During the menopause, we experience many changes, and one of the biggest differences we notice are overwhelming mood swings. According to a recent survey 90% percent of women suffer with mood swings as they go through menopause. Women who experienced mood swings premenstrually, are likely to feel like they have PMS all the time as they approach menopause. Mood swings can make us argumentative, depressed and anxious, and they can happen at the drop of a hat. For many, these changes are terrifying, even embarrassing, making us say things we later regret, damaging our relationships. Despite the fact that menopause is a transition, it doesn’t mean this is how life has to be from here on. A lot of women struggle with mood swings during the menopause, but with the right information, come to understand the underlying causes and learn how to overcome the symptoms, making their good mood a … Read More
The 4 different stages of menopause and how to tell when you are at which stage
I’m often asked… ‘What are the different stages of menopause’ and ‘How do I know what stage of menopause I am at’? POSTMENOPAUSE: You postmenopausal years are all of those years after the menopause. During this stage, menopausal symptoms, such as hot flushes, can ease for many women. However, as a result of a lower level of oestrogen, postmenopausal women are at increased risk for a number of health conditions, such as osteoporosis and heart disease. The experience of menopause is different for every woman, based on how her body uniquely adapts to her process of ageing. It’s important to remember that you’re not suddenly going to wake up one day and be symptom-free because you’ve got lots of things to address in your body like low levels of nutrients low levels of oestrogen and so on. So you need to learn how to meet your needs because there are … Read More
Life After Menopause: What Happens Next?
I’m often asked… ‘When does menopause end? and ‘How long does it last?’ So today I wanted to focus on what happens after menopause because as you go through menopause most people don’t even know when they’ve come out the end of it. So let’s straighten out the facts. The perimenopause is the five years before the time of the menopause. The average age of menopause is 51 and you will be surprised to hear that menopause is really only one day. In fact menopause is the anniversary of one year since you last had a period…. the next day you’re postmenopausal. However, women may experience symptoms for up to 10 years before this day. I had a patient last week who came to me and said that she was 74 years old and still having her menopause symptoms, and was that normal? It’s certainly not abnormal. If you would … Read More
Let’s talk positively about menopause on World Menopause Day
This is in addition to research from The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), which found that over 56% of perimenopausal women are getting less than seven hours of sleep a night, and are at high risk of heart attack. What’s more, the changes in hormone levels during menopause said to be a double threat to our hearts, because menopause increases the amount of plaque build-up in the arteries, increasing blood pressure and the risk of a stroke. Meanwhile, 80% of women experience menopausal symptoms, including the physical – hot flushes, insomnia and weight gain, and the psychological and emotional, including mood changes, depression and anxiety. These revelations, coupled with the apparent positive news that HRT won’t kill you and merely increases your chances of getting cancer or having a stroke, is not how we best prepare 14 million women a year for entering what is just a natural phase of … Read More