At 46 menopause took me by surprise - here’s how I’ve coped with the changes and adapted my training

Here's what I've learnt about staying ahead of the menopause as a cyclist

Nicole Oh racing
Image credits: Morgan Ho
(Image credit: Morgan Ho)

My good friend (and 50-54 Individual Pursuit World Champion and former world record holder) Jayne Paine, once told me that at her age, the person who wins is often the one who is fending off the menopause the best! Little did I know that in not many years time, it would be something that I would also have to consider.

At 46 years of age, I have officially hit menopause. Menopause is defined as when a woman has not had a period for 12 consecutive months, with the ovaries stopping their production of hormones (mainly oestrogen) and eggs. The average age of menopause onset is 51 years and, whilst 45 is considered to be within normal ranges, it was earlier than I expected.

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