Menopause has rapidly become the most talked about stage of a woman’s life recently. Currently, in the UK there are an estimated 13 million women with either menopause or pre-menopause conditions.
It is a natural process of ageing. This is the stage when the ovaries completely stop producing reproductive hormones and because of this, the monthly periods can stop. It can happen to any woman at any age between 45 and 55, however, there have been cases of it starting before then.
Symptoms are different for each woman, but there are nine common symptoms that are the most talked about and the ones that affect women more. The ones that most people commonly recognise is the hot flushes, tiredness, weight gain and irregular menstrual cycles.
Menopause through the ages
The knowledge of menopause goes back as far as the 1800s. By 1821 a French physician Charles Pierre Louise De Gardanne (La menepausie). HRT started in the 1960s and women everywhere were thrilled that finally, something was available for them to ease the symptoms they were experiencing.
In 2002 a study into menopause and HRT was stopped early because they found women using HRT were at higher risk of breast cancer. Women everywhere immediately stopped taking their medication and wasted a decade of the symptoms. Then in 2007 researchers published that women on HRT are at less risk of heart problems. However, in the same year more research showed that women in their 50s that take HRT have healthier arteries protecting them again heart diseases.
World Menopause Day
In 2009 International Menopause Day was established, a day of awareness given to those women that are going through menopause and pre-menopause. So every year on the 18th of October women all over the world come together in harmony to share their support for each other.
Symptoms
Hot Flushes
This is one of the most common of the symptoms which happens because Oestrogen levels drop and lowers the body’s thermostat. It becomes too sensitive, thinking your body is too hot and cools down the body resulting in a hot flush.
There are many things that can be done to help combat this. It’s a known fact that caffeinated drinks raise your heart rate which causes dehydration. Avoiding these drinks and drinking more water or decaffeinated drinks will help, in fact, water is the best thing you can drink not surprisingly.
Tiredness
The aim is to get 7-8 hours of sleep, that’s what they say. Your body needs to recharge and refresh itself for the following day. However, there are many things that causes insomnia menopause being one of them which results in tiredness.
Avoiding screens and/or eating before bed and having a good bedtime routine can help combat this. These things are all extremely effective. There are supplements that can also be taken to help with this. Research has been proven that both Magnesium and Melatonin are effective and can help with insomnia.
Weight gain
This one can be quite challenging because when women get to a certain age, it’s almost impossible to lose weight. Especially if you’ve previously had children. It is advisable that weight gain should be watched in women from the age of 18, the reason being is because this is when it’s easier to lose it.
Irregular Periods
Having the symptoms but still having periods is classed as Perimenopause and this is the first stage. After that it can be up to ten years before the periods stop completely, this is when it’s classed as Menopause. It is advised by the GP that a record should be kept for dates and durations, helping both parties and having the ability for an early diagnosis.
Tinnitus
This is a surprising symptom of menopause. This is because the signalling between the ears and the brain is made up of oestrogen and the levels are falling. One of the best things you can do to help combat this is to avoid caffeinated drinks. Making changes like this to your diet can also help.
Depression
This is another common symptom and there is a difference between clinical depression and depression as a symptom of menopause. Always refer to your GP if you’re feeling like your drowning in life.
HRT
The widely known and most popular treatment for Menopause is hormone replacement therapy. Effective for most going through both menopause and perimenopause. It uses Oestrogen to replace the body’s levels around the time of menopause. Oestrogen can come in the form of patches, gel or spray to put on the skin, implants or tablets. Progesterone is also taken to protect the womb from the effects of Oestrogen. Taking this together is what makes it HRT. Progesterone comes in the form of patches, intrauterine system or coil or tablets.
In the limelight
More recently we have seen so much more in the press and media, celebrities such as Davina McCall presenting a TV show ‘Sex, myths and the menopause’ and Gabby Logan openly talking about what she went through with her Menopause.
From this it has raised awareness and the profile, workplaces are starting to recognise the impact of menopause and are actively supporting women who are going through this. The Civil Service was the first to pledge this, but other companies have now followed suit.
How to get through it
There is no right or wrong way to go through the motions of this, the main thing and probably the best outlook is to recognise that not one woman is alone in this. There are hundreds of women out there, even support groups on social media. There are also many blogs and websites where both information and support can be obtained to support anyone on this journey.