Living With Menopause

July 28, 2009 Filed Under: Menapause

If you’ve ever gone through it yourself or lived with anyone who has gone through “the change”, you know how difficult menopause can be for some women. It can affect not only the person going through it, but close family and friends as well. It’s a difficult time because the side effects are both physical and psychological.

Unfortunately it is a part of nature and something women have to go through. Since there’s no stopping it, the next best thing is to prepare for it by doing research so you know what types of things to expect. Perimenopause, the period before menopause actually begins is often one of the most difficult phases of this process.

For some women perimenopause can begin as early as age 35, but for most women it won’t start until they are in their mid 40’s. It can last only a few years or more than 10 years. The severity of symptoms during this period can vary greatly from one woman to the next as well.

This is when hormones start to fluctuate and changes start to begin. Weight gain is one of the unwanted changes during this time. The weight usually settles in the thighs, buttocks and lower abdominal area. This is the body’s way of trying to store estrogen.

Another common symptom, probably the most well know symptom, is the onset of hot flashes. A hot flash is a sudden increase in body temperature that is caused by decreasing estrogen levels. For some women these hot flashes can feel pretty intense and they can cause sweating or weakness.

Mood swings are another challenging symptom faced during this time. Women who have not had a problem with mood swings before may suddenly experience these swings or depression. These emotional challenges can be worsened by the fact that they are reaching that stage in life where they are experience direct signs of aging. Menopause is a direct sign to some the time is marching on and more quickly than they would like.

insomnia and fatigue are other symptoms that can potentially make depression and mood swings worse. For some women the insomnia is due to the hot flashes keeping them awake during the night. Anyone who has suffered from fatigue knows it can cause problems functioning with day to day life.

When women are feeling the effects of a combination of these symptoms it can have a snowball effect causing greater feelings of frustration. It’s not uncommon to feel a loss of control.

If your symptoms feel like they are difficult to deal with it’s important you make an appointment to talk to your doctor to see what your options are. If you are interested in trying natural methods for help with menopause symptoms you may want to talk to a naturopath. A naturopath will have more in depth training in natural treatments or a mix of natural and more conventional treatments.

It’s also important to focus on a healthy diet and an exercise routine you will stick to. Avoid foods high in fat, sugar and salt and be sure to get a variety of foods and colors of foods so you make sure you are getting a range of necessary nutrients. Exercise can help relieve stress, help you sleep and help with mild depression.

Study how to persevere through your night sweats and hot flashes at Help For Night Sweats. You will also learn the causes of excessive sweatingand how many men might endure through a similar fate called andropause.