UNDERSTANDING THE
MENOPAUSE
The menopause, sometimes referred to as the change of life, is a point in time 12 months after a woman's last period. During menopause the woman’s glandular systems undergoes a major transformation with the body’s production oestrogen diminishing gradually, bringing about emotional and physical upheaval.
Why does the menopause happen?
When menopause happens on its own (natural menopause), it’s a normal part of aging. Menopause is defined as a complete year without menstrual bleeding, in the absence of any surgery or medical condition that may cause bleeding to stop.
As you age, your reproductive cycle begins to slow down and prepares to stop. This cycle has been continuously functioning since puberty. As menopause nears, your ovaries make less of a hormone called oestrogen. When this decrease occurs, your menstrual cycle (period) starts to change. It can become irregular and then stop.
Physical changes can also happen as your body adapts to different levels of hormones. The symptoms you experience during menopause are all part of your body’s adjustment to these changes.
Physical symptoms of the menopause
Symptoms of the menopause will vary for each woman, some women breeze through the transition whilst other women experience menopausal symptoms for as long as 10 years. Physical symptoms include: hot flushes, insomnia, palpitations, headaches, migraines, muscle aches and joint pains, thinning of hair, dry mouth and eyes​, sore gums, increased passing of urine and leaks, change in body shape and weight gain, skin change including dry and itchy, reduced sex drive, thrush, and vaginal dryness.
Hot flushes are the most common symptom during peri-menopause and menopause. They affect as many as 60% to 80% of women, but for some women they may be more intense or last longer.
Many women find it harder to fall asleep or stay asleep during the menopause, which is compounded by night sweats, lack of sleep will undoubtedly make you feel tired and irritable the next day.
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Psychological symptoms of the menopause
Common psychological symptoms of menopause include; changes to your mood, like low mood, anxiety, crying spells, tense periods, mood swings and low self-esteem problems with memory or concentration (brain fog).
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As many as one in four women experience changes in mood, such as depression or anxiety, during the menopause.
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Brain fog, difficulty concentrating, and memory loss can be frightening symptoms for many women. It’s not clear these cognitive changes are purely due to the hormonal changes of the menopause or whether they are compounded by sleeping difficulties, life stress, and the process of ageing.
Treatment and support
Fortunately, there are many things you can do to get through the menopause to reduce the daily impact, including HRT, dietary change, herbal medicines, practising alternative therapies and taking regular exercise. Whilst HRT has been largely promoted over the last 2 years, only 14% of women in UK have chosen this option. It seems an increased number of women are turning to the more natural sustainable ways to reduce symptoms and improve their overall health.
The menopause is not an illness, or a phase you simply must endure, with the right information you can make some simple choices that will form the basis of a new chapter in your life, where you feel healthy, relaxed and at ease with the changes in your body.
So, whether you’re experiencing the first signs of perimenopause or are well into menopause, there are things you can do right now to relieve the symptoms and protect your health. With a little trial and error, you should be able to find an alternative treatment that works for you.
Leading the change the natural way
The importance of healthy diet during the menopause cannot be stressed too highly, it sounds easy but in reality, making lifestyles changes can be difficult. Understanding the why, and how of healthy foods for the menopause, with their nutrition value may help you make informed decisions. But researching or reading a book can be time consuming and sometimes overwhelming to digest, our guide ‘Leading the change in your life the natural way’ provides an easy-to-read overview of all the vital vitamins and minerals you need, and which foods contain sufficient vitamin values, together with recommended exercises, and practical advice on simple but important changes you can make.
Vitamin therapy during the menopause will have a beneficial effect on your body, with particular emphasis being given to vitamin B complex which can alleviate many of the nervous disorders experienced during this time and to calcium, which aside from its value in maintaining the health of the nervous system, is of paramount importance in strengthening the bones and preventing osteoporosis. Paying attention to the importance of food, vitamins, minerals, and exercise during the menopause, will help you maintain the health of bones and exerts a beneficial influence in the prevention of osteoporotic disease, post menopause.
Nutrition
To support a healthy regime during the menopause picture shielding your body within four walls of: Calcium, Magnesium, Vitamin D and Phosphorous; all work together and will strengthen your body. It is by giving considerable thought to your daily diet that you will avoid opening the door to brittle bones. The body requires both major and trace minerals which must be obtained from your diet; 4% of the body’s mass consists of minerals and during the menopause it is calcium, magnesium and phosphorous which are particularly important.
Calcium plays a huge role in the maintenance of bone health but also the nervous system and insufficient calcium for a menopausal woman will contribute towards insomnia, anxiety and stress.
The body needs phosphorous (which combines with calcium) to repair body cells and keep bones and teeth strong – calcium alone will not work.
This is the body’s powerhouse, it is involved in the body’s production of hormones and, also the repair of body cells. It is a natural tranquilizer and plays a crucial role with calcium, Vitamin D and Vitamin K.
Vitamin D is essential for the proper absorption of calcium – it is produced in the skin in response to natural sunlight. It is important during the menopause because lack of it may cause osteoporosis.
Four walls of the menopause
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