What will happen when I reach menopause Understanding and managing the symptoms

“For those who understand, no explanation is necessary. For those who do not, no explanation will suffice.”

Menopause isn’t something that you just wake up one day and suddenly start experiencing. It is more of a gradual progression that happens in three different stages: perimenopause, menopause, and post-menopause.

In this article, we’ll be taking a look at all three and the signs and symptoms associated with each stage. But before we do that, we have to clarify some things, starting with what menopause actually is and how it is different from perimenopause and postmenopause.

What is menopause?

In the simplest of terms, menopause is the final day of your period. To be more specific it is 12 months to the date of your last period. No periods for 12 consecutive months. When that day arrive you are said to be menopausal. On the following day your a  now post menopausal. This happens because the ovaries stopped producing hormones like estrogen and progesterone.

In reality, menopause is a bit more complex but it is a natural process that most women will go through by ages 45 to 55. There is not a test that will tell you the exact date you will have your last period.

Menopause can also be triggered by other factors such as:
• Having Oophorectomy in which you ovaries  are  surgically removed. Monthly periods stop altogether and progesterone and estrogen levels decrease. This can cause severe symptoms of menopause as these changes happen abruptly rather than gradually.

• Chemotherapy and radiation treatment- Cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation treatment can interfere with menstruation and fertility and induce menopause during or after treatment.

• Primary ovarian insufficiency- This is a rare condition affecting an estimated 1% of women where the ovaries fail to produce the normal amount of estrogen and progesterone required for reproductive health due to genetic or autoimmune diseases. This causes women with this condition to experience menopause before the age of 40, which can be detrimental to bone, heart and brain health if left untreated.

What happens before and after menopause?

 

Before menopause is a stage called perimenopause which usually begins when a woman is in her late 30s or 40s. Here, the ovaries gradually make less and less estrogen causing irregular periods and can last from anywhere between 4 years to 10 years. During this time you are still able to conceive.

After menopause comes post menopause . This is where a woman has not had a period in 12 months or longer. After she has passed that stage, she lives out the rest of her life in the postmenopausal stage.

Perimenopause

 

Perimenopause is sometimes called the transition stage since it occurs between menstruation and menopause. During this time there is a gradual decline in estrogen levels or increased fluctuations where they become high and then low. This leads to several symptoms, ranging in severity from woman to woman. Some of the more common symptoms include:

• Hot flashes- Hot flashes can be described as a sudden feeling of heat that rushes through the body which can cause a woman to sweat profusely and can also cause discomfort. The severity of this symptom is said to gradually decline after menopause but in some cases, it can continue for several years after menopause.
• Night sweats- This is similar to hot flashes however it happens at night where many women wake up to find themselves drenched in sweat .
• Vaginal dryness- Estrogen is also responsible for keeping vaginal tissue moist so any decrease in estrogen would, in turn, lead to vaginal dryness. This can cause discomfort during sex
• Mood swings- Your “raging hormones” as many people like to call them can cause irritation, depression, tension, difficulty concentrating and anxiety at times. You may feel like crying and have no clue why or experience sudden happiness during this time while your hormone levels fluctuate.
• Irregular periods- During perimenopause your period may suddenly become heavier or lighter, or you may not see a period for one month and get two in another. Your PMS symptoms may get worse and you may even find that you experience breast tenderness.
• Frequent urination – Estrogen is also responsible for keeping the lining of your uterus and bladder healthy which declines during menopause. This makes it harder to hold your pee for a long time and you might find that you have to wake up once or twice a night to go to the bathroom.
• Loss of libido- While some women are reported to have an increase in libido, the majority suffer from a loss. This loss happens as a result of decreased hormone levels. During perimenopause, women tend to gain weight, become sweatier and irritable and just don’t feel sexy anymore. Certain physical changes such as vaginal tightness make sex uncomfortable which makes sex unpleasant or undesirable.

Other symptoms include:
• Insomnia
• Hair thinning
• Weight gain
• Joint and muscle aches
• Dry eyes, skin, and mouth
• Fertility issues
• Facial hair growth

Menopause

Many of the symptoms of perimenopause become heightened or decline during the menopausal stage. The main ones include:

• Hot flashes- Hot flashes are typically worse during perimenopause due to the fluctuating hormones. As a woman approaches menopause they can become more intense but typically passes with time.
• No period- A woman is said to be experiencing menopause when she has not had a period in 12 consecutive months. She is no longer able to conceive as her ovaries have stopped producing eggs.
• Vaginal dryness- At this stage, estrogen levels are at pretty low which means that vaginal dryness increases which can also lead to thinning and itching.
• Insomnia- During menopause, many women experience problems with falling asleep and staying asleep. Night sweats may become more common as can anxiety which can come between a woman and a restful night.
• Trouble concentrating- It is not uncommon for women to become forgetful or have difficulty staying focused during menopause. While not directly linked to low estrogen levels, lack of sleep and the emotional effects of menopause can lead cause this.

Postmenopause

During this last stage, most of the symptoms disappear and others become less severe. To determine If a woman is post-menopausal a doctor will have to run a few blood tests.

During this time she may experience:

• Osteoporosis- By now you have probably realized that estrogen is extremely important to women’s health. Estrogen supports the absorption of calcium which is responsible for maintaining strong and healthy bones. Once the levels of estrogen decline, the amount of calcium a woman can absorb to use to protect her bones decreases, leaving her at risk of osteoporosis and other joint and bone-related diseases.
• Urinary incontinence- By this stage, the muscles in a woman’s vagina and urethra are much weaker than they were in her youth or even during perimenopause. She may find that she is unable to hold her pee and might have leaks when she laughs or sneezes. Other times she might have a sudden strong urge to urinate several times a day. She may also suffer from frequent urinary tract infections.

A postmenopausal woman may also be at higher risk of developing gynaecological cancers, heart disease and obesity and is at higher risk of vaginal infection.
Managing the symptoms

When you have the flu and start to sneeze or have the chills, you manage these symptoms by taking some medication or even something as simple as wearing some warm clothes. The same principle can be applied to dealing with the symptoms of menopause.

Perimenopause and postmenopause

Since the symptoms of perimenopause and post menopause are very similar, they are managed in pretty much the same way.

For cramps and PMS that might occur during the perimenopause stage, women are recommended to take over-the-counter pain medication and use heating pads. Others use oral contraceptives to regulate bleeding, to manage the discomfort and to decrease hormone levels.

Hot flashes can be dealt with by avoiding triggers such as spicy food and hot drinks and trading them in for food high in phytoestrogens such as [soy], red clover, and black cohosh. Wearing loose-fitting clothing or layered clothing that can be easily removed can also help to reduce the severity of hot flashes. There are also breathing exercises that can be done to help keep yourself calm. Keeping a fan nearby is also not a bad idea.

Insomnia caused by menopause can be addressed with sleep therapy and medication but should get better over time. Regular exercise, proper diet and rest can help to improve focus and mood. Doing activities that stimulate the brain such as crossword puzzles or even learning a foreign language can also help to improve memory and concentration.

Postmenopause

Vaginal dryness becomes a bigger issue during this stage and can be dealt with by using moisturizers and lubricants before having sex.

[Menopausal hormonal therapy] is also an option which many women explore. Here she will be treated with progesterone and/or estrogen to deal with several issues such as osteoporosis, severe hot flashes, vaginal dryness and discomfort, and sleeping problems.

Final Word

 

Menopause is not something you can avoid and it is not something you should be scared of. Once you understand what is happening to your body you will be able to do what is needed to manage it. And, when that’s out of the way you can go on to live your best life. There is no cure or treatment for menopause.

Whatever medication you get from your doctor can help the symptoms but it won’t reverse your menopausal state.