{"id":10663,"date":"2022-10-14T03:18:00","date_gmt":"2022-10-14T02:18:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movementformodernlife.com\/blog\/?p=10663"},"modified":"2024-02-10T16:19:07","modified_gmt":"2024-02-10T16:19:07","slug":"what-is-menopause-petra-coveney","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movementformodernlife.com\/blog\/what-is-menopause-petra-coveney\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Menopause? | Petra Coveney"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Menopause is <\/strong>a medical term. It is derived from ancient Greek, and means the pause in your menses or monthly cycle. It marks the end of the reproductive stage of your life. This is different to the phrase, \u2018the menopause\u2019 which is the umbrella term for the three stages: perimenopause; menopause and post menopause.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Perimenopause<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Perimenopause is when you are coming to the end reproductive stage of your life. Your menstrual cycle becomes irregular as your ovaries release fewer eggs and your fertility hormones – oestrogen and progesterone \u2013 can fluctuate month by month, week by week. It usually occurs between the ages of 45-50. This is just an average age and some women will start younger, and some older. This stage can last up to 6 years. Women who have premature menopause<\/strong> (POI) have a shorter perimenopause; and women who have had surgery to remove their womb will go directly into menopause as a result. The symptoms you experience are mainly due to the fluctuations in the level of your hormones oestrogen and progesterone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Menopause<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Menopause is simply the medical term for when you have not had a menstrual period for 12 months. Doctors use it to determine the end of your fertility. This stage sounds straightforward, but a woman may not have a period for 11 months and think she is at the end of her menopause, only for it to return on the 12th<\/sup> month and have to restart the clock. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On average, it starts between 50-52 – but can be earlier or later \u2013 and the menopause transition can last several years. Symptoms are linked to the withdrawal of oestrogen and can include heavier or even continuous menstrual bleeds, which may be painful and exhausting causing fatigue. However, other women will barely notice that their periods have stopped and will seemingly breeze through this stage. The withdrawal of oestrogen can intensify hot flushes and night sweats and cause disturbed sleep, fatigue, brain fog and short-term memory loss and anxiety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Post Menopause<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Post menopause is simply the stage after your menopause. It is a medical term to indicate the post reproductive stage of your life. On average, women move into post menopause between the ages 53-56, but it can occur earlier or later. This stage also has phases of early <\/em>post menopause and late<\/em> post menopause. This is because, unless you are taking Hormone Replacement Therapy, it can take several years for your body to adjust to the new level of hormones, and the different type of oestrogen that is produced after menopause. The symptoms in early post menopause are linked to the withdrawal of oestrogen, which can reduce the strength of your bones (osteopenia), weaken your muscles (sarcopenia), increase risks of cardiovascular disease, breast cancer and weight gain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of the symptoms are linked to family history (genetics), and serious illness, but you can also reduce your risks by looking after your body and mind by reducing stress (which triggers symptoms and depletes bone calcium), by improving your nutrition, taking the right kinds of exercise and choosing to take a positive perspective on your menopausal years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can read more about your hormones in Hormones and the Menopause article. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Symptoms<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You have probably heard a lot about the negative symptoms that often accompany the menopause. It is important to remember that every woman\u2019s experience of the menopause is individual, and you may experience many, or very few symptoms. You may not even realise that these are related to the hormonal changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The decline in the production of your fertility hormones oestrogen and progesterone in your ovaries actually affects your whole body. Progesterone is needed to support the health of their womb lining. But women need oestrogen to support the daily functioning of their bodies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When oestrogen withdraws, women may experience vasodilator symptoms such as hot flushes, or shivers, night sweats and insomnia. There are oestrogen receptors in almost every cell, tissue and organ in her body, including her brain. So, a woman may experience cognitive symptoms such as brain fog, mental overload, headaches, short term memory loss, anxiety, panic attacks, and insomnia, loss of joy, low mood and depression. Physical symptoms can include: sore joints and muscles (especially frozen shoulder and lower back pain), hair loss, dry skin, dehydration, itchy skin, vaginal dryness, digestive problems such as allergies, constipation, bloating, inflammation, weight gain, twitching muscles, heart palpitations, lethargy, extreme fatigue, and many more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The symptoms you may experience will vary at each stage of the menopause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Early signs and symptoms<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In early perimenopause, your symptoms are mainly related to the fluctuations in progesterone and oestrogen.  Some months you\u2019ll have a regular menstrual cycle, and on other months your ovaries may not release an egg (anovulatory) and there is a drop in oestrogen and progesterone. This causes hormonal peaks and troughs which can be erratic and unpredictable and lead to physical, cognitive and emotional symptoms. Anyone who has experienced Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) will know that there are a few days of the month when your levels of oestrogen and progesterone levels are higher or lower, which can cause headaches, bloating, tearfulness, fatigue, low mood, irritability etc. In perimenopause, a woman can experience these symptoms on a regular daily basis as her menstrual cycle stops and starts erratically.  In late perimenopause, the withdrawal of oestrogen can trigger vasodilator symptoms such as hot flushes, cold shivers, night sweats. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A Meno PAUSE<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Women at this stage of the menopause need to rest, literally take a meno PAUSE any time of the day when they feel overwhelmed or exhausted by the effects of these dramatic hormonal changes. They can experience a sensory overload and brain fog that feels overwhelming. Simply sitting or lying down in a cool, dark room for 5-15 minutes may be all you need to get back on your feet. In terms of nutrition and lifestyle, now is the time to stabilise your daily routine creating a grounding structure to your day that can anchor you emotionally. Now is the time to say NO to offers to socialise every night, NO to working late again, NO to skipping meals and replacing food with sugar caffeine and alcohol,  in fact cut them out if you can. These substances trigger vasodilator symptoms causing you to feel anxious, hot, headachy. Or even…depressed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The menopause is not an illness, or a sickness. It is a significant, major hormonal shift that can be viewed as the reverse of puberty and has a similar effect on your body including your brain function, in some women it causes short term memory loss, brain fog, anxiety, and insomnia. However, the menopause can mask serious underlying health conditions, so you must always consult your doctor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2018You are unique\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Your experience of the menopause will not be the same as another woman\u2019s experience. Doctors are advised to offer women individualised<\/em> treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your experience of the menopause is individual and depends on many factors, including: <\/p>\n\n\n\n