Menopause 101

a brief science based introduction

My Definition

Menopause is when your periods become more irregular and eventually stop.

Menopause is like puberty in reverse or as I refer to it as a “Second Puberty” because almost all of the symptoms in puberty happen again or in reverse during the phases of menopause.

Interestingly, we celebrate young girls going through puberty yet we dread women going through menopause. We need to celebrate all the seasons of a woman’s life. Menopause is not a death sentence rather a renewal of body and spirit.

Symptoms

I find it laughable that the first symptom listed in most publications, is the dreaded hot flashes. I personally, have never had a hot flash and I know many other women who are just like me. On the other hand, I do know of women that have had hot flashes — my point is . . . menopausal symptoms are not one size fits all.

Except for . . .

What I have noticed from speaking to hundreds of women in this season is that we are emotional — just like 13 year old girls — we cry for no reason, we get pissed in an instant, we hate deeply and love passionately within moments of each other. Both sets of females are volatile at best. But really!!?? Isn’t that exciting? You never know what you are going to get? Predicability goes out the window . . . that has been left open to let some fresh air in.

My Suggestion

Women need to be informed and have a personal awareness. What do I mean by that? We need to understand that we may have hot flashes or we may not. We may get pimples or we may not? As my kids have navigated puberty I keep telling them “this is a time of personal discovery — you are becoming the adult version of your younger self. Enjoy it. Celebrate.” I would extend that to my 40+ friends as well.

“this is a time of personal discovery — you are becoming the wise woman version of your adult self.”

As I read the information from WebMD I couldn’t help but think that the symptoms could really be for almost anything — say you just had a baby, you will have insomnia, bladder issues (or maybe that was just me and the 4th kid who was breech?), fatigue, depression, irritability . . . if you go down the list you can feel these on almost any given day!!

Let’s Get Real

Fact: Our bodies are changing.

Fact: We have control over how we feel in mind, body and spirit.

Fact: When we express gratitude we live in gratitude.

Fact: We can see the finish line and determine how we want to run the last half of the race.

Fact: We are empowered to embrace and love our “new” selves as we change into a deeper womanly wisdom.

Fact: We need to stay informed, support each other and begin the conversations to enable others to treat us the was we desire to be treated on this part of our journey.

Fact: I am trilled to be here with you, for you and celebrate you.

The Medical Definition (per WebMD)

“Menopause is a normal condition that all women experience as they age. The term “menopause” can describe any of the changes a woman goes through either just before or after she stops menstruating, marking the end of her reproductive period.”

Symptoms (per WebMD)

Most women approaching menopause will have hot flashes, a sudden feeling of warms that spread over the upper body, often with blushing and some sweating. The severity of hot flashes varies from mild in most women to severe in others.

Other common symptoms around the time of menopause include:

Irregular or skipped periods

Insomnia

Mood swings

Fatigue

Depression

Irritability

Racing heart

Headaches

Joint and muscle aches and pains

Changes in libido (sex drive)

Vaginal dryness

Bladder control problems

Not all women get all of these symptoms.

What Long-Term Health Problems Are Tied to Menopause?

The loss of estrogen linked with menopause has been tied to a number of health problems that become more common as women age.

After menopause, women are more likely to have:

Osteoporosis

Heart disease

A poorly working bladder and bowel

Greater risk of Alzheimer’s disease

Poor skin elasticity (increased wrinkling)

Poor muscle power and tone

Some weakening in vision, such as from cataracts (clouding of the lens of the eye) and macular degeneration (breakdown of the tiny spot in the center of the retina that is the center of vision)