Menopause
Although many of us will go through the menopause, there can be a lack of understanding around the topic. It is a natural process. It is a time in a woman’s life where periods stop permanently and they are no longer able to become pregnant, but the perimenopause takes place before this. The perimenopause is more than hot flushes and buying less sanitary products. It’s the female reproductive system changing. By knowing a little more about the subject, more people going through the menopausal transition could be better supported.
As women enter the menopausal transition and the ovaries gradually stop their reproductive functions (producing fewer eggs), oestrogen hormone levels fluctuate until post menopause, when the hormone generally reaches a consistent low level. The ovaries are the main producers of the hormone and the changing oestrogen levels are unpredictable and can cause many symptoms, although some of us will have none.
For people who do have menopause and perimenopause symptoms, they can have a big impact on daily life, meaning that it could impact relationships, hobbies, work, family life and social life. Having the right menopause support is essential as symptoms can last for months or years.
The first sign of the perimenopause is often an irregular period but there can be mental and physical symptoms too. Mood-swings, anxiety and a low mood are common mental health symptoms. Also included are problems with memory or concentration (sometimes referred to as ‘brain fog’). If it is not understood that these symptoms are a natural part of the menopause life stage, it could have a damaging impact on work and home life.
The menopause usually happens between the ages of 45 and 60 but this can happen naturally much earlier, and some women experience perimenopause at a much younger age. Early menopause is defined as menopause that completes before the age of 45. There’s also surgical menopause which occurs after surgery that removes the ovaries (oophorectomy). Surgical menopause may be performed due to someone having ovarian cancer, endometriosis, ovarian twisting (torsion), benign tumours or cysts, or to remove ovarian or breast cancer risks.
Just some of the physical symptoms of the menopause are: hot flushes/flashes, headaches and migraines, muscle ache and joint pain, palpitations, skin changes, low sex drive and difficulty sleeping. If we just look at the colloquialism ‘hot flushes’ or ‘hot flashes’, the medical term can be defined as: vasomotor symptom of the climacteric (menopause) characterized by sudden vasodilation (widening of blood vessels) with a sensation of heat, usually involving the face and neck, and upper part of the chest. Typically lasting from two to thirty minutes. Although perhaps not life-threatening to go through, these can be deeply unpleasant and uncomfortable, and should not be played down.
Once diagnosed, the main treatment for menopause and perimenopause symptoms is hormone replacement treatment, known as ‘HRT’. HRT replaces the hormones that are at a low level, using oestrogen to replace the body’s levels. There are many other treatments and medicines available for lots of the symptoms and they can be non-hormonal too.
Making lifestyle changes can help with symptoms. Looking after mental wellbeing and eating well can help. As well as having a regular sleep routine and getting plenty of rest, talking to other people going through the same thing (friends/families/colleagues), having food that is high in calcium to keep bones healthy and talking to a doctor about treatment.
Women’s health and menopause support is being talked about more openly today. World Menopause Day is observed on 18 October every year and this was put in place by the World Health Organisation in 1984 with the intention of spreading awareness. There is support within a lot of workplaces, with companies implementing a menopause policy and workplace menopause support that employees can access. It would be wonderful if more people going through the menopause can feel empowered about the life stage, before, during and after.