I didn't expect it to happen yet!

I debated long and hard about whether to write this blog as menopause can be a bit of a ‘taboo’ subject, but I don’t believe it should be – after all, it’s only a natural process that all women have to go through.  I feel it’s important for women to talk about it and share their experiences - in my case, how it has affected my running and what little information there seems to be regarding the effect of menopause on competitive athletes.

Many of you may know that I’ve been struggling with my running for the last 18 months or so.  Slower times are inevitable as we age, but it was more than that.  Every run felt like a struggle, like I was shuffling.  It was as if someone had filled my legs with concrete and told me to run through treacle!  And I was always waking up feeling tired.  I also put on weight which didn’t come off even when running 80-90 miles a week to train for a 100km!  I saw my GP who sent me for blood tests and I also saw a specialist Sport & Exercise Medicine doctor in Birmingham.  The only thing they could put it down to was a slightly underactive thyroid, but not enough to warrant medication or have a detrimental effect on my performance.  I concluded that I must be imagining it, or that I’d just turned into a rubbish runner.

And then, just after I’d struggled through the World 100km champs in Croatia last September, I started noticing changes in my monthly cycle – over the next few months I missed a couple completely, others were closer together and some were much heavier than usual.  That made me start to think about the possibility of menopause – although I had naively thought that my periods would get fewer and stop, not become heavier or more frequent!  And all this started when I was only 46 years old – doesn’t menopause happen when you’re in your fifties?!  Apparently not!

So, another trip to my GP confirmed that yes, I was peri-menopausal.  We discussed the options and I decided to try HRT for a number of reasons, including to see if it would help the heaviness I was experiencing when running.  I also have osteopenia and I know HRT is beneficial for bone density.  Also, at exactly the same time as all this was happening, I started to get numbness, tingling and severe nerve pain in my hands, especially at night.  This was later diagnosed as carpal tunnel syndrome which may be a result of hormone imbalance causing fluid build-up – no one knows for sure, but I was keen to see if HRT would help.

I’ve now been on HRT for about five months.  Unfortunately it didn’t help the carpal tunnel and I’ve just had surgery on one hand and am waiting for a date to have the other one done.  I’m hoping it’s helping my bone density, but won’t know for sure until my next DEXA bone density scan.  As far as the running goes, I think it made some difference to the heaviness, though it’s hard to say for sure as I’ve been unable to run at all for the last 10 weeks due to a hamstring tendon tear!  Which brings me onto another minefield – the relationship between oestrogen and tendons!  I’m no medical expert, but from what I understand HRT has a beneficial effect on muscle and bone, but is less clear-cut when it comes to tendons!  My physio certainly seems to feel there is a possible link between peri-menopause and all my recent injuries.  I’m still trying to find out more information, such as the effect menopause can have on performance, injury risk, how to adjust my training etc., but so far without much joy.  Even the English Institute of Sport told me they only deal with “elite athletes who are still fairly young so they don’t have to delve into the menopause”!  (So, despite representing GB in a world championship only last year, because I’m 48 I don’t count!)

So that’s where I’m at!  I know it’s a natural process that we have no choice about, but I do feel slightly ‘cheated’ that it’s come to me this soon!  I’ll continue with the HRT, at least for the time being, and look forward to getting back running again at the best level my body allows.