Menopause

Twenty or thirty years ago the topic of menopause was not brought up and even in this day and age many women view menopause as an end to life as she knows it. When girls are taught sex education in school menopause is rarely mentioned as if it is some dirty little secret. Menopause does not have to be an end to life, but rather, it can be seen as the beginning of a new stage of your life with more freedom than ever before if you face it with a positive outlook. For once you have reached menopause you no longer have to worry about messy periods or unwanted pregnancies, on the upside, but on the downside you become a dried out old prune with loss of libido, greying and falling hair, week brittle bones and in the beginning stages, mood swings which have your family hiding in dread. After going through menopause myself it brings to mind a joke I once read, “Why do they call it menopause?” “Because mad cow disease was already taken.”

Menopause is the time in a woman’s life when her reproductive years come to an end with the average woman going through menopause around the age of fifty one. As menopause nears, the ovaries produce less estrogens and the first sign is a change in your menstrual cycle. You can experience a heavier or lighter flow, bleeding can last for shorter or longer periods of time or skipping one or more periods. At some point the ovaries slow in the production of estrogens and this causes periods to stop. Lower amounts of estrogens will cause changes in the body over time as well, such as overall weight gain, unwanted facial hair and a pot belly that would make Santa envious. Menopause is different for every woman; some will notice little change while some may find it difficult to cope and will want to kill anything that crosses her path.

The most common symptom of menopause is hot flashes. Around seventy five percent women experience them. They can occur at any time day or night. They can be mild or severe and can come several times a month or several times a day. They can disrupt sleep patterns, making it difficult to fall asleep or finding yourself waking in the wee hours of the morning drenched in sweat. While other people around you may be freezing you will be hot and sweaty and find yourself wearing shorts and singlet in the middle of winter. Once the flash has passed you will start to freeze with the rest and pile on layers of clothing. You may find yourself changing clothes several times a day. Lack of sleep may become one of the biggest problems during this time, it’s no wonder many women become grouchy.

Changes in the vagina also take place as the lining becomes thin and dry causing painful intercourse. The vaginal area will also be more prone to infection. Urinary tract infection is also common and women who have gone through menopause may be more susceptible. Bone loss is normal but the rate of bone loss increases after menopause which can result in osteoporosis. Bones of the hip, wrist and spine are affected the most and with increasing bone loss the risk of breaking bones is higher. With fewer estrogens produced women are also more prone to heart attack and stroke.

Menopause can be an emotional time for some women and many suffer from mood swings and feelings of stress. Some women will have less interest in sex during this time as lower oestrogen levels decrease sex drive and cause vaginal dryness. Some on the other hand are not affected sexually at all. Lubricants can be used to help remedy dryness. Orgasm can be difficult to achieve or may take longer than previously.

In order to stay healthy during menopause eating a well balance diet is important. Eat a low fat, low cholesterol diet. Fat intake should be only thirty percent of your daily calorie intake. Calcium rich foods should be included to maintain strong bones. Women aged fifty one and older who, are not taking hormone replacement, need at least one thousand five hundred mg per day. Women who are using hormone replacement therapy need one thousand mg per day. As your body can only absorb five hundred mg at a time calcium supplements should be taken in two doses. Calcium rich foods are yogurt, cheese, other dairy products, oyster, sardines, and canned salmon and dark green leafy vegetables. Calcium cannot be absorbed without vitamin D. Milk fortified with vitamin D is one of the best sources. Getting adequate sunlight will help or you can take vitamin D supplements. Recommended daily requirement is ten micrograms per day for women aged fifty one or older. Eat fruit and vegetables and whole grain cereals high in vitamin C and carotene such as grapefruit, oranges, carrots, winter squash, tomatoes, broccoli and cauliflower. These are a good source of vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre. Avoid salt, salt cured and smoked foods such as sausages, smoked fish, ham, bacon, bologna and hot dogs. High salt intake can lead to high blood pressure. Avoid food and drinks with processed sugar as they contain empty calories and add excess weight.

Exercise is important as you get older. Regular exercise slows down bone loss and improves heart health as well as overall health and mood. A woman who is sedentary may suffer from heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and osteoporosis as well as back pain, stiffness, insomnia, weak muscle, shortness of breath and depression can set in. Walking, jogging, aerobics, swimming, biking and dance are all good exercise for the menopausal woman. Staying active helps to improve your outlook on life.

Hormone Replacement therapy can be useful when you are going through the change, according to some doctors; others claim that clinical trials have shown that HRT causes cancer. With this in mind many drug companies have come out with herbal remedies to combat the symptoms of menopause. The decision to use HRT should be discussed with your doctor but in my opinion HRT only delays the inevitable. We all grow old and as Joan Rivers once joked, “The secret to anti-aging is to die young.”