What Women Should Know About Menopause?

It is an open secret that women in the work environment always face more challenges than men, moreover, they also face and overcome stsever female related challenges that men could never think of.

You have probably heard the terms Perimenopause or Menopause. But what exactly do they mean ? Perimenopause begins in the years prior to Menopause when your hormones begin to change and your periods become irregular. This often begins when you’re in your 40s. So What is Menopause? Menopause is defined as the time when there has been no menstrual periods for a full year which for many women happens around age 51. This means that ovulation no longer occurs and production of estrogen and progesterone Stops. It marks the end of your fertile period.

How do you know you’re in perimenopause?

During the perimenopause your hormones need to find a new balance. Your body changes because your ovaries produce less estrogen hormone. These changes can be pretty bothersome. During the period before the Menopause you might have physical as well as psychological complaints.

Common physical complaints are:

• Irregular menstrual periods
  
• Hot flashes that can last from few seconds up to minutes
  
• Heavy sweating
  
• Muscle aches
  
• Heart palpitations
  
• Head aches
  
• The vagina becomes dryer
  
• Less sexual drive and libido loss.

This may be a little complicated to deal with and some physical changes with the hormonal imbalance may lead to psychological complaints.

Common Psychological complaints

For Some women it’s difficult to accept they are no longer going to give birth. Another complaints are:

• Anxiety
  
• Mood Swings
  
• Insomnia
  
• Fatigue

It is an open secret that anxiety and stress can cause early menopause.

Psychological stress  very often causes women to stop having periods. General examples are women who are smoking and women with anorexia. Psychological stress can also disrupt normal menstrual cycles.

Sometimes it can be hard to decide whether a missed period is due to approaching menopause or a stressful lifestyle. We look at how both these factors influence the menstrual cycle.

Yes, hormones do play a major role in everything – from insomnia and stress to movement and more. When hormones are imbalanced, our body gets under considerable stress, and the stress in its turn leads to serious anxiety and psychological disorders, panic attacks and more. Sometimes once anxiety happens and no period happens a lot of women may feel it is starting to cause menopause..

Diagnosis is tricky and very different. And most importnatly we must realize that it is not always as simple as menopause causes anxiety. Usually it is the mix of range of factors:

A lot of women just don’t know there is a risk of osteoporosis because of decreased female hormones.

And women who stay in shape and still expose strong leadership skills, should always pay attention to hormonal changes and react immediately if any of the mentioned symptoms occur.

What can you do if you’re bothered by these symptoms?

Taking into account all the above mentioned you need to be sure, you will not go through all of those symptoms. In fact nearly 8 women out of 10 usually go through just hot flashes.

Avoid caffeine, alcohol or spicy food in your daily routine, add some physical activities, dress in layers and avoid things that can trigger hot flashes , drink lots of water, practise yoga and consult with a doctor. There are hundreds of natural products, herbs that prevent weight gain, heart disease, etc. But, even using natural products may harm you if you haven’t discussed that with a doctor. Also you may use medical assistance for your body.

Hormone replacement therapy or HRT is no longer routinely prescribed and is now available. But remember to talk to your doctor about its pros and cons. Remember that menopause is a natural transition for many women, this is a positive and important time to celebrate. Just know you’re not alone in this journey and it may open way more opportunities to create your new lifestyle making it better than you expected.

As every woman needs to feel attractive, and stay strong it is important to keep a balanced mental health.

Author: Nelly Nazaryan

Nelly Nazaryan is a content writer with 5+ years of experience, and animal rights activist and yoga lover.

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