Menopause, just a pause for a better life. (part 2)
Navigating the symptoms and uncertainties of menopause can be challenging, but remember, you are not alone in this journey. While menopause marks the end of menstrual periods, it also opens the door to a new and exciting chapter in your life, filled with opportunities for self-discovery and growth.
In this blog, I’ll share insights about menopause, including stages and how to ease symptoms with some lifestyle changes . Let’s explore this topic together…
What are the stages of menopause?
Premenopause
Period of time when a woman is still in her reproductive years, experiencing regular or irregular menstrual cycles without significant menopausal symptoms. She might have or not these symptoms:
- Minimal or no noticeable hormonal changes
- Regular or irregular hormonal changes
- No menopausal symptoms
- Stops when perimenopause begins
Perimenopause
Also called “around menopause,” describes the transitional phase leading up to menopause. This phase can start in a woman undergoing her 30s or 40s and may last several years, some symptoms are:
- Significant fluctuations in hormone levels (estrogen)
- Irregular cycles (skip periods)
- Hot flashes
- Mood swings
- Can las 2 to 8 years
Menopause
Menopause is a natural biological process when women have not had their menstrual period during 12 consecutive months due to low estrogen levels. It is key to know that there are women who might not have any other symptoms. Most common symptoms are:
- Hot flashes
- Night sweats
- Brain fog
- Reduced muscle tone
- Memory issues (forget thighs, dates, words, tasks, etc.)
- Slow motion (you may move slowly)
- Insomnia/Sleep disturbances
- Mood swings
- Skin, vaginal or eye dryness
- Changes in libido
- Tiredness
Post-menopause
Postmenopause refers to the stage in a woman’s life after she has gone through menopause (the rest of your life), which is marked by the end of her menstrual cycles, usually occurring between the ages of 45 and 55. After symptoms are gone, you are ready for a new charter of your life full with joy, freedom and possibilities!
Lifestyle changes to ease symptoms of menopause
Recent research showed that there are holistic ways based on lifestyle changes to navigate symptoms successfully, some of them are:
1.Exercise
Here a list of what exercise can help you with, during menopause:
- 50% less hot flashes.
- Reduces mood swings
- Improves the quality and quantity of your sleep pattern.
- Better cognitive functions.
- Lower insulin resistance.
- Improves metabolic function.
- Reduces heart attack risks (which is the most common dead cause in women around their 50s).
- Stronger muscles and bones.
- Reduces osteoporosis risks.
- Rises serotonin, dopamine and endorphin levels (good hormones) improves your mood..
- Decreases cortisol levels.
What is the best exercise for me?
The best exercise is what you like and enjoy the most. Just be sure to incorporate aerobic (walk, dance, run, swim, etc.) and moderate weight lifting and stretching exercises. You don’t need to spend 3 hrs. at the gym, you can go for a walk outside, practice yoga, use home staff to do the weight lifting or use your own body weight (calisthenics), but most importantly, enjoy it!
2. Nutrition
Let’s pause for a moment and think about what we are eating to improve our health?
Scientific evidence has shown that the Mediterranean diet improves women’s health, reduces symptoms and improves general well being of women undergoing menopause (and it is good for everyone). This is what is proven about the Mediterranean diet:
- Improves brain fog
- Lowers stress levels
- Reduces hot flashes by a 20%
- 40% less depression
- 25% less heart related risks
On the other hand, these are the foods that you need to avoid, some of them are:
- processed food
- cold meat
- sugar
- spicy food (increases hot flashes)
- avoid alcohol intake
- reduce caffeine
3.Reduce stress levels
High Stress levels exacerbate menopause symptoms, for that reason, it’s pivotal to keep it as controlled as possible (I know it’s not ease), to do so, there are some activities that might help you:
- Talk to your fellows (your friends or support groups-there are many women who feel and have the same fears that you have ). Group talks help to reduce stress and anxiety.
- Relaxing massage
- Lymphatic drainage massage (detoxifies and improves general wellbeing).
- Yoga
- Mindfulness
- Spend time with nature
I hope this information was helpful, In my next blog I´ll share with you the most used therapy to mitigate symptoms of menopause, that is Hormonal Replacement Therapy. Together, we will navigate the advantages and disadvantages of this treatment. If you need advice or have any questions about our treatments, please contact us. You can find us in Mill Hill Broadway and Islington. We are always happy to help. If you like this blog, please share!
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3659624/
https://www.endocrine.org/patient-engagement/endocrine-library/menopause
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/managing-menopause-hormone-therapy-is-back
