Past trauma can lead to a difficult menopause transition with more severe symptoms. Making matters worse, severe menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes and difficulty sleeping can also heighten existing post-traumatic stress symptoms for women who have suffered trauma. Female veterans are especially at risk for both, and this week’s guest Tonya Oxendine, Warrior Speak Spokesperson for the Wounded Warrior Project, is on a mission to help women like her get the care they need for a fresh start in life. 

Tonya Oxendine served for nearly 30 years in the United States Army–including several years in the 82nd Airborne–retiring as a Command Sergeant Major. She joined the Army fresh out of high school to escape an abusive family only to find the first half of her military career marred by sexual abuse and harassment. Tonya remained silent and kept the pain and emotions bottled up inside, because she felt honored to be given the responsibility to serve her country and she didn’t want to jeopardize that. But during Tonya’s last deployment in Afghanistan, all of the pent-up emotions became overwhelming. She eventually got the help she needed through the Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) Talk program. She also received mental health treatment at Emory Healthcare — part of the WWP Warrior Care Network® — which helps veterans like Tonya who are living with PTSD. You can learn more about the Wounded Warrior Project at woundedwarriorproject.org

Resources

Tonya Oxendine on the Hazard Ground podcast 

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