Menopause
Every decade of life has a new set of challenges! The 40s and 50s (for most of us) will bring perimenopause and menopause. Imagine if it were a game….it would be one with lots of levels and the rules would constantly change. You might come across challenges like mood swing obstacles, hot flashes that give rise to extra power, or maybe brain fog which causes you to forget which way you were heading or why you were heading there in the first place! As you navigate the game, you realize you have no idea when the symptoms (challenges) will pop up, so you can’t strategically plan. To stay in the game (managing menopause) you have to change things about yourself including nutrition, the way you exercise, managing stress, maybe adding medications. You can ask for help and advice from family and friends….each likely to have a horror story or hardly have been bothered by symptoms (lucky them). Of course, the men in our lives have many fun facts and memes to throw out there should you look to them for help. If you are fortunate enough, your healthcare provider can help. Sadly, more often than not, healthcare providers have little education about menopause and even worse, little time to address this natural life transition. It remains an under addressed need in the healthcare system, with many women feeling unsupported and unprepared for the physical, emotional and social changes.
Yes, we get it! Every women with a uterus will go through menopause, in fact it will be experienced by nearly half of the world’s population. Some women go through early menopause, which may be surgically related. It is not a disease that needs to be cured and so many women are left in the dark as to how to manage it successfully.
Common symptoms in perimenopause and menopause include: hot flashes (which can be quite severe), night sweats, urinary incontinence (sneezing, laughing, coughing can also bring this on), urinary frequency, urinary urgency, mood swings, sleep changes/insomnia (especially with night sweats and urinary frequency!), pain with sex, vaginal dryness, loss of libido, weight gain (belly fat), joint aches and pains, hair growth in places you do not want it and hair loss where you do, memory issues/brain fog, decline in fertility during perimenopause and loss of fertility post menopause. Additional symptoms include abnormal uterine bleeding, changes to menstrual periods (menopause is defined as 12 months without a period, but often women will go 4-5 months without a period then get one that will last weeks and the counting starts all over again).
As the estrogen decreases in our bodies we start to experience some of the symptoms listed above. But we also need to be aware of the bone loss, higher rates of heart disease, depression, anxiety. Good news is many of us know women who have made it to the post menopause side! Each woman is unique, as are her symptoms. A woman may only have hot flashes but those hot flashes are keeping her from wearing the clothes she loves, working out in a group setting, or socializing with friends and family. Another woman may have several symptoms, none of which seem bothersome to her. Each of us will experience this journey differently. As a Nurse Health Coach, I can help you maneuver the changes and symptoms and live your best life now.
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