Menopause is a fact of life that often shows up unannounced and wreaks havoc on a woman’s general well-being. However the change is not the beginning of the end. Even though it can change one’s life upside down, it can be weathered like a storm.
Menopause can be defined as the point at which a woman has gone 12 months without having her monthly period.
Most women reach menopause between their late forties and early sixties, this means that the post-menopausal period could stretch from your fifties.
As you wind down from the menopause, your body continues to go through a lot of changes. While your hormone levels adjust to a new normal level, your body goes through various changes, and so does your general well-being.
[bctt tweet=”Menopause can turn a woman’s life upside down and affect her general well-being. But you can learn to weather it like a storm.”]
Facts about menopause
- At menopause fat is more likely to settle on the waistline. It is thought that the body attempts to hoard oestrogen in fat cells around the stomach area.
- Your blood pressure may go up along with bad LDL cholesterol level raising the risk of heart disease or stroke. You can reduce the risk of heart attack by taking regular exercises, reducing red meat and sugary food while you increase your intake of vegetables, fruits and nuts.
- Lose of bladder control. Oestrogen plays a key role in keeping the bladder and pelvic muscles in good working order. When the oestrogen levels are low in a menopausal woman loss of bladder control might be a problem. To reduce the risk of peeing when you laugh, you have to exercise your body regularly.
- During menopause your weight can fluctuate and your breasts might lose their elasticity. They shrink and the shape changes.
- Bone loss speeds up post menopause. Research has shown that one could lose up to 20% of the bone density the first five to seven years after menopause, putting one at the risk of osteoporosis. However consuming plenty of food rich in calcium and engaging in strength training exercises can be of great help.
Whatever happens, there are various ways to deal with the symptoms of menopause to make one live a comfortable life. We’ll discuss some of these in another blog post.
Awesome, but I want to know apart from you not menstruating, what are the other signs of menopause.
Hello Olubukola,
Thank you for asking this question.
The other symptoms of menopause apart from your menstruation stopping are:
You may not be able to sleep well at night because of what is called “hot flushes”. Hot flushes is when you feel very very hot even when the weather is very very cold or the air-conditioner wherever you are is very very cold.
Your blood pressure may go up along with the LDL cholesterol, raising your risk of having a heart disease or stroke and this might be because of your lack of sleep.
Another symptom of menopause is sweating profusely.
You may also experience unexplainable headaches and joint pain.
Your sex life may reduce or increase.
You may also experience loss of bladder control.
During menopause your weight can fluctuate and your breasts may lose elasticity, shrink or change shape.
Thank you for engaging. And I hope that your question has been answered.