Women's Health

TALKING ABOUT MENOPAUSE

For as much discussion is devoted to things like puberty or a young girl’s getting her period, menopause, a huge part of a woman's life, is rarely talked about prior to its onset. Women may be in the dark when it comes to menopause despite its being a pivotal part of life. A woman is considered to have hit menopause only when going 12 consecutive months without having her period. In the years leading up to menopause, a woman is in what is known as perimenopause. This stage can last for several years. According to Alloy.com, the average age of a woman who has completed menopause is 51 but will be different for everyone who experiences it.

There’s not a single determining factor that signals women that they have begun perimenopause, but rather a set of symptoms that can be watched for.

Symptoms can range anywhere from hot flashes to mood swings and are all brought on by changing and fluctuating hormone levels. Other symptoms, such as night sweating and vaginal dryness, can also be signs of perimenopause. To be sure your body is going through this intense change, at-home testing kits are available, or your health care provider can provide professional testing.

There are many methods for treating and coping with symptoms of perimenopause. For some, hormone therapy or bioidentical hormones can be a safe and effective way to manage symptoms. Some studies do show that extended use of hormone therapy can lead to things like heart disease and breast cancer. If you do not think hormone therapy is right for you, acupuncture has been tested in relieving symptoms and can be a more natural way of managing irritations. Talking to your health care professional about different ways to cope with symptoms can be a huge relief for women during any stage of perimenopause or menopause.

Symptoms do not stop once menopause has officially ended. Rather, new symptoms may emerge. Even if there has been no change in diet or exercise, some women experience fat gain and loss of lean mass. Dry eyes and hair loss may also affect those who have just gone through and finished menopause. Staying in good overall health through exercise and a balanced diet is very important when managing hormone and estrogen levels. For some women, the most overwhelming change that comes with menopause is a drastic change in mood or ability to regulate mood. This can be extremely overwhelming, especially when paired with many other symptoms like hot flashes or trouble sleeping. Checking in with friends or family going through menopause and encouraging them to seek professional help can be beneficial.

To break the stigmatism surrounding menopause, women need to become comfortable talking about and discussing menopause both with their doctors and also with people who can be a support system. To encourage this, women of all ages should be better informed about menopause and perimenopause, considering it is one of the biggest changes that their bodies will ever face!

Tori Sarver is an intern for KC Parent. She is studying strategic communication and business at CU Boulder.

As always, please consult your health care provider with any questions or concerns.