TeaHere’s a funny sequence of events in Miranda July’s latest book, All Force, in which the central character looks at a graph showing how estrogen declines during menopause. Concerned about what effect this might have on her sex drive, she frantically asks her old friends about their experiences, bravely gathering anecdotes and wisdom to prepare for the onslaught.
But can you cope with a good menopause? Many women in their 30s or 40s may be wondering, as it’s time to become aware of this important life change.
“And that’s a good thing”, says Dr Karen Magrath, a GP and former president of the Australian Menopause Society, because “it’s always good to talk about menopause”.
Still, even with greater awareness, some women may be nervous about what to expect, and an entire industry has sprung up offering solutions and serums for their worst fears. Meanwhile, some women sit in denial or ignorance about what lies ahead.
With its range of potential symptoms, such as hot flashes, decreased libido and weight gain, mood swings, insomnia and blurred memory, the prospect can be frightening. But it doesn’t affect everyone in the same way – and much of what women experience in menopause is out of their control.
Still, some early adjustments before or during menopause — it’s a transition period that can last from two to 10 years — can help minimize the impact it has on our bodies, minds and relationships.
Women can prepare in two ways, Magrath says. “The first way is to get informed and the second is to stay healthy.”
‘The women were angry’
one of 2022 Survey of Perimenopausal Women In determining their attitudes and knowledge about menopause, lack of education was a key issue: “Women were angry that they had reached this point in their lives without any information about how perimenopause would affect them,” wrote Joyce Harper and her co-authors. “They talked about their lack of preparation, which made them feel powerless and caused them to lose confidence in themselves and their bodies.”
Dr Michelle Woolhouse, an integrated health GP and author of the book The Wonder Within, compares menopause to adolescence. Remember the chaos of adolescence, when our bodies unleashed those tiny but mighty hormones on us and our poor parents? These powerful little chemical messengers prepare us for reproduction, with another big surge occurring during pregnancy and childbirth.
Menopause marks the end of this reproductive cycle, typically occurring between the ages of 45 and 55. During this time, fluctuating hormone levels can make us question our mental state once again.
So what can we do?
“The secret to a healthy menopause lies in lifestyle medicine,” says Woolhouse. “I’m seeing more people coming in with the intention to be more active, which is fantastic to see.”
Be strong
According to Dr Tamara Nation, a GP at the National Institute of Integrative Medicine, healthy lifestyle principles should be applied as always to prepare for menopause. And, Magrath says that, more than ever, this is the best time to act on them. In particular, she explains that menopause is a turning point for heart, cardiometabolic and bone health, so it’s important to take precautions against menopause. It is wise to approach this life change with healthy habits and strength already in place.
As Some women gain weight in the middle section because their bodies no longer need to prepare the hips for childbirth, this can have metabolic consequences that increase the risk of heart disease, high blood lipids and diabetes. The drop in estrogen levels can also lead to a decrease in calcium in the bones, increasing the risk of osteoporosis.
Changing the diet to include more vegetables and legumes and avoiding sugar and processed foods is very important. This also promotes a healthy gut microbiome preliminary research There is evidence to suggest that it may be important in coping with the menopause.
“It really doesn’t need to be complicated,” says Magrath. “Eat as many whole foods or homemade meals as possible.” For bone health, be sure to get adequate calcium and folic acid intake. vitamin D,
Magrath Recommends healthy bones australia As a resource and, in general, say that premenopause may be a good time to visit your doctor to screen for breast, cervical and bowel cancer, and to ask to check blood pressure, lipids, fasting blood sugar and other heart health indicators.
The importance of exercise This cannot be underestimated. “Increasing exercise before menopause can be great for a number of reasons,” says Magrath. “It’s really helpful for general health as well as mental health.” It can also have a positive effect Sleep quality The Nation reported that the problem is more common among menopausal women.
While any exercise is good, weight-bearing exercises and resistance training are especially important. Healthy bonesWoolhouse says it’s important to maintain muscle mass, which can reduce the likelihood of falls, regulate blood sugar levels and support metabolism. She recommends a combined approach that includes: resistance training, sum and taking walks in nature.
Having said all that, Magrath offers an important caveat.
“Overall,” she says, “there is a great element of unpredictability about the severity of symptoms. A common misconception is that women can avoid menopause if they have a healthy lifestyle.”
According to Woolhouse, the amount of hot flashes and night sweats may have some genetic influence, and although the onset of menopause cannot be reliably predicted, premature menopause may run in families: “It’s worth getting detailed information about this from your mother and grandmother.”
A powerful life change?
Woolhouse says it has long been recognised that changing hormones can affect mental health, and that stress can worsen symptoms such as hot flashes, heart palpitations and insomnia. “The changes during this time can cause stress and stress worsens symptoms,” she says. “It’s like the chicken and the egg.”
Learning to manage stress can help women cope better when symptoms do arise, using techniques such as mindfulness, physical activity and connecting with nature. Some women are also more vulnerable to depression, which Nation explains has a complex relationship with psychological resilience, social relationships and general health – all of which are factors that can be addressed.
Developing healthy social connections can help prepare in other ways, too. Fatigue, lack of sleep and mood swings can affect relationships at home and work, and decreased libido, vaginal dryness and painful intercourse can make intimacy less appealing. “Relationships are important at any stage in a woman’s life, but at this time, support from caring people can help reduce uncertainty,” says Woolhouse. Starting conversations and being aware of common signs and symptoms helps women and their loved ones be aware of their changing needs. This helps them seek help sooner.
Despite healthy lifestyle changes, some women may still struggle — even during menopause — and they may benefit from medical help. Surveys show that more than a quarter of women will have moderate to severe symptoms. As Magrath points out, you don’t have to be superwoman. “Sometimes I’ll see someone in my clinic who’s been struggling for years, and women feel like they just have to keep going and keep all the balls in the air.” If you’re having a tough time, help is available, including hormone therapy, to ease symptoms.
Ultimately, the experience varies widely and involves more than just hormones. Menopause series in The Lancet An “empowerment” approach is proposed that would help make the transition to perimenopause a more positive prospect, giving women more control and confidence.
The authors write: “Rather than viewing menopause as an endocrine deficiency, we propose an empowerment model that recognizes the factors that modify the experience, in which the patient is the expert in her own condition and the health care worker supports the patient in becoming an equal and active participant in managing her own care.”
They argue that a medical, disease-based view of menopause ignores potentially positive effects such as improved mental health with age and freedom from menstruation, menstrual disorders and contraception.
Reframing menopause can help reduce anxiety about it, seeing it as an empowering life transition that provides an opportunity to grow emotionally. “It’s a time when a woman … transforms from fertile years to years of wisdom,” says Woolhouse.
“The menopause transition is one of the most powerful experiences in a woman’s life,” she says. “It’s a time of reverence and respect for her body, her fertility, and her intuition and wisdom. In Chinese medicine it’s called the ‘second spring.’ Spring is about growth, vitality, color, expansion, and abundance.”
Disclaimer : The content in this article is for educational and informational purposes only.
