Menopause is still a taboo subject.
The medical journalist Clara Wildenrath wants to counteract this with her new blog.
Geretsried
- Some women don't even dare to talk to friends about menopause.
Independent information is also difficult to find.
This is where medical journalist Clara Wildenrath (53) steps in: Her blog "WECHSELleben!" Is dedicated to the phase of life she is currently in.
Around eight million women in Germany are currently going through it. But few speak openly about it: menopause. The Geretsried medical journalist Clara Wildenrath wants to change that. In her blog “WECHSELleben!” The 53-year-old, who is also a freelancer for our newspaper, informs about this phase in every woman's life. She gives tips and also tells of personal experiences. Readers can exchange ideas in the comment area. Tenor of the internet presence: Menopause brings annoying symptoms for most people, but it is also a very exciting time of change.
Biologist Clara Wildenrath has been writing about medical, especially gynecological topics such as menopause in specialist magazines and books for 30 years. Now the mother of two adult sons is in the middle of climacteric herself. Your weekly online publications therefore not only contain well-founded, scientific findings, but also private information, which makes the blog authentic.
“Not even among friends do many women dare to talk to them about how they experience their menopause, which symptoms are troubling them,” says the blogger over a cup of coffee in her cozy apartment near the city center. In your experience, when you google for hot flashes, sleep disorders, mood swings and the like, you will primarily find pages from pharmaceutical companies on the Internet: "You shouldn't necessarily expect objective, unbiased information".
The gynecologist does not always take enough time to address the patient's concerns, Wildenrath knows. She therefore devotes a chapter of her blog to the question of how women can find the right doctor. Other interesting topics on the website, which has been in existence for a year, are how menopause is gradually heralding itself, where the biological meaning of menopause lies at all, and how it affects both the body and the soul. Wildenrath gives tips against the flying heat (by the way, according to scientists, the only symptom that can clearly be traced back to the climacteric) and explains how a healthy diet, exercise and avoidance of stress can alleviate the symptoms. Recipes, including for a self-developed cooling spray or delicious nightcap round off the information.
The discussion about the intake of artificial or nature-identical hormones takes up a lot of space.
Long touted as a panacea by doctors, there has been a rethink in recent years, mainly because hormones have been shown to increase the risk of breast cancer.
Clara Wildenrath has read a number of studies on this, participated in training courses and formed a personal opinion.
She emphasizes that she does not want to demonize hormones in general, because in some cases they are certainly appropriate.
“It is important that we know the facts and that we do not make our decision on the basis of one-sided arguments from one camp or the other,” she writes.
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The author has the kind of humor that always turns serious or annoying topics into an entertaining read.
She does not limit her contributions to menopause.
It is generally about getting older with its psychological and physical concomitant symptoms, which include cord disconnection in children, bladder weakness, dry skin or painful joints.
Wildenrath emphasizes that the falling estrogen and progesterone levels in mid-life are to blame for a lot, but by no means all of them.
And adds: "We should appreciate old age much more - the experience, wisdom and freedom we have now."
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Around 60 subscribers currently receive the latest news every week - free of charge and without advertising.
Subscribers and readers are still a bit hesitant to comment, although they could write them anonymously.
Clara Wildenrath, who also posts on Instagram under the same title, encourages feedback and exchange: "To notice that you are not alone, to feel understood and to support one another - that feels so good!"
Tanja Lühr
Info
The blog can be found on the Internet via the link www.wechselelleben.de
