Local Focus: South Taranaki company taking menopause supplements to Oz

Hot flashes, night sweats, anxiety, joint pain, itching of the skin, and even the crawling sensations of insects are just a few of the symptoms of menopause.

Conversations have been wiped out under the carpet for years, but the symptoms of menopause affect half of the world’s population.

It is well known that some women escape relatively unharmed, but physical changes affect everyone.

Deanne Werder-McCrea is the founding director and “digital guru” of MenoMe.

The South Taranaki company is making a splash in the Australian supplement market with herbal supplements designed to reduce the severity of menopause.

Clinical trials have shown that supplements reduce the severity of 10 of the 12 most common symptoms of menopause.

The company is run by women over the age of 40 and is run for women over the age of 40.

A unique blend of natural ingredients was discovered by a man with his wife.

“My uncle Peter Leerke is a biochemist. He went to a conference as part of his business and discovered this product at an exposition,” says Werder McCree.

“It had a clinical trial and his wife was experiencing menopause at that time, so he bought back some, did some tests, and they tried it on her, and she said,” Actually. I think you need to do something with this, “he said, and he put the team together. “

The team includes health and welfare professionals, and the supplement is manufactured in PharmaNZ, New Zealand. Lehrke is the Managing Director at PharmaNZ.

Werder-McCrea is the company’s digital director, and her husband ensures that orders arrive at their intended location via a local courier service from Hawera.

Online education is a big part of MenoMe’s business, which focuses on educating women about middle-aged change.

“The more knowledge we have, the more powerful we can be, the more we can help ourselves, move forward, and make informed decisions about overcoming menopause,” says Werder-McCrea.

Rose Stewart is a national nursing adviser for family planning. She says that the symptoms of menopause vary from person to person, and not all are bad.

“Often it’s very positive for people because they have terrible menstrual or menstrual problems and can feel free when they’re out of menstruation.”

Stewart says that menopause is a cessation of menstruation.

“The general rule is if you are under the age of 50 and haven’t had menstruation for two years, that is, menopause.

“If you are over 50 and have no menstruation for a year, it is a menopause.”

There were some exceptions to the rule, she says, but it was concrete information.

“Then everything else that can or does not happen to menopausal women is very diverse and people experience it differently.

“Menopause is often just as large in terms of premenopausal changes.”

Some symptoms can be misunderstood as being due to menopause.

“People just say them, as people might say’baby’s brain’, but there’s really no large-scale evidence that it’s a thing. That’s what we say. . “

Stewart categorically argues that if people show any painful symptoms, they should see a doctor.

“If you had a really miserable hot flash that keeps you awake at night, it can lead to insomnia, which can lead to anxiety and depression.

“If you have any painful symptoms, you should see a doctor and discuss them.”

Due to the many different views on treatment, it can be difficult to navigate the literature on topics such as hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

“People can still use HRT,” says Stewart.

“The funny thing is that it’s obsolete. Studies on a large group of women have found that there are risks associated with it, but the risks increase as you get older.

“If you are a young menopausal female and have no cardiovascular risk, it is okay to use it.”

The MenoMe website has resources for women who want to know more about menopause and videos explaining how the product works.

“We have a Facebook group called the Goddess Group, which allows people to sign up for it and chat with each other,” says Werder-McCrae.

“There are no men in the group, only menopausal women are talking to each other.”

She says supplements may reduce the severity of the unpleasant side effects of menopause, but they are not a substitute for diet or exercise.

“Taking care of yourself is really important: good hydration, nutrition, all of this.

“Stress is great. It can make hot flashes worse, so if you can relieve stress, it makes a big difference.