Do women experience menopause in the same way or are there differences? Do we know what makes the experience different?
As with many health conditions, genetics, lifestyle, stress levels, medications and diet will affect how you experience menopause. Many women (like myself) experience menopause earlier than the average, because of certain conditions or cancer treatment.

There are 34 known symptoms and everyone experiences different symptoms at varying degrees. For example, hot flushes are a common symptom of menopause, but I felt cold chills instead. A symptom tracker is your best tool, which you can take to your doctor.

A few facts: 75 per cent of women experience symptoms to varying degrees and 25 per cent of these women will find their symptoms debilitating; 25 per cent of women will have an easy menopause transition and experience mild symptoms, and HRT/medications can improve the condition, but this doesn’t work for everyone.

How can nutrition play a part in the physical, mental and emotional well-being of women during perimenopause and menopause?

• Including a source of fibre at each meal will help to reduce bloating and constipation, reduce blood pressure and the risk of type 2 diabetes, and improve your mood
• Including a source of protein at each meal can help to maintain lean muscle mass, which starts to decrease during the menopause transition. This can help improve body confidence during the menopause transition.
• Eating vegetables and fruits rich in colour can support your immune system, improve heart health and gut health
• Healthy fats such as extra virgin olive oil and omega-3 can reduce inflammation, keep our joints subtle and support brain health
• Supplementation can help but it’s not everything—our bodies absorb best from food

What inspired you to start The Menopause Space, and what are its hopes and objectives?
[I wanted to] start conversations around this taboo topic. Nobody should feel they can’t speak about it. I also wanted to provide support for those experiencing it and their loved ones, training to healthcare professionals [who should] know about menopausal needs, and provide training to organisations to help the fastest growing population in the workplace.

Menopause affects everyone. 

What is your proudest achievement with The Menopause Space thus far?
I think the level of awareness The Menopause Space is raising on this often whispered subject is ensuring women have access to evidenced-based resources and the confidence to get the help they need to thrive and not just survive through their transition. That makes me feel good about the work we are doing. 

Please tell us more about the upcoming Menopause Festival. What do you hope to achieve with it?
We want menopausal women to feel positive and confident about their transition, and we want their partners to understand the impact it can have on a woman’s physical and mental health. We want health professionals to recognise that more needs to be done to support women’s health, and we want employers to recognise that the workplace needs to provide a certain level of education and support to ensure the retention of female talent. 

More importantly, we want to bring some humour and lightness to the topic. It’s not doom and gloom, and we’re not “old” ladies. We have an incredible group of experts from a variety of industries to shed light on this topic and its impact on health—in workplaces and in the home.

We’ve never seen menopause spoken about at this scale before, and especially not in Hong Kong. We want people to keep talking about it so that the attitudes towards it can shift. 

Both perimenopause and menopause are subjects not enough people talk about, even though it affects so many. What can be done on an individual level to help de-stigmatise this topic?
In general, having conversations about it. If you’re experiencing menopause, reach out for help from those around you. Take your symptom tracker to your doctor and ask for information. If you know someone who might be experiencing menopause, be sensitive to anything someone else might be experiencing and try to be open and supportive if it’s brought up in conversation.

What can be done on a corporate and societal level to better understand and support those who experience these stages?
On a corporate level, treat this involuntary stage of life as you would other health issues. Encourage all employees to learn about it as it affects the workplace. Provide resources to employees who may not want to speak about it but need help. On a societal level, storytelling breaks down barriers and creates community. Sharing your story with a friend, neighbour, or colleague may give them confidence to access the help they need to feel better.

You are an advocate for resetting, taking control and embracing menopause. Why did you feel that approach and language was important or necessary?
Women don’t have to suffer like their mothers did. Menopause symptoms can be managed and more education is needed to ensure every woman understands this. It doesn’t have to be a negative experience, but it usually is painted as one.

Many women don’t know when or how to seek help, [but] they can take control if they know what’s going on. Knowledge is power. Understanding the changes that are happening in the body gives a person a sense of empowerment to accept change and choose a symptom management technique that works for them. 

Would approaching perimenopause and menopause from a nutritional perspective result in huge lifestyle changes? For example, sacrificing certain vices or indulgences?
Alcohol has many health risk factors [and contributes] to a woman’s waistline during midlife. Drink consciously, knowing what it can do to your health and body confidence. Vasomotor symptoms such as hot flushes, heart palpitations and night sweats can also be exacerbated by alcohol, caffeine and spicy foods, so consuming these foods and drinks in moderation is recommended.

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