The average woman in America is now living into her 80s, which means she spends a third of her life in menopause. Diane Pace, a certified menopause practitioner at Regional One Health, wants those to be healthy, quality years.
She uses her specialized expertise in menopause care to help women address symptoms like hot flashes as well as their increasing risk of serious conditions like heart disease and osteoporosis.
Imagine someone told you a third of your life would be a negative experience and that you just had to deal with it. You’d tell them to get lost, right?
Yet that’s exactly how some women are treated when they seek care for menopause symptoms.
That should never be the case, says Diane Todd Pace, PhD, APRN, FNP-BC, NCMP, IF, FAANP, FAAN. She urges women to establish a relationship with a provider with expertise in menopause even before they make the transition. The average age of spontaneous (natural) menopause is 51, but women can be in transition (perimenopause) for five to seven years prior to their final menstrual period. Some women might experience surgical menopause with the removal of their ovaries or a medically-induced menopause (i.e. from chemotherapy).
“Today, a woman can expect to live to 84, which means she will spend one-third of her life post-menopausal,” Pace said. “It’s not enough to have all these years if they aren’t quality years.”
Drs. Pace and Pallavi Khanna, MD, FACOG, OB/GYN are credentialed as Certified Menopause Practitioners by the North American Menopause Society. Together they lead Regional One Health’s menopause care practice and its “Transitioning Through Menopause” support group.
Pace said menopause is not only a physiological event, but a cultural, social and developmental event as well. The good news is studies show most women at midlife have a positive outlook. They are fulfilled, optimistic about their future, and eager to embrace healthy choices.
The bad news is these years can also bring stress from caring for aging parents, raising teenagers and building careers. Those issues can be compounded for some women by symptoms resulting from changing estrogen levels at menopause, which Pace says can often times affect the women’s quality of life.
Diane Todd Pace and Pallavi Khanna are certified menopause practitioners at Regional One Health. They have special expertise in helping women stay healthy as they age.
“There’s not a single menopause experience,” she said. “What we do know is the women who report the most negative attitudes about this stage of life are those who experience the worst symptoms. These are the women who seek out care from health care providers.”
Yet there are still a lot of providers who view menopause symptoms as something women simply have to live with. “According to the International Menopause Society, three out of four women who seek care from a provider go away without any sort of intervention or counsel,” Pace said. “They’re told, ‘Just suck it up, because you’ll get past it.’”
That’s why she encourages patients to find a NAMS Certified Menopause Practitioner.
These providers have done extra study and passed an exam to demonstrate expertise in the field of menopause care. They must be recertified every three years, which means they have to keep up with the latest information in the ever-evolving field.
“It seems like new studies come out every week. It’s important you see a provider that can give you the latest evidence-based data,” Pace said.
Certified Menopause Practitioners can help with a variety of symptoms:
- Hot flashes
- Difficulty losing weight
- Vaginal dryness and discomfort
- Pain during sex and decreased libido
- Depression and anxiety
Certified menopause practitioners help women address symptoms like hot flashes as well as their increasing risk for serious conditions like breast cancer, heart disease and osteoporosis.
Pace said menopausal care should be individualized. Her goal is to use her knowledge and experience to help guide women to make the best choice for their personal needs.
A Certified Menopause Practitioner can also help women address the increased risk menopause brings for other conditions.
Menopause occurs when estrogen levels drop. Pace said changes in estrogen levels and aging in women are linked to several serious conditions:
- Cardiovascular disease
- Osteoporosis
- Breast cancer
- Alzheimer’s disease
Certified Menopause Practitioners work collaboratively with the woman’s primary care provider to ensure continuity of care.
“There are many things we can do as providers to help you navigate perimenopause, menopause and beyond,” Pace said. “Menopause affects every woman. If you live long enough, you’re going to go through menopause. It’s a natural event, and you can navigate through this period in a positive or negative manner.”