By Aidan Mortensen | KOAL News
As with any medical condition, the information regarding peri/menopause is rapidly evolving based on new research and information. To help cut through the confusion and misinformation, Eastern Utah Women’s Health and Dr. Danielle Howa Pendergrass are hosting a Menopause Symposium on Saturday, Sept. 27.
Dr. Pendergrass joined the KOAL newsroom to preview the event and discuss why it’s essential to keep up with the latest information regarding menopause.
“Menopause is a hot topic nowadays, and there is so much information out there available to us; it’s difficult to try to decipher and know what to trust about it. So I went and became a certified menopause practitioner. I studied for a couple of years, and I educated my colleagues around the United States. I’ve held classes for my patients, and now it’s time to open it up to our community. I feel like every woman should know what is going to happen or what is happening to their body during this critical time,” explained Pendergrass.
She continued,” And it’s not just our body, it’s our brains, it’s how we interact with the world, it’s very complex. I’m hoping to offer something that people can really get some good information about.
The symposium features the latest in evidence-based findings surrounding menopause. “There is so much out there that we can do and explore. And it’s not just hormones, it’s also lifestyle, it’s supplements, it’s everything that encompasses this time of our lives,” said Pendergrass.” Most women will start having some perimenopausal symptoms around the age of 35. So things are changing and happening sooner than we actually thought in the past.”
The Doctor added,” Some of the highlights are the safety and efficacy of hormones. There was this big thing back in 2002, where they did a Women’s Health Initiative study, where they were like, ‘Don’t do hormones, it will cause cancer.’ That has all been disproved. We actually talk a lot about sleep, weight, exercise and using food and movement as medicine. There’s a lot that we talk about. And the best part about it is, we get to talk about it with a whole lot of other women who are going through the same things. And it’s just rich information.”
Pendergrass also shared the most influential thing she learned throughout her journey to become a Menopause Society Certified Practitioner: “That it’s going to affect everyone in just a slightly different way. And that’s why we have to have so many different tools in our toolbox to meet every woman where she is at and as she’s changing. So one of the biggest things is how we can prevent chronic diseases from occurring, like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, all of those things, by addressing and treating menopause.”
Closing our conversation, Pendergrass stated,” Come, enjoy, and just give it a try. You will be surprised at what you learn.”
The Eastern Utah Women’s Health menopause symposium takes place Saturday, Sept. 27, from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the SureStay Plus hotel conference room. Registration for the event costs $150 and can be paid for with HSA or FLEX spending accounts. To register, text or call 637-0313.