Sarah Lyon is a nurse practitioner

You need to take time to read through all the wealth of amazing information and support available.

At this stage I would advise that you do the symptom checker, the “balance” app is great to help with this, because knowing which of your symptoms could be menopause related will be a great starting point in then exploring how to manage them.

Remember, there isn’t one quick fix, and the management options are yours to decide. It will take a combination of approaches for you to reach the stage where you are the healthy, happy, capable, energised and confident person that you can be.

Exercise is only a part of your self-management plan.

Start with a daily walk, plan a route, walk with a friend if you can and set goals to challenge yourself. Download an app like Strava to encourage yourself and link with friends on the app who can encourage you.

Gradually add in options – more challenging walks, swimming, running, gym, exercise class, online exercise class, personal trainer, dance class/club, netball/walking netball or a team sport.

You can set yourself some daily exercises, for example, leg raises/lunges/gentle sit-ups – start with 5 of each and slowly build up. There are lots of online videos to give you ideas. I’m sure many of you could add to this list …..but just start with walking and I can promise you will reap the benefits.

The risk of breast cancer is many women’s main concern when they’re considering taking HRT. This is mainly due to a 2002 study by the Women’s Health Initiative that claimed HRT was associated with an increased risk of breast cancer and cardiovascular disease. Fortunately this study has since been re-examined, and new research shows that,…

HRT and breast cancer

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