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Menopause and Ironman Training
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Hello ladies,
I am quite certain this issue has been discussed, but since it never really pertained to me, I was not very interested. Well, now it pertains to me. I am training for IMLP in July and I am doing a reasonable amount of training... 15-16 hours a week. My real training has not even started yet, according to my dear husband. The problem is that I am barely sleeping. I wake up every couple of hours in a horrible sweat... not just a few drops but buckets of sweat. It is totally disgusting. Does anyone have any tips to offer? Thanks
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Re: Menopause and Ironman Training [Sancon7] [ In reply to ]
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Two choices as far as I know; either suffer until hot flashes and night sweats eventually stop in a few years or replace them. Estrogen gets you going and progesterone helps you relax and recover (sleep). Talk to your MD and be prepared for a few months to a year of trying to titrate what dosage is right for you, especially during heavy training.

Bio-identical seems like a more natural alternative. I have had wonderful results and still continue. They also help your sex drive in addition to sleep ;-)

DFL > DNF > DNS
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Re: Menopause and Ironman Training [Sancon7] [ In reply to ]
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My night sweat volume has ramped up a lot in the past year, as I'm transitioning out of peri into full-blown menopause. Not too much that can be done outside of medical intervention. I try to limit my activity so I'm done any training at least 2 hours before bedtime (can be difficult, since I am not a morning person). I also have a cooling mattress pad, a cooling memory foam pillow, cool sheets and a ceiling fan that runs all night. Except for the extra laundry, it's reallly not affecting me too much, since I have to get up at least once in the middle of every night to pee anyway. Speaking of, I am much more concerned about the peeing issue, since the urgency and frequency have both gotten significantly more intense in the past year. I know I can pee in the water and on the bike, but running????
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Re: Menopause and Ironman Training [Jelana] [ In reply to ]
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Been there; done that, including on the run.

Just make sure you have enough water to give yourself a mini-shower after you're done. And be ready to change ASAP when the event is over ;-)

DFL > DNF > DNS
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Re: Menopause and Ironman Training [Sancon7] [ In reply to ]
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A little late to the conversation...

Have you read ROAR? She write about menopause and athletes. You might want to give a read and has lots of other great info in the book as well.

Here's a link to a review I did on the book. https://www.inspiretransform50.com/...We-are-not-small-men
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Re: Menopause and Ironman Training [Sancon7] [ In reply to ]
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Sorry I can't offer any advice for you, haven't yet hit that phase...but just saying hi as I am training for IMLP as well!
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Re: Menopause and Ironman Training [Sancon7] [ In reply to ]
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I'm not training for IM, but I am dealing with hot flashes and some night sweats. Black Cohosh can help. I've used this: https://www.vitacost.com/...use&ta=menopause and it really helped the symptoms.
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Re: Menopause and Ironman Training [Sancon7] [ In reply to ]
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Last year I went to the gyno for hot flashes, night sweats, problems sleeping, and irregular menstrual cycles. It ended up being my thyroid. Apparently, thyroid problems have many of the same symptoms as perimenopause and frequently flare up at the same age. If your doctor doesn't suggest it, request the blood work.
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Re: Menopause and Ironman Training [ninagski] [ In reply to ]
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Good luck with your training! It sure is a lot of work, but very fun and rewarding!
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Re: Menopause and Ironman Training [princessrello] [ In reply to ]
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Thanks!
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Re: Menopause and Ironman Training [Sancon7] [ In reply to ]
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Nothing really to add to the above mentioned...just saying you're not alone. Started getting hot flashes (as many as 20 in a day) in July....not the best time...trouble sleeping, etc...Got better and then my periods started up again. Forward to the beginning of March and "hello" hot flashes are back....just as I'm ramping up my training for Challenge Roth. I've been taking Black Corhosh Root since the summer and the flashes are not as frequent as before. Just try to get enough rest, limit alcohol and caffeine seem to help. I love reading that exercise is suppose to help...LOL! I'm guessing that's for women who are not already exercising 10-20hrs a week!!
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Re: Menopause and Ironman Training [Sancon7] [ In reply to ]
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Hi
I also had issues with menopausal hot flashes which lead to chronic cramping (I had not connected the cramping to the flashes, always thought they were from training). Eventually I made the connection - the key for me was to hydrate with an electrolyte drink during the day (I use H2Pro from Precision Hydration - https://www.precisionhydration.com/) - upping my hydration reduced the number of hot flashes (got me out of the vicious cycle of hot flashes > dehydration > increased hot flashes). So I would suggest starting there. That's the short story - I also started supplementing with Mg to reduce the leg/body cramps and had the Precision Hydration sweat test to be sure that I was using the correct strength electrolyte mix (I use HP500 during the day as maintenance) and also use this during training.
Just improving my electrolyte intake has made a big difference. I go to bed with one 500ml bottle of mix and drink it if I wake up (from hot flashes, der!) - I usually get through the whole bottle by morning and then drink one more bottle through the day - this takes care of maintenance electrolyte needs - with additional fluids as desired through the day.
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