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understanding
the menopause
helpful tips
when
does the menopause occur?
The
menopause usually happens between the ages of 45 and 55 years. Some women do start
before that. If you haven't had children, for example, you might well start earlier.
A good indicator of when
you're likely to start is to find out when your mother did. what
happens at the menopause? When
girls are born we all start out with a supply of approximately 2 million eggs.
At the menopause the release of eggs from your ovaries becomes more erratic and
your monthly periods become less frequent and eventually stop. hormonal
inbalance Normally
our hormones balance out. However when we have menopausal symptoms, we are suffering
from hormonal imbalance. At the menopause, oestrogen and progesterone levels fall
in varying amounts from person to person. As
the oestrogen levels fall and/or there are sudden changes in hormone levels, many
women experience symptoms such as hot flushes, night sweats, headaches, emotional
mood swings and a lowered sexual drive. I
have written an e book called The
Menopause - What Every Woman Needs to Know. This goes into detail on many
aspects, including, for example, the importance of female friendships at this
time. You can purchase it for £3.99 by clicking on:
www.menopausesupport.co.uk what
are the symptoms? Hot
flushes and night sweats
Mood changes, anxiety and depression
Vaginal
dryness and other skin changes
Bloating and water retention
Raised blood
pressure, palpitations and other cardiovascular changes
Poor memory and concentration
Lowered sex drive
Painful intercourse due to the vaginal wall becoming
drier and thinner
Joint/muscle aches and pains
Changes in hair quality
Weight
gain
Dizziness
Headaches
Low energy
Sleep problems due to hot flushes
and/or hormonal changes
Anxiety and/or depression
Oversensitivity
Painful
and enlarged breasts caused by cysts
everyone
is different The thing
to remember is that menopausal symptoms vary from woman to woman, though you are
unlikely to get all of the symptoms mentioned. It can be hard if mood changes
are making you feel like you're going crazy. This can be compounded by unsympathetic
reactions to your distress. diet
and exercise help Eating
the right foods, exercising, and making other positive lifestyle changes can help
a woman feel great and live a long, healthy life after menopause. One
of the main changes to your diet that is beneficial would be to increase foods
that contain natural phyto-oestrogens. Soya products are rich in phyto-oestrogens
which might explain why Japanese women, who have a high soya diet, report fewer
hot flushes than Western women. By
taking Vitamin E and avoiding hot spicy food you may reduce hot flushes and by
drinking fewer caffeine-rich drinks you can reduce anxiety and palpitations. Weight-bearing
exercise, such as walking or jogging, is great for maintaining the health of your
bones and swimming and yoga will maintain joint mobility. Article
written by Daphne Nancholas I
have been helping women through the menopause for the past ten years.
My
article 'Getting through the Menopause the Natural Way' goes into more detail
about the alternatives that help. One article is called 'Menopause - Your Attitude
Matters'. I have a website called www.menopausesupport.co.uk
that offers online and telephone support during this time. home | 
