Are you a woman of… any age? This article interests you. Because in it we are going to talk about menopause. You may still see it far away, perhaps you are already in the process, you may have already passed it, or perhaps you have it just around the corner.
What is clear is that it never hurts to find out about something that, at one time or another, whether we are mothers or not, we are going to go through.
Every woman is different, no two menopausal processes are the same, just as no two pregnancies are the same or two births are the same. Each woman has her own genetic characteristics, lifestyle, socioeconomic conditions, medical history and many other factors that influence the onset of the menopausal process.
What is menopause?
Menopause is often referred to as “the time” when women stop having periods. But is it really a moment? The truth is that this definition is somewhat simplistic. It is not a moment, but rather a process.
The organism of women undergoes a series of changes throughout their lives. There is a hormonal adjustment period around the time we get our first period, and then every month after our cycle is complete.
In the same way, this gradual transformation happens when we stop having it.
Different phases of menopause.
As we have commented, this process is divided into several phases, which we will go through in this article.
Premenopause.
This long period goes through adolescence, youth and ends in maturity. Premenopause is not a phase of the menopause itself, however, we include it to resolve doubts.
This period includes any moment of our life between the first period and the menopause. So women are in this phase for most of our lives.
Perimenopause.
In this phase our body experiences a hormonal reduction, that is, the ovaries produce less and less estrogen. The prefix “peri” means “around”.
This stage can start up to 10 years before menopause, although it usually starts about 3 or 4 years before. It is this period women begin to suffer the symptoms associated with menopause.
Finally, the ovaries stop producing eggs and the next phase would begin.
Menopause.
Women are considered to be in the menopause phase when we have not had the period for a full year. The ovaries considerably slow down the production of estrogen and the symptoms that we were already beginning to notice in perimenopause are accentuated.
Postmenopause.
Once the menopause phase is over, women enter the postmenopause. The symptoms finally disappear and the body stabilizes in this new stage.
What are the symptoms of menopause?
The symptoms of this stage in our lives are caused by the hormonal changes to which we are exposed. One of the first symptoms is that we begin to have irregular periods.
Of course, as we pointed out before, each woman is different and many of us have irregular periods throughout our lives. But speaking in general terms, we can affirm that the most common symptoms are:
Hot flushes.
The reduction in estrogen levels causes a mismatch in the thermal self-regulation of our body. As if our thermostat had broken.
It is very difficult to measure the temperature rise, as it occurs suddenly and has a (fortunately) short latency period.
It is said that the increase is between 1 and 2 degrees Celsius, although our patients have come to suffer temperature rises of up to 4.5 degrees during a hot flash.
Generally the sensation of unbearable heat begins in the chest and goes up through the neck to the head.
Night sweats.
The nocturnal variant of daytime hot flashes. Probably one of the most annoying symptoms that menopause brings with it. The sensation of extreme heat occurs during sleep, causing the body to drench in sweat.
Why is it so annoying? In addition to the obvious, because it means that you have to get up, shower, change your pajamas and wash the sheets. This in the middle of the night. As we see, annoying falls short.
Vaginal dryness.
Again the reduction in estrogen levels is the cause of this symptom. This dryness causes discomfort and pain when having intercourse with vaginal penetration.
Fortunately, there are, as we will see later, some ways to alleviate this symptom.
Other symptoms.
Weight gain, insomnia, dry skin, hair loss, and mood swings, among others, are some of the symptoms that we can also experience during the menopausal process.
Hormonal imbalances are again the cause.
How to improve the quality of life in menopause?
The first thing we recommend from Zenia Natural is regular visits to our gynecologist. Through a hormonal analysis we will be able to know at what point in our reproductive cycle we are.
If estrogen production begins to drop, we already know that we are in perimenopause. Knowing this, we can prepare ourselves to cope with this inevitable process in the best possible way.
It is possible that our gynecologist decides to give us a hormonal treatment. Why? To reduce the risks of suffering from diseases associated with estrogen deficiency, such as osteoporosis.
In addition to going to a health professional, we offer below a series of tips that can help you.
- Never forget to hydrate well. Drink water or infusions throughout the day. They will help you maintain optimal hydration levels after hot flashes and night sweats and also improve the dryness of your skin.
- You’ve probably heard that evening primrose oil can help with hot flashes. There are also other specific supplements that contain active ingredients such as sage, soy, red clover, hops, black cohosh and yam that contribute to increasing well-being in the menopausal process. Others that contain maca, rhodiola, tribulus, ginkgo and schisandra that help fight fatigue and increase libido.
- Dress in clothing of organic origin, such as cotton, and avoid synthetic fabrics as much as possible. Wear clothes that you can easily button and unbutton.
- To alleviate vaginal dryness, there are lubricants based on essential oils that provide a pleasant sensation while helping to continue with a full and healthy sexual life.
- Pamper yourself a lot. At this stage of your life you should not forget that self-care is essential to maintain balanced physical and emotional health.
Diet and menopause
We help you in Zenia Natural
Our expert nutritionist Abel Henarejos, assures that there are very interesting studies about the importance of the microbiota when it comes to assimilating isoflavones and thus improving the symptoms of menopause.
Having a healthy microbiota is the key. Therefore isoflavones do not have the same effect in all cases.
His advice to improve the health of the microbiota is to eat a diet rich in fiber from fruits, vegetables and tubers. Likewise, he advises consumers of soy-based products that it is better to take it fermented, in the form of misho, tempeh or natto, than non-fermented (sprouts, tofu, etc.).
If you have any questions regarding this or other issues, do not hesitate to call us, send us a message, contact us through our social media or visit us at our physical store, where our expert in natural medicine will be delighted to assist you.
Treat yourself to one of our treatments, try a relaxing massage, reduce anxiety through acupuncture, or ask us for more information about the supplements that we offer you. Get with us the well-being you deserve.