What is Menopause?

Menopause is when a woman stops having periods and her ovaries stop producing eggs and hormones (estrogen, progesterone and testosterone)

It is an inevitable stage in every woman’s life.

But it is not the same for every woman.

Different Symptoms

Some women breeze through it, with little or no difficulties at all.

Whereas other women have all kinds of devastating symptoms, both physical and psychological, that severely impact their lives.

Different Causes

Menopause can be a natural event, or it can happen because of surgery, medical treatments or medical conditions.

With a natural menopause, your periods and hormone production don’t just stop suddenly. There is a gradual decline and often fluctuations in the function of the ovaries before they completely cease working – this is called Perimenopause and can be the most symptomatic time for lots of women.

With a Surgical or Induced menopause, there is a sudden and more extreme loss of ovarian function. This often leads to more severe and prolonged symptoms.

Different Ages

The natural age is around 51, but it can happen at a younger age for various reasons.

Premature Ovarian Insufficiency (POI) is when a woman’s ovaries stop working properly before she is 40. Often there is no obvious cause or reason for this.

Different Treatments

There are many different ways to manage menopausal symptoms and each woman has to find what works best for her.

Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) is not always effective or appropriate for all women.

There are various natural supplements and herbal remedies that can help to improve symptoms.

There are also many healthy lifestyle changes that will benefit all women. These include eating a Mediterranean style diet, avoiding too much sugar and processed foods, reducing alcohol, exercising regularly (especially weight training) and reducing stress. These lifestyle approaches not only help treat the symptoms of menopause but also improve overall health, well-being and longevity.

The Same Health Consequences

All women, whether they get menopausal symptoms or not, are at increased risk of several health conditions after the menopause.

Our hormones are protective and useful for our bodies – and when we don’t make them anymore, our bones, brains, bowels, immune system, heart and blood vessels all become more at risk of disease.

This is why it’s so important to look after ourselves with good food, good exercise and good sleep to keep us happy and healthy for many years.