Things Women Should Know About Menopause

Menopause is a natural thing that every woman goes through in their life. If you do not have menstrual periods for 12 conservative months, then it is Menopause. Then the next question will be when we experience it. It can vary for every individual between the late 40s and early 50s. They can experience so many changes in their body. Their body is adopted to have periods for more than two decades. But suddenly, not having regular periods is new to their body will show so many changes. Others or their family members have no idea about what they are experiencing. The changes occur due to a decrease in the production of Estrogen and progesterone in your ovaries. Continue reading to learn about changes and symptoms that can occur during Menopause. It will help you understand your mom, wife and sister etc.

What is Perimenopause?

It means the period right before your Menopause begins. During this period, your body is starting the alteration into Menopause. To define it clearly, the decline of hormone production from ovaries begins. You may experience numerous symptoms at that stage, but the most common are hot flashes. You might have irregular periods, but the menstrual cycle will not cease during perimenopause.

Reduction in Estrogen

As you know, most women experience hot flashes during their Menopause. There is no definite time when it will occur. It might affect either day or night. Some women may have arthralgia (joint and muscle pain) or sometimes mood swings. There are no particular things they may undergo due to hormone changes, environment or aging processes.

Define Hot Flash

Suppose you feel a rise in body temperature and are going through a hot flash. It will mainly affect the top of your body and also turn your skin red in color. It might lead to sweating, dizziness or heart palpitations. You may feel cold after the hot flash gets over. It may come once daily or several times a day.

Prevention

• Stop taking spicy food, alcohol and caffeine
• Stay or work in a place with less heat or chill environment
• Dress in layers
• Consult the doctor to get medication that helps to reduce hot flashes

Will it Affect Bone Health?

As Estrogen decreases, the amount of calcium for bone decreases. It will cause low bone density, which leads to osteoporosis. So, women may experience rapid bone loss after the last menstrual period.

Remedies

• Eat a lot of foods that are rich in calcium
• Exercise daily for bone strength
• Stop consuming alcohol
• Take vitamin D medications
• Avoid smoking

Will I Gain Weight?

After a certain period, we cannot say whether you gain weight due to Menopause or aging. So, it is advisable to have a balanced diet, healthy habits, and regular exercise. If you are obese, it might lead to heart disease, diabetes and more.

How will I Know if I am having Menopause?

People with hysterectomy have to remove their uterus surgically. So, they don’t know they are going through Menopause unless they experience hot flashes. Another case is endometrial ablation, where your ovaries are not removed. Endometrial ablation is the removal of the lining of your uterus as a treatment for heavy menstruation. For those who don’t have any symptoms, there are some blood test that helps to find out if your ovaries are still functioning.