Cathy Harter: Choosing Persistence Through Menopause
It all started 13 years ago when Cathy Harter was 42.
The women in her family had a long history of breast and ovarian cancer, so Cathy decided to get genetic testing.
Sure enough, she tested positive for the BRCA2 gene, which increases the risk for both cancers. Her doctors also noticed her CA125 levels — a marker that can show signs of cancer — had tripled in just six months.
“My level had tripled in six months, and it made him very nervous. And he was like, you gotta get your ovaries out. You gotta get them out. And so I did,” Cathy said.
The surgery sent her into early menopause.
Adjusting to Life in Menopause
From hot flashes to severe insomnia, Cathy has been living with the symptoms of menopause for over a decade.
“Insomnia is a constant battle… and there are certain foods I just cannot eat. Dairy and sugar and very rich foods… If I cheat, I pay,” said Harter, who lives in rural New York.
Hormone replacement therapy wasn’t an option for her because of the increased cancer risk. And 13 years ago, menopause wasn’t something people openly talked about.
“Thirteen years ago, nobody talked about it,” Cathy said.
That meant she had to figure a lot out on her own. Through trial and error, she learned her insomnia improves when she’s very disciplined about her sleep routine — waking up at the same time every day, getting outside each morning, and avoiding food at least two hours before bed.
Why Fitness Has Been Her Lifeline
Fitness has been a huge help in managing her health. Cathy started CrossFit a decade ago, already in menopause, and fell in love with it.
But as she got older, the intensity became harder to recover from.
“Don’t get me wrong, CrossFit is wonderful, but as you get older it takes you longer to recover… and I was finding that as I got older I couldn’t go every day,” she said.
Some weeks she’d end up training legs three times and missing upper body work altogether.
“And I was like, ‘this just isn’t working for me anymore,’” she said.
Finding Empower
In February, Cathy discovered Empower and decided to try the Flight program. She switched to an open gym membership and started following the workouts.
The difference was immediate.
“I’m not nearly as sore,” she said.
Now she’s getting more balanced training each week, her recovery is better, and she’s even added a fifth workout — a longer Zone 2 cardio day. She loves the weekly plyometric work, knowing it’s great for her bone density.
“I’m physically in better shape than people 10 and 20 years younger than me. I still run and I swim, and I can bike. I can do all the things I want to do,” she said.
Cathy’s Message
To women entering perimenopause or menopause, Cathy’s advice is clear:
“You need to be persistent. Ask questions, do the research, and find the right health practitioners. You don’t need to suffer in silence.”
Looking back, she admits she might have made a different choice about surgery.
“If I knew what I know now about how valuable hormones are to your longevity and your body, I don’t know that I would have done it. But I didn’t know. I should have asked more questions, and if women are being told to go into medically-induced menopause, they should be asking more questions.”
Still, she’s quick to point out that menopause “is not a death sentence for your health.”
“I don’t think I could function without fitness. I can’t even imagine,” she said.
Cathy’s story is a reminder that strength isn’t about perfection — it’s about persistence. Every woman’s journey is unique, and at Empower, we’re proud to walk this path alongside you. Keep showing up, keep lifting, and remember — you’re stronger than you know.
