hotflash inc: we joke about menopause, but the health risks aren't funny
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frozen shoulder also known as adhesive capsulitis, is a condition that causes significant pain and stiffness in and around the joint. getty
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over the last two years tiktok, instagram and youtube have become devoted to a curious new genre: women acting out their perimenopause and menopause symptoms.
whether it’s wandering into a room and forgetting why they are there or mimicking bursts of incontinence, these videos have made some people into social media stars.
over in new zealand, for example, shirley Șerban has accrued more than seven million views on youtube since releasing her symptom-based version of queen’s bohemian rhapsody. canadian creator kari ann wright has racked up a million-plus views across platforms by almost exclusively speaking about and acting out the trials and tribulations of perimenopause. in a two-part video, she catalogues 100 different symptoms, everything from internal vibrations to a burning mouth.
when i first began to see these videos in 2020, i found them tremendously comforting — and even made a few of my own. there are so many strange things that can happen during the transition to menopause, and for all the years i thought the tingling in my head might have been an aneurysm or fretted about whether to head to the er for chest pain — again — it was gratifying to see how many other people are going through the same things.
menopause has “an infinite number” of symptoms
i used to be obsessed about the number of symptoms, too, combing through the lists on google (anywhere from 34 to more than 100), but when i asked the british endocrinologist dr. annice mukherjee about this on my podcast, she told me to stop counting.
the body is out of balance in perimenopause and menopause, and when that happens, anything goes.
“generally speaking, it’ll be an infinite number [of symptoms],” she said. “because every woman will experience symptoms differently.”
if symptoms are severe and menopause-related, then sometimes menopause hormone therapy is the best way to deal with them, or it may be just a matter of rebooting and rebalancing lifestyle, said mukherjee, who is also the author of the complete guide to the menopause.
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other times, symptoms that are associated with menopause are also a sign of underlying health issues. take frozen shoulder, for example. also known as adhesive capsulitis, it’s a condition that causes significant pain and stiffness in and around the joint. it is most frequently seen in women aged 40 to 60, who are most likely experiencing menopause. in fact, a recent study linked the frozen shoulder with diminishing estrogen. it has also been connected to underlying, possibly undiscovered thyroid issues, as well as diabetes.
hot flashes are more than just a quality-of-life issue
in the same vein, emerging research is challenging conventional clinical wisdom that vasomotor symptoms — a.k.a. hot flashes and night sweats — are simply a quality-of-life issue. in fact, long-term data is suggesting that frequent and severe hot flashes and night sweats may put women at an increased risk for cardiovascular disease, prompting researchers to advise that they would benefit from targeted screening and reduction interventions in mid-life. consider the findings of this study published in the journal of the american heart association in 2021: frequent and persistent menopause symptoms were associated with a 50 to 77 per cent increased risk of future cardiovascular events.
mukherjee also advises people to delve further into symptoms, even if they seem benign. itchy skin, for example, which she says could be a sign of thyroid problems.
genx reframing menopause discussion
while it’s really compelling how genx is reframing the entire perimenopause/menopause conversation on social media, and refusing to hide the way previous generations may have, i worry that the creator should be searching for a doctor rather than just the right trending music for their latest video.
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because if the woman in the drenched pjs standing in front of a fan and a ring light really needs to be taking a deeper look at her cardiovascular health, then it’s not funny at all.
ann marie mcqueen is a journalist with 25 years of experience covering health, wellness, science and more, and when she realized she was in perimenopause five years ago, she decided to make this transition her beat. she has since become a global expert on the subject through her platform hotflash inc, where she helps people navigate the gap between medical and holistic treatments with evidence and experience-based research. she will be writing regularly on all things related to menopause and mid-life.
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