Nadine Feldman, Author

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Guest Post: Living With Pelvic Organ Prolapse

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I would like to introduce Elizabeth Carrollton, who wrote the post that appears below. While I’m not a medical person, I am happy to share any information that can affect the health of women in my age group. Thanks to the good folks at Drugwatch.com, including Jasmine McCarthy, for visiting my site and offering to share their expertise!

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In the United States, as many as 50 percent of women between the ages of 50 and 79 will be diagnosed with a condition called pelvic organ prolapse (POP). Diagnosis is even common in much younger women. As women move through menopause, their estrogen levels decrease. This decrease in estrogen reduces collagen production – causing connective tissues to weaken. In the case of pelvic tissues, this weakening can deplete the structural support that holds pelvic organs in place. If tissues weaken enough, pelvic organs will shift down toward the pelvic floor. While this condition is in no way life threatening, in its most severe form, it can be uncomfortable or debilitating. However, the majority of women with POP will only experience mild to moderate symptoms, and can often find ways to live with POP without the use of surgical intervention.

Living with Pelvic Organ Prolapse

One of the most common treatments for women with moderate to severe POP is surgery. However, the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, as well as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have made it clear that surgical intervention for POP should only be used in cases where anatomical corrections are the only solution for debilitating symptoms.

Otherwise, women and doctors should rely on the most conservative treatments available to adequately reduce the symptoms. This is because one of the common surgical treatments for POP that uses transvaginal mesh devices. This vaginal mesh product has been linked to thousands of cases of serious and irreversible complications. In fact, multiple transvaginal mesh manufacturers have discontinued their products.

Conservative Methods for Treating Prolapse

  • Lifestyle Choices. In addition to pregnancy and childbirth, smoking and obesity are also links in more severe cases of POP. Women should focus on eating a well-balanced diet, getting regular exercise, ceasing unhealthy habits, and maintaining a healthy weight target in order to reduce the strain on weakening pelvic tissues.
  • Pelvic Physical Therapy. Kegel exercises can be done daily to strengthen the vaginal walls and the pelvic floor. Strengthening these muscles can help to prevent organs from prolapsing further. If a woman has been diagnosed with POP, or the condition runs in her family, she may want to seek a physical therapist for a list of other exercises which can help to promote pelvic floor strength. Electrical stimulation can also be used to manually exercise weakened pelvic floor muscles.
  • Vaginal Pessaries: The American Academy of Family Physicians recommends the use of a vaginal pessary for women who have more moderate prolapse symptoms. These devices are custom shaped and fitted according to the woman’s body and symptoms. When inserted properly, and used consistently, a pessary is very successful at providing support for the pelvic floor, preventing organ prolapse, and reversing incontinence. Many women have found that vaginal pessaries prevent the need for surgical interventions.

While surgical intervention can be successful in treating severe cases of pelvic organ prolapse, where the uterus has begun to prolapse into the vagina, most women find that their symptoms can be managed using non-invasive and less risky treatments.

Elizabeth Carrollton writes to inform the general public about defective medical devices and dangerous drugs for Drugwatch.com.

 

http://www.acog.org/About_ACOG/News_Room/News_Releases/2011/Statement_on_FDA_Patient_Safety_Communication http://www.aafp.org/afp/2010/0501/p1111.html http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/ImplantsandProsthetics/UroGynSurgicalMesh/ucm262299.htm#treatmentoptions http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/Safety/AlertsandNotices/ucm262435.htm

Book Discovery Tuesday: The Menopause Makeover by Staness Jonekos and Wendy Klein, M.D.

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It was the bikini that got my attention.

No, last week’s desire for a funky hat has not led me down a slippery slope. I’m not a bikini kind of gal, and I’m fine with that. I would just like to know that I could wear one if I wanted to and look great.

Normally I’m not drawn to photos of beautiful women in minimal clothing. However, though my menopause experience seems to be improving — I’m getting back to being happy most of the time — I’ve struggled more with weight than I ever have. Although Weight Watchers tells me I’m in a normal weight range, I’m at the high end. And, the family scourge is high cholesterol and heart disease, so I simply can’t get away with even a few extra pounds. Trouble is, they’re harder to lose these days.

Enter Staness Jonekos, whose book I discovered during one of my more frantic searches for The Answer. She is the co-author and official guinea pig for The Menopause Makeover, a 12-week program for taking charge of our bodies when hormones are wreaking havoc. She happily provided her before and after photos, and she’s lookin’ pretty darn good.

Jonekos went into menopause while in the midst of planning her wedding. At 46, she had fallen in love and felt ready to take that big step, but had to contend with sudden weight gain, hot flashes, and other symptoms that many of us know and don’t love so much.

In The Menopause Makeover, Jonekos, using the guidance of Dr. Wendy Klein, explains how she took control of her life. She covers food, exercise, and changing your beauty routine. Since we’re changing, why not change the hairdo and makeup while we’re at it? Why not take a look at our clothing choices?

One of the things I really like about this book is that it focuses on the emotional and spiritual aspects of “The Change” as well. Through the help of Jonekos and others, I am not only “getting through” menopause, but am also learning to enjoy all the new discoveries that come along the way. I see it as a magnificent and extraordinary time of life.

Being a geeky sort, I love checklists and charts, and Jonekos provides plenty of them! We can determine our unique daily calorie usage and match it with our weight loss goals to arrive at a daily calorie goal. We can answer questions to help us figure out where our normal routines get us in trouble (for me, it’s travel). Finally, she provides a number of recipes to help us.

I’m not into hormones, and Jonekos recommends them for women who are suffering. I prefer to use herbal infusions to nourish and balance the body, and so far they’re doing a great job. Jonekos does not cover these approaches — however, I think each woman needs to make her own choice, and who am I to say what someone should do?

Having just read the book, I’m now ready to give it a test drive. The program makes sense. She’s not advocating anything faddish or unhealthful that I can tell. As I’ve reflected on the book, I realize that I can make some small changes that should make a big difference. That includes watching my portions more when we eat out and cutting back somewhat on starchy carbs. It also means focusing more on the strength training aspect of my exercise regimen, which will help me build muscle mass and keep metabolism levels up.

If you’re buying The Menopause Makeover, get the paperback. This is one book that doesn’t work as well on Kindle, because you’ll want to use the charts.

More than anything, The Menopause Makeover reminds me to stay in touch with what’s going on with my body and to not give up. There is hope, and yes, we can lose weight after 50 if we make some adjustments. We can be fit and fabulous — this is our time!

Book Discovery Tuesday — New Menopausal Years: The Wise Woman Way by Susun Weed

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My late mother-in-law used to tell me, “Just wait until you’re finished with menopause! You are going to feel so liberated!” At 52, I’m still waiting for that time! Despite my best intentions to keep a good attitude, I’m not totally excited about entering what feels like a second puberty. Just as when I was twelve or so, the clothes don’t fit right, and I grapple with overwhelm, anxiety, depression, and irritability. The other women in my family have had hysterectomies, so I have no one to give me a clue as to how much longer this will go on.

Still, I am nothing if not stubborn and determined. I’ve examined and re-examined my diet. I’ve adjusted my exercise regimen. I am religious about getting sleep. I manage my stress with regular massages and a dedicated yoga practice. Recently, though, in my continuing attempt to find inner peace in the midst of menopause, I turned to herbal remedies. One day I discovered an article on www.herbmentor.com by Susun Weed, an herbalist with a national reputation.

With quiet confidence, Susun calmed my fears and soothed my angst. She told me the same thing my mother-in-law once did, assuring me that I would feel better. She comforted me by validating my experience and not trying to “make it wrong.” I don’t know about you, but I’ve met women who come through menopause with just a few symptoms and assume that the rest of us should, too. Susun, instead, honors our individual experience. I was delighted to find a compassionate mentor and guide, so I bought her book, New Menopausal Years: The Wise Woman Way.

NMY is not a new book. Originally written in 1992, Susun last updated it in 2002. In fact, she has a new book out called Down There–but I haven’t read that one yet. I think, though, that when a book is good, it’s worth talking about no matter how old it is.

One of Susun’s great contributions in this book is to create a road map that she calls The Six Steps of Healing (she refers to the same process elsewhere as the Seven Rivers of Healing, in case you’re familiar with some of her work). For those of us making decisions about how much medical intervention to seek out, she suggests that we start with the first step — “Do nothing.” This does not mean take no action at all, but to wait and observe a symptom for a period of time that feels comfortable. Sometimes symptoms abate, and if we leave them alone they won’t go away. Other times, we find the symptoms increase, and then we may jump one or more of the steps of healing. Along the way, we empower ourselves to add interventions as we deem necessary that may include herbs, vitamins, or, in the sixth step, surgery or other more invasive medical treatment. With each symptom, Susun suggests treatments for each step of healing.

When recommending herbs, Susun also provides detailed instructions on how to prepare teas, infusions, and tinctures. Since reading her book, I have settled on a daily infusion of stinging nettle and oatstraw to provide energy, adrenal support, and mood regulation. When I am faithful to the regimen, I definitely feel better.

You may or may not agree with Susun on her methods, but she invites you to make up your own mind. She never insists that her way is the only way, but her ability to help us see our symptoms as manageable so that we can make informed decisions is invaluable. Reading New Menopausal Years, I started to see this time of my life as positive, not just intellectually, but in the deepest layers of my being. We are embracing a new identity, going from “mother” to “baby crone,” and it is, truly, an exciting time–as long as we can help ourselves with the layers of discomfort that accompany this transition.

For more information on Susun, who offers courses, other books, and a forum among other things, visit www.susunweed.com/.

Book Discovery Tuesday: The Best of Everything After 50: The Experts’ Guide to Style, Sex, Health, Money, and More

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In an enthusiastic, likeable tone, author Barbara Hannah Grufferman guides us cheerfully through the maze of what we need to know after age 50. She has researched her work, getting advice from doctors, dermatologists, and other professionals so that we can look and feel our best. Reading The Best of Everything is a bit like chatting with your best gal pal, but with solid medical and financial information. After 50, we can still look and feel fabulous!

Grufferman is committed to her own health and fitness and runs in marathons. In The Best of Everything, she describes her running regimen, designed to keep those older joints safe.  She helps us avoid the middle-aged spread that isn’t, as it turns out, as inevitable as we might think. She keeps us on track for scheduling the appropriate medical tests at the right time, and even provides tips on caring for skin, from moisturizers to plastic surgery.

More than anything, Grufferman distills a lot of wisdom into simple terms. Some sections may not interest you. For example, I skipped over the plastic surgery stuff. I happen to like my wrinkles and scars, and I think my face is far more interesting with some lines on it. However, I do believe in a woman’s right to choose, whether it has to do with her womb or her face, and let’s face it—we can’t ignore our aging. Better to discuss our options and make informed choices.

The Best of Everything After 50 is, overall, a comprehensive guide. As with any complex subject, though, it has its limits. You will not get tips on empty nesting, dealing with sandwich generation issues, or how to cope with a difficult menopause from an emotional perspective. I don’t see this as a criticism, though. She has kept a clear focus to her work, and no one book could cover everything without getting clunky.

For women just starting to face the topic, The Best of Everything After 50 provides a great beginning and information that every woman needs to know, and Grufferman’s gift for distillation makes this book a must-read for initiates to this profound, exciting, and sometimes frustrating time of life.