Menopause
What is menopause?
When you reach your 40s or 50s you will stop menstruating. Menopause is officially signalled when it has been 12 months since your last period, and you will not have any more. This is the natural end of your reproductive life.
What are the symptoms of menopause?
Almost all women going through menopause experience symptoms. As you begin to approach menopause your ovaries begin to slow down the production of oestrogen and progesterone. During this time your hormone levels tend to fluctuate and you may notice menstrual cycle irregularities, including:
Shorter, longer or totally irregular periods
Lighter bleeding
Unpredictable and heavy periods
Some symptoms that you may have during menopause include:
Hot flushes
Night sweats (including waking up hot and sweaty)
Tiredness
Aches and pains
Headaches
Reduced sex drive
Tiredness
Forgetfulness
Irritability
Lowered self-esteem
Crawling sensations under the skin or itching
Difficulty sleeping including wakefulness
Increased urinary frequency
Vaginal dryness and discomfort during vaginal intercourse
Menopause Symptom Management
Most women find these symptoms are manageable and do not have treatment. When symptoms are particularly severe or prolonged, there are a range of ways to manage them.
Through:
Healthy diet including limiting caffeine and alcohol and increasing calcium
Exercise, particularly weight-bearing and strength training activities to prevent bone density loss and keeping your bones healthy. Exercise also improves balance to reduce the risk of falls and injury.
Looking after your mental health
Reducing stress
Getting enough good quality sleep
Avoiding things that that trigger your hot flushes and sleeping with light-weight pajamas and bedding
Quitting smoking as it increases the risk of osteoporosis, heart disease and lung cancer
If your symptoms are particularly bad you may require hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
If you are not a candidate for HRT because of past breast cancer, heart disease or clots you may be prescribed medications that control symptoms instead, such as: