So What Exactly Is Happening
Let’s start with what is not happening to you! Menopause is not the end of your femininity, usefulness or your attractiveness. It doesn’t make you crazy, and it’s not the beginning of the end. Menopause means the end of menstruation, usually confirmed when we have not had a menstrual period for 12 consecutive months (something that is a relief for most women.)
It’s a natural event. The end of fertility resulting from the ovaries’ decreased production of the sex hormones estrogen and progesterone. This hormone decline (our estrogen levels can fall to a fraction of what they once were) is causing most of the health changes that occur in midlife.
Most women experience natural menopause between the ages of 44 and 55 (on average at about age 51). Some women reach menopause in their 30s and 40s and a few, in their 50s.
Perimenopause And Postmenopause
Perimenopause. 6-8 years prior to the end of menstruation. The time when your body experiences the approaching signs of menopause. Perimenopause also includes the year after menopause.
Postmenopause. The end of menstruation, confirmed after 12 months without a period. It also refers to your lifetime following menopause when the ovaries’ production of new eggs has stopped.
What Are The Signs Of Perimenopause?
Irregular Periods. As estrogen levels drop, our cycles become irregular and the duration and intensity of bleeding begins to vary. Some women skip periods, even for months at a time and then start again. Any pattern is possible.
Hot Flashes. An estimated 70% of all women have hot flashes during Perimenopause. Sudden warmth in the face and upper body accompanied by blushing, increased pulse rate, and perspiration. A cold chill often follows. Some women never have a hot flash. Those who do can experience them over a period of three to five years. In rare cases, hot flashes continue into the ninth decade of life.
Urogenital Changes. These are changes in the vagina or genital area as well as the urinary tract. Urogenital changes are among the most embarrassing and often are ignored for that reason.
Changes include dryness and/or irritation of the vagina, itching or irritation of the vulva, the need to urinate more frequently and/or discomfort on passing urine and urinary incontinence or leaking urine, particularly when exercising, sneezing, laughing or lifting (stress incontinence).
As many as 40% of women aged 45 to 64 have urinary incontinence, yet fewer than half seek help. Treatment options do exist. In today’s world, women do not need to live in embarrassment or narrow their lives because of this common problem.
Memory Lapses. Enough women at midlife complain of forgetfulness to make some experts acknowledge it’s a natural symptom of menopause.
Scientists think that decreased levels of estrogen (which regulates tissue growth and repair and helps maintain normal brain function) may cause memory lapses.
Depression and Anxiety. There are no scientific studies to support the belief that menopause causes depression and anxiety. In fact, after menopause, many women experience a surge of optimism and well-being. However, it’s perfectly normal for perimenopausal women to experience mood swings and irritability.
Hormonal Imbalance. Our body is changing hormonally and now we have to get acquainted with a new body rhythm. The importance of healthy endocrine function as a component of optimal wellness is receiving more and more attention, and the fact that a properly functioning endocrine (glandular) system is essential for optimal wellness has been established.
A well functioning endocrine system works in harmony with your body to support a healthy immune system. PLUS provide nutrients that help support the endocrine system.
With a proprietary blend in a formula designed to be beneficial for women, PLUS helps support the body’s endocrine system and supports immune, bone, breast, colon and cardiovascular health.
(To help support the endocrine system’s natural production and balance of hormones before, during and after menopause contact us).
Physical Changes. We can also experience physical changes such as dizziness, heart palpitations, fatigue, weight gain, and sexual dysfunction. These changes can coincide with other stresses in life, such as aging parents, divorce or widowhood, troubles with adolescent children, empty nest syndrome, and changes in our physical appearance. All of this at once can make us feel overwhelmed?
Osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is due to gradual loss of bone mass. It leaves our bones porous and fragile and subject to increased risk of fractures. It can also lead to disfigurement of the back (Dowager’s hump).
A major cause of osteoporosis is reduced levels of estrogen. Osteoporosis is easier to prevent than treat. Weight bearing exercise and getting enough calcium and Vitamin D can help reduce the risk. Vital nutrients are available to help maintain or reverse bone loss.
Heart Disease. After age 60, women are at as high a risk for a heart attack as men and twice as likely as men to die from a heart attack within the first weeks after its occurrence.
We need to know the symptoms and act immediately if they occur. Delaying treatment can damage heart muscle and prolong recovery. To help reduce the risk of heart disease, don’t smoke (this is the single most important preventive measure a woman can take), eat foods low in saturated fat, keep your weight within a healthy range, exercise, and keep your blood pressure and cholesterol under control.
Women who have diabetes or a family whose members have died before age 60 of heart disease are at greater risk.
Cancer. Though cancer rates in women increase with age, menopause is not directly associated with increased cancer risk. However, women in midlife must pay extra attention to the most common cancers that can affect them - lung, breast, uterine, cervical, ovarian, colon, rectal and skin.
The best defense against lung cancer is to not smoke and to avoid secondhand smoke. For breast cancer, early detection via monthly self-exams and an annual mammogram are essential. A Pap test (Pap smear) is the best way to detect cervical cancer, and this test should continue after menopause. Today, 25% of new cases and more than 40% of deaths from cervical cancer occur in women over age 60.
An annual exam with your physician is the preferred way to detect uterine and ovarian cancer as well as colon and rectal cancer. To reduce risk of skin cancer, limit your time in the sun, and wear a sunscreen.
Conclusion
All women go through the menopause at some time in their life. Individual experiences of the menopause differ and the decision on how women manage this will depend on a number of factors including age of menopause, the presence of any symptoms and how these affect quality of life, and osteoporosis risk. Some women prefer to take a more “natural” approach to menopause management whilst some women will choose to go on to hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
In all women dietary and lifestyle measures play an important part, particularly in menopausal years, in promoting general well being, and in reducing the risks of heart disease and osteoporosis. Women should therefore ensure that they have adequate exercise and a healthy well balanced diet as part of menopause management.
Hope to hear from you soon should you have questions.
