healthfeature All about

youBy combining conventional medicine with alternative therapies, many women have discovered a better way to manage major life stages such as childbirth and menopause. By HEATHER MILLAR

hen it comes to taking care, we author of Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom intervention that western medicine can offer, women are renowned for putting (Bantam, 2006), it’s only when we make our we can achieve the best outcome for ourselves. Wourselves last. But according to health a priority that we can take responsibility “Our own body is the best health system Dr Christiane Northrup, a holistic physician for our bodies. By listening to our intuition, we have,” says Dr Northrup, “if we know how trained in obstetrics and gynaecology, and and combining that with the best advice and to listen to it.”

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From birth to life It was intuition that led Lindy Schneider to make the choice to have a natural birth at home. “I had a deep sense of knowing that a home birth was right for me,” says Lindy, 37, from Warburton in Victoria. “I use natural therapies and am proactive about health-related issues, so this naturally carried into decisions regarding pregnancy and birth.” At first, her partner Tex wasn’t so sure – he was conscious of ensuring the safety of Lindy

age: photolibrary age: Women m and the baby should anything go wrong. So i early on, the couple looked at the family birth and STDs centre of a major public hospital. However, Sexually transmitted diseases are an area for after they started birth classes and began to concern for both men and women. In particular, talk to midwives, Tex began to see the benefits According to Diabetes Australia, from three to there has been an explosion in the rate of in having a home birth. eight per cent of pregnant women will develop chlamydia infections in Australia – rates rose “I was overwhelmed with excitement,” says gestational diabetes around the 24th to 28th by 13.8 per cent in 2006, with women Lindy. “We engaged two private midwives week of pregnancy recording higher rates of infection than men. and started planning.” “The lifetime risk of a young woman Throughout the pregnancy, Lindy used “We are expecting our second child diabetes around the 24th to 28th week catching chlamydia is probably approaching “The experience homeopathy, acupuncture and osteopathy to early next year and I am looking forward of pregnancy. 30 per cent or more,” said Professor Basil [of childbirth] has left prepare herself for the experience. She was to experiencing the home birthing process “I had never heard of it before and Donovan from the National Centre in HIV 14 days overdue when labour started. once again.” I became very frustrated with the lack Epidemiology and Clinical Research at the me with such respect The first contraction began in the morning, Although Lindy had a positive experience, of information available about the University of NSW, who compiled the report. and Lindy and Tex spent the day relaxing, not all women are so lucky. Jo Bates, 34, condition, and with the lack of direction The sexually transmitted disease, which for my body” watching TV and meditating. is one such person, having suffered given by my doctor. can lead to infertility, poses a challenge for “Instead of focusing on pain, I focused on with gestational diabetes throughout “I desperately wanted to learn more screening programs as 80 per cent of the power that was surging through my body, her pregnancy. about gestational diabetes and talk to infected women are asymptomatic. with the knowledge that with every contraction “When I got the call telling me my blood other women with the same condition. On a positive note, Professor Donovan’s my baby was a little bit closer,” Lindy recalls. sugar was high, I was absolutely mortified,” I was forced to take matters into my report showed rates of syphilis and The midwives arrived at around 8.30pm that says Jo. “I had no idea how to control own hands, spending the better portion gonorrhoea were not rising in women, and night and by then Lindy was already fully dilated gestational diabetes and I was terrified of my remaining pregnancy searching that rates of transmission of hepatitis C and and ready to go. that I would do something to hurt my the Internet and gathering information, HIV were relatively stable in recent years. Hannah was born an hour later in a birthing developing baby.” trying to understand and take control With regard to herpes, according to pool in their lounge room. Gestational diabetes occurs during of the condition. research conducted at the University of “The experience [of childbirth] has left me pregnancy and usually goes away after “Ultimately, I was able to control this Sydney, 12 per cent of Australian adults are with such respect for my body. It has a brilliant the baby is born. According to Diabetes condition with a healthy diet and regular infected with herpes (that’s one in eight system of pain management and euphoria that Australia, from three to eight per cent of exercise. The great news is my baby was people); and Australian women are twice age: photolibrary age: m

i medicine cannot replicate. pregnant women will develop gestational born perfectly healthy.” as likely to carry the virus than men.

79 healthfeature the mid-life experience Perimenopause The Wisdom of Menopause (Hay House, 2007). Perimenopause is the phase before menopause, “The ideal path through the change is one where the menstrual cycle begins to slow down. that uses the best of western medical You may experience menopause-like symptoms knowledge concerning hormone metabolism, such as bloating, hot flushes, and insomnia. bone density and heart health, combined with Carol Handy, 41, started perimenopause the complementary modalities of the east, about four years ago, and found natural from meditation to acupuncture to herbs.” remedies, exercise and meditation have been Pamela McCoy, 62, has had a lifetime of powerful tools in controlling her symptoms. difficulty with her health, and has carried a great “In the last year, I started having very bad deal of anger at a medical system that denied palpitations and hot flushes, depression and her the opportunity to take responsibility for anxiety,” she says. “I decided to try acupuncture her own health and wellbeing. She was 20 and Chinese herbs, as I’ve had endometriosis when she first gave birth, and almost died all my life – what an improvement!” in the process. Her heart stopped and she Carol also swears by walking, and “in recalls leaving her body and hovering above addition, meditation has really helped, even herself, aware of everything the doctors and if it is just 20 minutes a day. nurses were saying and doing. “What a woman experiences depends upon a multitude of factors, from her heredity, her expectations and her cultural background to her self-esteem and her diet”

“Interestingly, the things I’ve been doing for “No-one believed me of course,” she says. my unbalanced hormones also work for my “They thought I was mad!” son, who is going though adolescence.” “I was told not to have any more children, because of the complications, but no-one Menopause actually told me what those complications Dr Christiane Northrup recommends women were – not fully. You were just supposed to trust look at menopause as a process during which the doctor back then and not question too much.” they can create the healthy body they need Pamela suffered from terrible PMT and to last until the end of their lives. period pains for years. “What a woman experiences depends upon “I was so angry – I would lie in bed thinking a multitude of factors, from her heredity, her about how I could kill people.” expectations and her cultural background to her The doctors diagnosed her with depression self-esteem and her diet,” she writes in her book and put her on an antidepressant, but Pamela

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more aware of her body’s needs. She reports never having felt better. Many women suffer from psychological and physical upheaval during menopause, just as Pamela did. So how do treatments for menopause affect women’s long-term health and wellbeing? According to the Jean Hailes Foundation, a leading women’s medical centre in Melbourne, the symptoms of menopause – knew they were on the wrong track. She worked happens over a period of several years, hot flushes, vaginal dryness and sleep in a pharmacy and was gradually gathering allowing the body to adjust. Many women who disturbances – may be improved through information to take responsibility for her health. undergo a natural menopause will report short-term use of hormone therapy, but the “I stopped taking the antidepressant, and physical and emotional changes, but for the centre does not advocate its long-term use. started taking natural supplements – B6 and most part, these changes are either tolerable HRT has been shown to reduce the risk B12 – and started adjusting my diet.” or easily managed. This is not the case with of osteoporosis by preventing bone loss, At 38, she started bleeding every day, and menopause brought on by surgery, which and evidence from a major trial shows that went to see the doctor. She wanted a normally comes on fast and furiously. it reduces the risk of colorectal cancer. With natural menopause, the body gradually transitions However recent trials suggest HRT may cause other health issues, and that women from higher hormone levels to lower hormone levels. with established coronary heart disease This progression happens over a period of several years should avoid HRT.

hysterectomy, but the doctors told her she Hormone levels plummet, shocking the For more information: was too young, and might still want to have body into chaos. children, despite having been told years Pamela’s doctor recommended she go on H Dr Christiane Northrup, earlier that she shouldn’t have more children. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), which Women’s Bodies, Women’s Six years later, she was given the operation. she found helped tremendously. She was on Wisdom (Bantam, 2006) and “Again, I had terrible anger at being told it for 12 years (which is much longer than is I was too young, when I was in such pain usually recommended). The Wisdom of Menopause and discomfort – for years! It seemed what “I tried coming off it earlier several times, (Hay House, 2007) I wanted didn’t matter – the doctors held all but I felt terrible – non-sexual, unwell, anxious. H Dr Sarah J. Buckley, Gentle the power.” So I went back on it – up until I had a breast After the hysterectomy, Pamela’s situation cancer scare. Then it was time to stop Birth, Gentle Mothering improved dramatically, but she still had the taking it.” (One Moon Press, 2005) hormonal changes brought on by the surgery In recent years, Pamela has had something H Diabetes Australia – to deal with. of a rebirth. She has entered “a calm and With natural menopause, the body gradually peaceful phase of my life”. She continues to www.diabetesaustralia.com.au transitions from higher hormone levels to take supplements, and has gradually adjusted H Jean Hailes Foundation – lower hormone levels. This progression her diet over the years as she has become www.jeanhailes.org.au 82