Menopause - What all women should know

Many women see menopause as something to dread but it doesn’t have to be that way. The wisest thing a woman can do at any stage of her life is get to know her body and understand its cycles. When we know ourselves well, it is much easier to take steps towards positive health and wellbeing.

Our menstrual cycle is like the seasons and so too is our menopausal journey, although as you might expect, the seasons shift. When we know what to expect, we are empowered to take better care of ourselves. Women could benefit from familiarising themselves with their monthly cycle from the day it commences. Put the work in from your early forties onward and menopause can be an experience to be fully embraced.

As you can see from the image above, the four seasons of our menstrual cycle coincide with changes in energy and creativity which is why we want to pay attention and make the most of each phase. This doesn’t weaken our sex, far from it, it makes us so much more creative!

Our early forties are the years when we want to prepare our body for menopause. Some women may still be having babies but that doesn’t stop you from you from pausing in between and putting an action plan into place.

Now is the time to eat really well. Consult a nutritional therapist who can advise you on how to balance your hormones with your diet. There may be some deficiencies that need addressing. Perhaps your gut is in excess of bad bacteria and needs cleansing. Imbalances will more likely result in peri-menopausal symptoms. That’s because at peri-menopause, (the time leading up to menopause which can be between 5 and 10 years), our hormones fluctuate. This fluctuation results in a list of symptoms as long as your arm! Interestingly, women from Eastern nations, particularly Japan experience few or no symptoms due to their healthy diet.

Stress is a very Western problem causing inflammation in the body. It triggers the adrenal glands to secrete stress hormones. During peri-menopause, as oestrogen levels drop, our adrenal glands take on the role of producing oestrone; a hormone that mimics oestrogen. While our hormones are fluctuating, we are less able to cope with stress and our peri-menopausal symptoms worsen. You can imagine that the poor adrenals are exhausted and when we speak about burn out, this is precisely what it refers to; fatigued adrenal glands.

Use your early forties to prepare your mind and body for what’s to come. Educate yourself as much as possible but also the men and boys in your family and workplace so they can be understanding and supportive when they witness the changes. Seek help in the form of therapy if you are still hanging on to any past trauma, depression or anxiety.

As you enter peri-menopause you will be thankful you made the effort. However if you are in that stage now, you can still address your diet and mental wellbeing. This is not the time for marathon running and competitive sport! That can be stressful for your body too. It is a time for regular but gentle exercise that brings you joy. It is not the time for dieting; in fact carrying a little weight is healthy now as oestrogen is held in fat cells so the longer we can hold on to it, the better! The fat we eat should come from healthy sources however, not sugar and carbohydrates which disrupt hormones and worsen symptoms, as do caffeine and alchohol. Self care and rest are vital now, meditation and restorative yoga are ideal. Peri-menopause is a time to seek balance. By knowing yourself well, you will learn what you can tolerate and what changes need to be made for you to thrive.

Menopause is technically one day! We reach menopause one year after our last period but this can take between one and three years. The hormones are still fluctuating during the phase and you may experience some symptoms but if you have worked at improving your health, this could be a time when the body slowly stabilises.

Post menopause is not known as your second spring for no reason; it is the stage of our lives when we ooze creativity, purpose and energy. We feel strong, resilient and live life to the full. It can be a time of real empowerment for women. Once we are in our post menopausal phase of life, we still need to pay attention to our bodies. Now is the time to build strength to increase bone density to prevent a common disease in women at this stage of life, osteoporosis. You may find you want a stronger Yoga practice and you find the energy to engage in the sports you used to enjoy. It can be a stage when women start a new career; and why not! All power to the wise woman (as we are known at this time of life). May we respect and honour the older woman and not see her as someone to be left on the pile.