Adult acne makes you look years younger
And other fun facts about menopause
In the recent Whatever Years annual survey, a reader suggested coverage of menopause. Personally, I’ve forgotten just about everything that happened before the pandemic, but other people have done a lot of more recent thinking on the subject. Last week, I saw comedian Samantha Bee, whose latest tour is all about Menopause. She told us that the best part of menopause is that it also happens to our enemies. Also, she said that every woman over the age of 50 needs an enemies list.
A big issue is that medical guidance has changed, a lot, and not every doctor and every patient is up to date. How could they be? I’ve followed the dilemma closely because my mother’s first round of breast cancer happened when she was 42. For years, doctors said that hormone replacement therapy was perfect for everyone. About twenty years ago, doctors said that it was too risky for anyone. Now, they are somewhere in between: good for most people, but with some exceptions.
The good news is that doctors now have a large toolkit, including hormones, so you don’t have to hear “just wear layers!” anymore.
If your doctor tells you to just wear layers, maybe find a new doctor.
But also, beware: when doctors have mixed opinions, charlatans step in, and there are plenty of menopause influencers with dubious credentials floating around the Internet. I dropped my subscription to a Substack published by one of these people when she wrote about how she did her own research to conclude that vaccines were bad. I dunno, I’m happy that I avoided childhood diseases that used to kill people, and I didn’t want my own kid to suffer or die of them, either.
I refuse to take medical advice from people who are opposed to vaccines.1 2
And so, with that rant, here are a few links to information you can use:
Menopause is Having a Moment: Rebecca Mead in the New Yorker writes about how people are talking about menopause now in light of the hormone controversies.
The Midst newsletter: A good Substack for mid-life women, covering menopause and lots of other things.
Cleveland Clinic: Recently, a Facebook friend reported that she asked her doctor about hormone replacement therapy, and her doctor handed her a 10-year-old printout from the Cleveland Clinic about alternatives. Not cool, Doc! At a minimum, your doctor should hand out the Cleveland Clinic’s most recent information.
Samantha Bee’s podcast: Samantha Bee’s tour was a kick-off for her podcast about, you guessed it, menopause. It’s currently available on audible.
What finally worked for my adult acne: The Walgreen’s 3-step acne treatment, which is a generic version of Proactiv. I use it once every other day.
What do you have to recommend, dear readers? Please share in the comments!
And even if vaccines did cause autism, which they don’t, are antivaxxers really saying that they would rather have a dead kid than a kid with autism? There are people in my life with autism, and I am happy that they are there.
See also: every woman over the age of 50 needs an enemies list.
Here's a story I wrote last year for Scientific American Custom Media that focuses more on the "whys" than how to fix them, but may also be of interest: https://www.scientificamerican.com/custom-media/the-surprising-biology-behind-menopauses-worst-symptoms/ Probably the best advice is that women with lots of symptoms should find a practitioner from the Menopause Society's membership list.