What is postmenopause?
Menopause is the time when a woman’s menstrual cycles come to an end. It is a natural part of the aging process and signals the end of a woman’s reproductive years. Menopause typically occurs between the ages of forty and fifty for most women and can last up to five years. A common sign that a woman has reached menopause is when their monthly periods have been irregular for twelve months. In addition, Post menopause is the period of a woman’s life that occurs after menopause and can last up to thirty years. Whereas women who had their ovaries surgically removed experienced “sudden menopause” regardless of their age.
Some astounding menopause statistics
- The average age of menopause is fifty-one years old, but it can range between forty and fifty-eight years old.
- In the United States, the average life expectancy is eighty-four years old and rising. With the previous statistic, it is reasonable to conclude that many women will spend half of their lives postmenopausal.
- The number of postmenopausal women worldwide is expected to reach 1.1 billion by 2025!
- According to studies, nearly sixty percent of women experience more than one menopausal symptom. Almost a quarter of these women say it impacted their lives to the point where they needed medical help, such as therapy or medication.
What changes during menopause?
During menopause, the ovaries stop producing high levels of female hormones such as estrogen and progesterone. These hormones allow for control of the menstrual. Estrogen is a vital hormone since it influences how the female body uses calcium and maintains blood cholesterol levels. It should also be noted that menopause can occur in three stages:
Peri menopause or “Menopause Transition”- is a natural, gradual process that usually begins in a women’s early 40s but may begin earlier. It can last for up to eight to ten years before menopause. The drop in estrogen accelerates in its final stages. Many women may experience menopause symptoms while still having menstrual cycles and the ability to become pregnant.
Menopause- Occurs when the ovaries have stopped producing eggs and majority of their estrogen. Due to this, women no longer have their menstrual cycle over twelve months.
Post menopause. The years following menopause. As stated earlier in this post, many women now spend most of their lives after menopause.
Common Post menopause Symptoms
Because the list of common menopause symptoms is so long, many women have different experiences during this time. Many women experience hot flashes, insomnia, emotional instability, and worsening premenstrual syndrome, while others experience other types of discomfort. In most cases, these symptoms gradually subside once menopause begins. Many women have reported that once they reached menopause, they felt re energized and had a better overall sense of well-being.
On the other hand, some women experience a few lingering symptoms that can last up to ten years after menopause. The following are some of the most common postmenopausal symptoms:
Vaginal dryness or itching – As estrogen production declines, a women’s vaginal walls atrophy and start to become thin. Due to this, one experiences vaginal itching, soreness, and pain during sexual intercourse.
Vaginal discharge – This, like the dryness and itching mentioned above, is frequently a sign of vaginal atrophy. Due to this, a women’s vaginal discharge may be tinted with blood in some cases, which is not necessarily a problem, but if it becomes stronger and more frequent, one should receive medical advice.
Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) – According to studies, nearly forty percent of postmenopausal women experience mild to severe urinary incontinence. This loss of bladder control occurs during physical activities such as laughing, sneezing, coughing, or exercising. Low estrogen levels cause the muscles that control the bladder to weaken. This distressing symptom can be slightly alleviated by Kegel (pelvic floor) exercise and, to a lesser extent, by energy-based vaginal treatments such as the FemiLift…
Weight gain – Women will unexplainably gain around five to ten kilograms during this stage.
Insomnia – Some women find it difficult to sleep regularly during the first years of menopause.
What about sexual life?
Some women believe they should give up sex when they reach menopause, whether because of the symptoms listed above or because of prejudice developed earlier in life. Today, women realize that staying sexually active as they get older has many health benefits, here are a few examples:
Improves blood flow and reduces stress
Strengthens the immune system
Promotes better sleep
Supports bladder control by addressing the troubling symptoms and regaining your self-confidence
Treating post menopause symptoms
Many women decide to improve their health by addressing their symptoms and finding ways to treat them through an array of approaches:
Lifestyle change – While it seems like the most secure approach, lifestyle changes are not always so simple to implement, because it entails regular exercise, stress-relieving activities, and eating a well-balanced postmenopausal diet.
Alternative medicine- Of course, there are numerous treatments available. Some treatments include natural herbs that regulate hormones, massage, aromatherapy, and biofeedback.
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT)- Hormone replacement therapy is medication that contains female hormones. You take the medication to replace the estrogen that your body stops making during menopause. However, researchers believe that synthetic hormones increase the risk of life-threatening conditions, such as heart disease, breast and ovarian cancer, blood clots, etc.
Non-invasive surgical laser treatments such as the FemiLift- These treatments treat vaginal dryness, urinary incontinence, and vaginal laxity. Many women discover that addressing and treating these issues allow them to rediscover and rejuvenate their sexual life, confidence, and femininity.
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