GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The Mayo Clinic says 51 is the average age that menopause begins for women in the United States. One West Michigan woman says preparing for the transition in her 40s made the difference — and she credits a local doctor for helping her through it.
Menopause is having a moment, and women like Madonna Kramer are happy to see the issue out in the open.
“You see it online, you see it in the newspapers, and just everywhere,” she said. "I think that's great, because for so long, nobody did anything, and they just kept saying, it's in your mind."
Madonna Kramer, 63, said that thinking about menopause in the same way she plans for retirement changed her approach.
“You have to save enough money to retire the way you want to retire. Well, you have to do the same with your health. And that flipped the switch in my brain.”
She said preparing for menopause in her 40s has made for a smooth transition into the new stage of life.
“I had some symptoms, but very minor, because I think I was starting to pay attention to them a little bit more, and I caught them on the front end. And so my transition into menopause was very easy. And, I think largely because of the tactics that [Dr. Diana Bitner] taught me.”
Kramer credits a study she did 15 years ago with Dr. Diana Bitner of True Women's Heath, tracking her health, physical activity and lifestyle factors.
Dr. Bitner is a familiar face on the Fox 17 Morning show who has been on the forefront of menopause care since 2003.
Bitner said menopause is more than an episode — it is a new state of being.
"Menopause is when the ovaries run out of baby eggs, so the ovaries are not able anymore to make estrogen or progesterone, and over time after menopause, the ovaries can no longer make testosterone, and those are the hormones that generally help us feel normal," she explained. "“A lot of women think menopause comes and it happens and it goes, and actually, menopause is the new state of being. It's a lack of natural estrogen."
Bitner said a variety of treatments are available, including hormones and a new class of drugs called NKT’s.
“They have figured out how to treat the area in our brain that triggers a hot flash without having any of the effects of the estrogen,” she said.
Taking the time to invest in your health can help save you from serious health issues down the line.
"Low estrogen causes an increase in obesity, diabetes. Insulin resistance is a precursor of diabetes, increased risk for dementia, bone loss, mood disturbance, vaginal dryness, bladder infections, vaginal infections. So there are a lot of health consequences," she said.
Kramer said her early efforts are paying off.
"Checking your mood, checking your water intake, what's your diet like? Have you worked out?" Kramer said. "When you hit all those bullets, you come to start realizing how much, how easy, easier your journey can be, as long as you're paying attention."
For Kramer, menopause is not the end, but a new beginning. She's enjoying traveling the world and taking time for herself.
“It's a recognition that you are changing. And some people might want to be in denial about that, but it's a good time in your life. I think it's actually... the best time, because you have a freedom that you didn't have before.”
October is Menopause Awareness Month.
Watch Dr. Bitner's full interview below.
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