Real Health Podcast: Mood changes to weight gain — managing the Menopause with Dr Deirdre Lundy

I think it’s fair to say that the menopause space has been completely turned on its head over the last few years. What was once a taboo subject is now front and centre of the conversation about women’s health.

One of those who has been a big part of this discussion in Ireland, is my guest this week, Dr Deirdre Lundy.

Dr Lundy was on this podcast in 2021 and now she is back and has written a book no less! The Menopause, the essential guide to managing your health in mid-life helps readers learn what is going on with their bodies and take back control.

Deirdre says while many of the symptoms most associated with the menopause are physical, there are also others like mood changes that can happen too.

“The emotional stuff is a big part of the menopause journey for some people. I just think it is an area where there's maybe still a little bit of shame around that. You need to say to someone, I need help. I'm getting mood changes. I'm raging, a bit irritable, depressed, anxious. It doesn't make you weak to ask for help. Its strong thing to do.”

We also discuss the common misconception that there is a link between HRT and increased risk of breast cancer.

“In 2002, a study from the United States was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association that seemed to imply that if you used hormone therapy to correct menopause symptoms, you got an extraordinarily high risk of getting breast cancer, which was an absolute fallacy. It wasn't true then. It isn't true now.”

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The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.