yourself that’s ready for new challenges and new horizons without disrupting everything you’ve worked so hard to achieve?

Dr. Barbara Mark has some very good ideas for you. Dr. Mark is an elite leadership, career, and life strategies coach, advisor, and confidant to senior executive women. Trained in clinical psychology, Dr. Mark has great insights into human thought and how thought translates into action (or inaction). She focuses on working women in midlife, helping her clients find clarity during an often very challenging time.

We had a few questions for her.

Join us at genneve.com for the full scoop on midlife, "me" time, and Dr. Marks. 

If you like beer – especially craft beer created and brewed by experts who love what they do – you’re really going to enjoy this podcast.

If you’re dealing with menopause symptoms, you’re going to love it.

The Portsmouth Brewery is the kind of place where you want to become a regular: amazing beer, great food, the kind of social atmosphere that’s perfect for spending time with friends and unwinding after work or on a weekend. (Hint: go on Tuesdays, and you can take part in “wooden token” day.)

Lately, they’ve been in the press a lot. A LOT.

They’ve created a beer called Libeeration, a gruit designed, as their website says, “specifically for women experiencing menopausal symptoms and to celebrate the liberating aspects of this stage of life.”

That sounded awfully good to us, so we gave them a call. And they agreed to tell us all about it. So if you’ve got some time, pour yourself a glass of your favorite brew and join us.

Come to genneve.com for more information. 

As we near the kickoff to the holiday season, we wanted to know how concerned we should really be about the amount of sugar we’re consuming. You hear words like “toxic” and “addiction,” as well as “harmless” and “fun” when it comes to sugar and sugar consumption. So which is it?

The American Heart Association says women should get no more than 25 grams (6 tsp) of added sugar a day, and 36 grams (9 tsp) for men. However, according to SugarScience, a publication from the University of California at San Francisco, the average American gets 82 grams of sugar (19.5 tsp) every day.  

We’re eating a lot of it. But when it comes to our health in midlife, is sugar really that bad for us?

To find out, we called up Dr. Anna Garrett, who talked to us before on getting your mojo back in midlife. Dr. Anna is a certified coach and Doctor of Pharmacy, and her mission in life is helping women get their hormones – and their lives! – back in balance.

Here’s what we learned:

1:17 Can you really get addicted to sugar?

“Sugar actually works on the same centers in the brain as cocaine and nicotine.” So, yeah. Addictive and dangerous. Find out the process of addiction in your brain.

2:23 Is giving up sugar a fad?

Fat used to be the demonized ingredient when it came to obesity and poor health. But did the Big Sugar lobby play fast and loose with the facts to make it appear like fat was the bad guy?

4:25 Does sugar affect hormonal health?

Sugar disrupts insulin, creating chaos with your hormones and possibly contributing to estrogen dominance. And that’s just not good.

5:42 What about heart health?

Sugar wreaks havoc here too, increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease. Dr. Anna explains.

6:40 How the heck do I give up sugar?

Cutting out sugar is tricky. Dr. Anna gives her recommendations on going “cold turkey” versus “cutting back.” HINT: sugary drinks should probably be first to go.

7:37 Ok, fill me in on the drinks…?

Some drinks, like milk, have natural sugars. Avoid the ones with added sugars like agave or syrups. And bad news, y’all: wine is a problem.

8:40 Where does sugar hide in food?

Sugar is super sneaky, so even capable label readers may miss a few. Dr. Anna tells us what to be on the lookout for.

9:20 Artificial sweeteners: OK or no?

I’ll give you one guess. Yep. Not good. Dr. Anna tells us why artificial sweeteners may actually sabotage your good intentions. But there are ways to make it less bad for you ….

10:45 Withdrawal. What do we have to expect?

There are definitely withdrawal symptoms, just like with other addictions. Dr. Anna gives us the info on how we’ll feel, how long it’ll last, and how to manage it best.

11:58 How long does it take to break free?

If you’re truly serious, you can get to great in 7 – 10 days, says Dr. Anna. She tells us how to go about a sugar “detox” the best way.

13:10 What do you eat, if not sugar?

Dr. Anna gives us insight into her healthy diet. We’ve decided we want to be her when we grow up.

14:02 After the detox, can I bring some sweetness back?

Starchy veggies like beets or sweet potatoes and healthy carbs can be invited back, but for those folks for whom sugar is an “avalanche” food (ie, triggers binge eating), refined sugars should probably be eliminated entirely and permanently.

15:17 Halloween sugar-avoidance tips?

The holidays are coming and most of us are about to be awash in sugary treats. How do we handle it? Dr. Anna has some great ideas on how to be thoughtful about what we’re eating. Autopilot is only good for airplanes, folks; never for food.

17:36 How do you get your family on the bandwagon?

It’s tough to do this right: you don’t want to be the “anti-fun committee,” so explain why you’re doing what you’re doing, include the family in meal planning and prep, and start training taste buds early!

Are you ready to reduce your sugar intake? It can be a tough road, so consider getting help from a coach like Dr. Anna. We’d love to hear how it goes for you! Please share your successes and setbacks with us in the comments  or on genneve’s Facebook page or Midlife & Menopause Solutions, our closed Facebook group.

 

Mona Lisa Touch: You probably haven’t heard of it, but if you’re a woman in midlife, you might want to take a moment to hear about it. This “fractionated CO2 laser,” we hear, can return vaginal tissue to a pre-menopausal state with just a few 3-to-5-minute treatments.

That can mean a return to sex that’s pleasurable instead of painful and an end to mild urinary incontinence.

Because we have no idea what a “fractionated CO2 laser” is, but we wanted to know more, we contacted a provider of the service here in Seattle, Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su.

Dr. Rebecca maintained her own ob/gyn practice and taught Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Washington before decided to take a position with Swedish Medical Center as an OB Hospitalist. In 2016, she opened RenuvaGyn to start offering Mona Lisa Touch to women in menopause.

She knows what this laser is and what it can do for women who are suffering with vaginal atrophy, mild incontinence, and painful sex. Here’s what she told us:

 

1:45 How did you end up here, doing this?

Dr. Rebecca traces her path to Seattle and RenuvaGyn and the Mona Lisa Touch, and why she feels like women deserve to have a robust sex life, even after menopause (shocking!)

4:35 Why choose the Mona Lisa Touch?

Some women can’t use hormones or prefer not to. The MLT gives those women a great option. 

6:50 What does the Mona Lisa Touch device look like?

Kind of like a photocopy machine with a screen, according to the doc. She explains the process which is nothing at all like making copies.

8:11 How does it work?

The laser reawakens cells that start rebuilding and re-hydrating the vaginal area. The thicker layers, rebalanced pH, and returning healthy bacteria bring that bit of the body back to pre-menopause. She also gives us a timeline for when to get going – hint: the sooner, the better.

10:47 It’s not just for painful sex

Yes, it’s good for sex, no question. But it’s also good for the itch and the dryness.

11:29 Sooooo…. Does it hurt?

Because it doesn’t go as deeply into the tissue as facial laser treatment or hair removal, it’s less painful than either. A topical numbing cream takes care of any pain that might occur with the procedure. No flaking or peeling, either, woot!

13:20 What keeps women from getting the procedure done?

The MLT sounds amazing – why aren’t more women doing it? Cost, says the doctor. It’s not covered by insurance (of course!), so women pay the costs out of pocket.

15:10 When women hear about it, do they want it?

Cost aside, women are often a little fearful about the procedure, but when it’s done, the usual response is, “that’s it?” Doctor  Rebecca goes into what the office visit is like, and it sounds pretty darn easy.

(not all "vaginal rejuvenation" procedures are created equal. read up on why you may not want to keep up with the kardashians)

16:53 About that incontinence?

For mild incontinence, the MLT can be very helpful in a couple of ways. Dr. Rebecca takes us through the advantages. Also good for post-baby women in addition to women over 50, so spread the word!

19:05 Can you be my ob/gyn?

Mona Lisa Touch (and menopause care generally) doesn’t quite yet pay the bills; Dr. Rebecca is also a OB Hospitalist at Swedish Medical Center, helping with labor, delivery, c-sections, etc. The MLT fulfilled her need to work with women on an ongoing basis. She talks about how doctors are paid and why it doesn’t favor doctors talking with women about menopause issues.

23:14 What’s the process for women who want MLT?

Dr. Rebecca says there’s no physical prep to be done, but it’s good to do some research and know what to expect. One place to look is her own site and blog on renuvagyn.com.

For women who cannot or prefer not to use hormones to treat vaginal dryness and painful sex, the Mona Lisa Touch may provide an excellent, effective, low-risk alternative. You can search for a provider in your area from the Mona Lisa Touch website.

Have you had or would you consider a laser treatment to deal with vaginal atrophy or incontinence? Share with us (anonymously, if you prefer) in the comments on the genneve blog, or you can join the conversation on genneve’s Facebook page or in Midlife & Menopause Solutions, genneve’s closed Facebook group.

Mary Slagle is a SaaS Sales Specialist for MINDBODY, Inc. Working in the field of wellness, and for a company filled with mostly twenty-somethings, Mary was feeling as though she had missed out on the chance to join in on the activities and fun they all enjoyed. With five grown children and four grandchildren, her dream was to be more active and healthy.

While prospecting for new clients, Mary came across Health and Lifestyle Coach Lara Dalch's website and program for a Vibrant Healthy life. She realized it was exactly what she was looking for, in a wholly unexpected way.

In this podcast with Jill, Mary and Lara tell us how they partnered up to help Mary feel balanced and successful in all aspects of her life.

1:54 Why a coach?

Mary is a high-achieving, got-it-all-together kind of gal. Why would she need a coach? Because being driven and having a full life is terrific, but it can also be stressful. Lara helps her prioritize and spend her time and energy right.

2:56 What struck you about Lara’s services in particular?

There are lots of coaches and coaching programs out there. We asked Mary how she knew Lara was the right partner for her. According to Mary, The “Get Out of Your Own Way” worksheet, plus the chance to consult with Lara for free, opened her eyes to where she was in life. She was settling, she realized, and that just wasn’t right.

4:37 What does it mean to “get out of your own way”?

Lara’s online worksheet was born from watching women sabotage their lives and their opportunities to live more vibrantly. Check out the ways Lara sees women block their own dreams and futures.

6:15 Finding awareness

There must have been a moment when you realized you weren’t living the life you wanted. What was it like when your eyes were opened? Mary talks about when she realized she was giving so much to her professional life, it was leaving her powerless in her personal life.

7:44 How does the workshop help women realize how much better their lives could be?

The workshop is a “sliver of hope” that things can change, says Lara; it’s a glimpse into that better, more fulfilling life. Whatever your goals are, there are paths to achieving them – Lara helps her clients realize first, things can be better, and second, here’s how we’ll get you there.

10:21 First, the commitment, then the work

What did the day-to-day work feel like? Lara and Mary talk about the dangers of The Grand Plan and the sanity of setting reasonable goals.

12:35 Set big goals – be ready to adjust

As Lara says, “Feeling well means something different every day.” It’s important for highly driven women to train their brains to notice what’s going well, to celebrate the small steps as much as the big victories. As Lara told us later, there are two critical steps here. Step one: honor how you're feeling and be compassionate with yourself. Step two: redirect your attention to what's going well. Listen to find out how.

14:12 Honeymoon’s over. Now what?

We asked Mary about the low points. What were they and how did she get over them? In a house full of food that wasn’t healthy for her body, constant denial was grinding her down. Mary describes how she and Lara developed tools that allowed for some indulgence but kept her choices under her control.

16:06 Tools? Do tell!

We could all use tools like that! Mary talks about how Lara’s program allows for 24/7 access to the whole history of their journey together through video. Being able to go back to critical touchpoints along the way really helped Mary stay on track.

18:00 Pulling clients out of the pit

We asked Lara how she realizes her clients are struggling and what she does when they need a boost. So, what’s “new and good” with you?

18:58 How does coach stay positive?

“There’s always something” that shifts the client and the coach back into a positive mindset, Lara says. Sometimes they have to talk a while to find the good, but there’s always something.

19:39 How do you know when you’re “done”?

We asked how the program finishes and Mary is sustaining her progress. The program is designed to be finite, Lara says, though there are options to continue. But high-performing women like Mary tend to get through the material quickly and are ready to fly solo pretty fast. From her side, Mary didn’t want to say goodbye, even though she was “soaring”! So she’s opted to keep Lara in her corner, through check ups and check ins to keep her moving forward. Will she finally join that CrossFit group? Stay tuned!

23:30 Is this now a way of life, or is it still work to keep moving ahead?

Life makes it tough to make the right choices sometimes (e.g. a cruise ship full of ice cream and pizza), so negotiations continue. But now, Mary says, she has the tools to make judgement calls and control her own decision-making (like spending candy bar money on better “indulgences”).

25:47 The coach’s perspective on a client’s success

“It’s such a pleasure to see her thrive,” Lara says. No surprise there. 😊

If you’re looking to get out of your own way and feel vibrant and fulfilled, take a look at Lara’s website or find a coach near you.

For those who think you should be able to do this on their own, you may well be able to, and that’s great. But also think about all the other times in life when you’re willing to call in expert help – is fixing your future to be more fulfilling less important than fixing your car?

If you’ve utilized the services of a coach for career, fitness, lifestyle changes, nutrition, etc., we’d love to know how you found your coach and how the partnership worked for you. Please feel free to share in the comments on genneve.com. You’re also welcome to join the conversation on genneve’s Facebook page or Midlife & Menopause Solutions, genneve’s closed Facebook group.

Coming up soon on genneve’s podcasts: nixing sugar with Dr. Anna Garrett, just in time for Halloween; brewing up something special for menopause with the Portsmouth Brewery; and learning more about the innovative Mona Lisa Touch with Dr. Rebecca Dunsmoor-Su. Stay tuned or subscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher or SoundCloud so you never miss an episode!

Pelvic pain during sex, pain from the pelvic region generally, incontinence, prolapse – these do NOT have to be your “new normal.” There are treatments out there to help you manage, even solve, many of the issues related to pelvic floor dysfunction.

One solution might mean taking a long look at your choice of birth control ….

Rachel Gelman DPT is a clinical specialist and branch director at the Pelvic Health and Rehabilitation Center in San Francisco. She specializes in the physical therapy management of numerous pelvic pain disorders, including bowel, bladder and sexual dysfunction. We talked with her about some of the sources of pelvic pain, including the surprising news that hormonal birth control may be part of the problem.

1:27 what’s your approach to pelvic pain?

Rachel says she deals with pain from the “ribcage to the knees,” specifically focusing on the internal muscles of the pelvic floor. We asked her exactly what that meant. The list is surprisingly long – clearly this part of the body is responsible for a heck of a lot and needs proper care and attention.

3:13 how do hormones impact our pelvic health or cause pelvic pain?

Rachel also focuses a lot on the impact of hormones on that part of the body. Given that midlife and menopause are a time of enormous hormonal changes, we wanted to understand that better. Rachel explained to us how the sensitive tissue of the vagina and surrounding area are affected by estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone.

(here’s a fun way to increase pelvic health: get yourself an Elvie)

6:06 “no good birth control method” – what do you mean?

So, what does that mean for women who take hormonal birth control? Especially women who’ve been on the Pill for a long time? Rachel says there’s no truly perfect birth control; oral contraceptives are effective, but it increases sex hormone binding globulen. The take away: the Pill can negatively impact some very sensitive tissue, so if you have a choice, consider carefully when choosing it as your contraceptive method.

8:44 please explain pain in the vestibular tissue?

So, what exactly is vestibular tissue, and why is it so impactful if this area is inflamed or otherwise unhealthy? Rachel gives us a sort of private-area map and explains the consequences of hormone imbalance here and what can be done about it.

10:52 how can you tell where pelvic pain comes from?

So, we asked, how do you know when pain is caused by hormonal imbalance as opposed to some other concern? You have to look at all the puzzle pieces, Rachel says; she takes us through how she puts them together to figure out what’s going on and how to fix it.

14:43 how do patients find you?

How do patients find you? Is it mostly by referral? She gets a lot of referrals, Rachel says, from ob/gyns, urologists, etc., but a lot of patients simply find her on the Internet. So, shortcut Dr. Internet: if you’re having a particular problem and not getting a solution from the doctor you’re seeing, ask for a referral to a specialist.

15:50 is age a factor in pelvic pain?

Do you see more older women, or do you see these patients more often? Her practice is pretty evenly distributed, Rachel says, because pelvic issues aren’t limited to age, but yeah, no surprise: age does have impacts as hormones change. So if you’re getting older and have never seen a pelvic specialist, it might be time: avoid problems in the future by being proactive!

17:29 what should patients be doing between visits? is there anything they can do?

What kind of self-care should women be doing between visits to a specialist like Rachel? It depends on where you are, Rachel says; are you already in pain and need help relaxing or releasing? She gives her patients things to do between visits to help them learn to treat themselves, and that’s a Very Good Thing.

18:19 so … about that Squatty Potty®….

“We as humans were not meant to sit on the toilet to have a bowel movement.” Ooooookkaaaaaay. Not giving it up. Just sayin’. Fortunately, says Rachel, there are ways to adopt the optimal BM position without resorting to squatting in the woods. Phew! She explains why not excreting correctly can actually be pretty bad for you.

(speaking of toilets, do you know how much urination is normal for you?)

20:10 before we let you go, what else should we know?

“Kegels are not the answer to everything,” Rachel says. They can be good for you, but they don’t solve every issue. Best not to self-diagnose a kegel deficiency – if you’re having problems with painful sex, incontinence, bowel dysfunction, there’s help, there are resources. Seek them out and get your standard of living back.

If you’ve had issues with pelvic pain or other issues related to pelvic dysfunction, would you share with us how you managed it? Let us know in the comments below, or hit us up on genneve’s Facebook page or Midlife & Menopause Solutions, genneve’s Facebook group.

More about Dr. Rachel Gelman: Rachel is a Bay Area native who received her bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of Washington in Seattle and her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Samuel Merritt University. As you heard in the podcast, she’s passionate about women’s and men’s health and strives to promote quality education regarding pelvic health both in the clinic and in the community. We appreciate her sharing her wisdom and expertise with us!

You can follow Rachel directly on social media at @pelvichealthsf on Instagram or @RachelgDPT on Twitter.