Today, on the occasion of World Menopause Day, women around the world commemorate menopause. “It is good that this day has come,” say Nitolanda van Rijn and Anneke Fransen of the menopause clinic at the Isala Women’s Child Center. ‘There is a lot of attention and understanding for puberty, pregnancy … but that’s part of it too. Yet you often hear it symptoms of menopause are wiped out. “It will pass.” But you also have to deal with hormones during menopause and you can suffer a lot! ‘
Clouded brain
This year’s theme is brain fog. A kind of brain fog that can give women the feeling that thinking, understanding and remembering are not working properly. Anneke: ‘In addition to the physical changes in the woman’s life, the focus is now on the psychological disturbances that can occur at this stage. Second thoughts, mood swings, fatigue and tension. It is good that you pay attention to this, some women are hardly able to “function” anymore due to various types of complaints.
Menopazepolis
In addition to Anneke and Nitolanda, the care team of the Menopause Clinic is also made up of several gynecologists. “Of all women going through menopause, 40% suffer so much that it affects their functioning in daily life and in the workplace,” says Anneke. In 2006 Anneke founded the Menopause Clinic in Isala together with gynecologists and she specialized in this subject. Although the treatment of menopausal disorders falls within the scope of primary care (GP), the surgery apparently meets a need given the frequent referrals.
Education
After years of being the only nursing specialist in gynecology, Anneke has been assisted by Nitolanda since last year. ‘We don’t just offer a listening ear, we also provide lifestyle information (including nutrition and exercise) as well as medical aspects. As a specialist nurse, you can spend a little more time with the patient. ‘Appointments take a little longer, the patient shouldn’t rush to tell her story. And we include our nursing experience in this, the necessary diagnostics, medications, information, a listening ear and the tools to get through this period. So the “Care and Cure” according to the VS function.
In addition to the focus on menopause, the clinic’s gynecological nurses can be used in various areas such as: contraception, PMS disorders, cervical pathology follow-up, pessary checks and gynecological ultrasound scans.
