Menopause: a pause before a new life

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

Someday menopause will come in the life of each of us. And do not dismiss information about this, ironing: "I am not yet thirty, it is too early to sign up for an old woman." Did you know that after the end of menstruation, a woman still has a third of her life ahead, or even half if menopause came earlier than usual? Time will fly by, and you may not even understand that this is exactly what is happening to you. And also - don't forget about your mom. Maybe she doesn’t know all of what you’ll learn about now.

What are menopause and menopause?

Menopause is the last menstrual period in a woman's life. The period preceding and following the last menstrual period is called menopause. During this time, most women experience physical and mental discomfort as a result of changes in the body.

When and why does menopause occur?

On average, menopause occurs at the age of 51, although in some it may occur earlier (sometimes at 40, in isolated cases - up to forty). The function of the ovaries begins to fade, the production of natural hormones - estrogens and progesterone decreases.

Three periods of menopause

1 period: premenopausal … It usually starts around the age of 40, when the amount of estrogen produced in the body begins to decrease. Over the next ten years, menstruation gradually becomes irregular, the nature of the discharge changes. For example, in one month there may be very little discharge, but the next time it will be so abundant that all existing tampons will seem completely ineffective.

2 period: menopause (derived from the Greek words "monthly" and "to cease"). Gradually, estrogen levels drop so much that menstruation stops. The duration of this period is 12 months after the last menstrual period. It usually occurs around the age of 51.

3 period: postmenopause … It begins 12 full months after the cessation of menses.

What Happens During Menopause?

Hot flashes, night sweats, palpitations, insomnia, fatigue, irregular menstruation are the main symptoms of menopause. Psychological problems also appear: depressed mood, anxiety, irritability, sometimes even unwillingness to live. This complicates the woman's relationship with relatives, colleagues, and friends. In addition, a lack of estrogen leads to dryness of the vaginal mucosa, which causes pain, burning, or spotting during intercourse. 3-5 years after menopause, estrogen deficiency causes bone loss in women - osteoporosis, and, as a result, bone fractures, including a hip fracture, which is difficult to treat. The lack of estrogen in the body in women after 45 years of age is one of the causes of vascular atherosclerosis, leading to the development of angina pectoris, myocardial infarction and stroke.

Before I tell you how to ease the above symptoms, I will tell you the good news. In about 12% of menopausal women, nothing happens other than the cessation of menstruation. Perhaps everything will be just as simple and calm with you, especially if your mother had it.

How to reduce the onset of hot flashes?

The drop in estrogen levels causes blood to flow to the upper torso and face. The woman feels it as a hot wave and profuse sweating.

Those who try to control hot flashes can only make their condition worse. Instead of trying to cope with the rush, it is better to leave your activities for a while, sit down, relax your arms and legs. And let the tide roll through your body like a wave.

Taking vitamin E 400 international units (IU) daily can often help reduce the frequency of hot flashes.

What is hormone replacement therapy?

Hormone replacement therapy, or HRT, is the replacement of missing hormones in the body. As hormone levels recover, menopause symptoms quickly subside. Hot flashes are less frequent and less painful. In addition, HRT prevents the development of long-term effects of menopause, such as osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease.

I'm going crazy?

When you wake up in a cold sweat several times a night, run to the bathroom, come back, get hot flashes again, go to the bathroom again, how will you feel in the morning? When an enduring feeling of fatigue does not allow you to focus on business, when unpleasant sensations, pains during sex do not allow you to feel like a full-fledged woman, how will this affect your mood? External symptoms of menopause often give rise to discomfort in the soul, irritability, apathy, rejection of the people around, withdrawal into oneself.

But the main culprit for this condition is actually the same low estrogen level. From women going through menopause, in a personal conversation you can hear the following: “I thought I was going crazy. I was darker than a cloud, I felt completely happy. Sad turned into tragedy. Funny made me laugh hysterically. I did not control my emotions. I snapped at my friends. It was difficult for me to maintain goodwill, even towards people I held dearly."

But the idea that real depression can develop during menopause is just a myth. Women who have gone through this stage of their lives are no more hot-tempered, apathetic or irritable than they were before. And only those who have been prone to such a state all their lives can easily fall into depression.

Help yourself not to notice menopause

To do this, oddly enough, you need to know that menopause has come, feed yourself with vitamin E, other vitamin complexes in time, and, if necessary, attend hormone replacement therapy sessions. But all this - without thoughts of supposedly approaching old age, without hysteria about the cessation of menstruation.

1. Have a purpose in life. Do not stop working, do not fall out of life. Women in leadership positions, subordinate staff of employees, making a career, or simply those who have no time to sit and reflect for hours on the bygone youth, experience menopause more calmly, sometimes noticing only the result of it - the cessation of menstruation.

2. Surround yourself with the same age. Many women begin to feel especially lonely during menopause, it seems to them that only they are experiencing unpleasant changes, while others do not care about their well-being. And therefore - flip through old phone books - call your school friends, visit your cousin, whom you have not visited for several years, establish relations with the mother of your son-in-law or your daughter-in-law. After all, invite your peers to a bachelorette party. You will chat, consult, listen to each other's stories, laugh, look, and life will appear in a new light.

3. Establish the rhythm of life. Eat at a specific time, exercise at a specific time, go to bed and get up at the same hours. Discover the pleasure of physical activity. Practice shows that regular exercise with sufficient stress can improve mood when it swings towards depression.

4. Do not deny yourself sex. Intimacy in people at the age in the morning is more successful and pleasant than at night. And in general - more kisses and hugs! The use of natural estrogens will compensate for the lack of their own hormones and increase sexual desires (libido). And all kinds of lubricants will help make intercourse pleasant and painless. In addition, now that menstruation has stopped and there is no longer any danger of getting pregnant, you can have sex whenever you want, without thinking about the consequences and without denying yourself anything.