Menopause - A New Chapter

A new chapter begins in your life with the onset of the menopause. Some women take it as a challenge and face up to all its trials without succumbing, others are not so lucky. This zone is for women who are going through the menopause or have survived it to tell the tale. I wanted to find out how women cope through this transition in their lives and what they found out about themselves.

Sometimes called "the change of life" the menopause brings with it a host of new health issues, which women have to deal and cope with, in order to continue leading a normal life.

Menopause occurs between the ages of 45 - 55 with some women experiencing it at a much earlier age and it signifies the end of ovulation or egg production for a woman. For some women there is a gradual cessation of menstruation, a transition period called the peri menopause but for others; their periods come to a sudden stop. If they do not have a period for a year after this cessation, they are considered postmenopausal.

A woman experiences many physical and emotional changes during the menopause because of the decreasing levels of the sex hormones, oestrogen and progesterone in the body. Some of the changes that accompany the menopause include hot flushes, night sweats and sleeplessness, loss of libido, loss of bone density and depression. It is important to talk to your doctor about your symptoms and discuss treatment options. The most commonly prescribed treatment is HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) which makes life easier for some women but it comes with its own set of side effects. There is a much higher risk of a stroke for women who take HRT but under medical supervision, this can be an option, which is readily available for most women to relieve distressing menopausal symptoms.

Some women do not like to take HRT but turn to natural remedies to make this transition period in their lives easier. There is a lot of information available about herbal and natural alternatives and some well known ones include Black Cohosh, Isoflavones, Red clover extract and Sage. Natural practitioners and herbalists will work with you to choose which remedy works best for you and produces the most effective results. The benefit of natural herbs is that they are mostly free from side effects, but it is always best to consult an expert before you decide to take any herbal medicine.

The menopause occurs at the age where women have the experience and knowledge to make the best choices for their body and for this reason; many women readily accept the alternative approach to dealing with their menopausal symptoms. Health experts like Leslie Kenton encourage a change of lifestyle and diet to help women cope better with the menopause. She encourages women to change habits of eating sugary and high fat foods into healthier ones. In addition, increasing weight bearing exercises to improve bone density and keeping a positive outlook can transform the physical and mental health of many women who can make this stage of their life one of the best times of their lives. Their childbearing duties are over and the menopause is a time to do things they always dreamt of doing and achieving goals without family commitments holding them back.

It is only recently that research on the menopause has started, with women in the past suffering the symptoms in silence and without much help forthcoming. As women all over the world, get more vocal about their problems there is more pressure about finding better ways of coping with the menopause. October 18th has been designated the World Menopause Day by the joint efforts of The International Menopause Society and the World Health Organization. This has encouraged the distribution of free information about the menopause among women of the world alongside education on how to deal with their symptoms effectively.

For women going through a particularly difficult time during the menopause it helps to talk to their doctor or check websites for menopause support in their local areas. http://www.webmd.com/ is one website that covers a whole range of different problems associated with the menopause with links on where to find help and support.

Here are some more links:

MenopauseExpert.co.uk - a comprehensive guide to the menopause

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What to eat during the Menopause

Cheryl Lunghi and Maryon Stewart