I’ve heard of personal coaches, business coaches, lifestyle coaches and, of course, athletic team coaches….but never a coach for menopause, until now. What a great idea! After all, a “coach” is defined as an instructor, trainer, a private tutor — someone with expertise, experience and patience. Isn’t that just what we need as we try to figure out the best, most healthful way to cope with menopause symptoms in an era of 15 minute physician appointments?
Rebecca Hulem is pioneering menopause coaching. She’s a registered nurse, a Certified Menopause Practitioner and the author of Feelin’ Hot? A Humorous, Informative and Truthful Look at Menopause. I recently spoke with her to learn more about what a menopause coach does:
Wendy: Please explain your work as a Menopause Coach.
Rebecca: Menopause coaching is very different from working with your doctor. We all know the importance of a yearly “well woman exam” — usually a fifteen minute appointment during which we get a physical examination that includes a breast exam, pap smear and pelvic exam to check for any abnormalities of the female organs. If a woman is transitioning through menopause and is complaining of symptoms, a conversation about the benefits and risks of hormone therapy and possibly alternative therapies will also take place.
This is certainly a lot to cover in one office visit, especially if a woman has questions or needs a more in-depth discussion of her options. That’s where I come in. Menopause coaching provides a longer appointment (the initial one is an hour and a half) to take a history of concerns, what the woman has already tried to relieve any bothersome symptoms, a medical history and, most importantly, belief systems and preferences to take into consideration when suggesting treatment.
Coaching is not all about taking hormones or herbs. Many women have emotional, psychological and relationship issues that can be contributing to or exacerbating the symptoms of menopause. These problems are not usually uncovered in a routine yearly exam and no amount of herbs or hormones will relieve the problem. It’s like putting on a band aid. This time of life is a beautiful puzzle and deserves the time to put it together in such a way that women continue to find joy and happiness in their lives while improving their day-to-day quality of life and longevity.
Wendy: Do you conduct a physical exam?
Rebecca: No, and if one has not been done within the last year it is always my recommendation that the woman go to her doctor first to make sure there is no underlying physical problems that could be causing the symptoms.
Wendy: Do you meet with women in person and how frequently do you meet?
Rebecca: All of this coaching is usually done over the phone unless the woman happens to live close by and if that’s the case I prefer to meet face to face for the first session. The frequency of the contact is determined by the underlying concern or problem. Many women only need one consultation and then follow up emails or phone calls. Some women need several sessions to resolve the problems that she is having.
Wendy: What are the most prevalent problems that your clients complain about?
Rebecca: The top three are weight gain, insomnia and decreased libido. Insomnia and decreased libido are more complicated issues than hot flashes and require more time to resolve.
Wendy: Do you favor one approach to managing menopause symptoms more than others… say, a natural, botanical approach over hormones for example?
Rebecca: I believe strongly that every woman is unique with individual preferences and beliefs and that there is no “one size or one regimen that will fit all women”. Therefore bio-identical hormones or commercially made hormones are all taken into consideration as well as complementary and alternatives such as botanical and herbs or a combination of all three depending on the situation.
Wendy: How can women get in touch with you?
Rebecca: My contact information can be found on my website, where I also offer a monthly newsletter, “The Menopause Moment,” as well as links to other, helpful resources.
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I am reading Suzanne Somers’ new book, Breakthrough. I wanted to share with my readers some of the points that I am taking away. First of all, I find her writing to be very interesting, well written and easy to understand. She is also, obviously, a very sympathetic person who has been through a terrible illness, survived, and very sincerely wants to share her “breakthrough” with as many people as possible. And she does a very good job of it.
However, I think it is vital that readers understand that what happened to Suzanne is not necessarily “normal” or “the average” experience. She had fibrocystic breasts and a deadly tumor behind them that went undiagnosed long term. Her hormonal/adrenal system shut down and she was very, very ill. The hormone treatments that she describes in the book are very radical and expensive and probably not necessary, or financially feasible, for the average person. There is also a certain amount of looking for an answer to the inevitability of death that I just cannot share or condone because of my faith. However, that said, I learned, and am learning, a lot from the book and would highly recommend it as a source of knowledge and information. I am also taking away a new respect for Suzanne Somers and her remarkable accomplishments!
I have also found this page to be a good surce of ideas: Menopause
Gail, thanks for your comment. There’s been a lot of criticism about Suzanne Somers, but I give her a lot of credit for raising awareness about bio-identical hormones and other alternatives to synthetic hormones even if her situation was not typical. She was certainly ahead of her time.
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