Women have mixed feelings as they approach menopause. While they look forward to the freedom that comes with not having to worry about the menstrual cycle or having to think about getting pregnant, they find themselves bothered by the thought of having to go through the symptoms. Menopause symptoms can affect the body and the emotions of the women affected, so many of them wonder what they can do to help reduce them.
It is important to understand that while doctors and women alike refer to menopause as having “symptoms”, it is not a disease to be cured but a stage of life to be embraced. The first thing to do, then, to help deal with what the body is going through is to understand why these changes are occurring. Natural fluctuations in your body’s hormone levels cause your periods to become irregular. For some women this means heavy periods, but for some it means that they become lighter. During this first stage, many women’s periods skip altogether.
The changes in the menstrual cycle may not be all that distressing, but hot flashes are one of those menopause symptoms that women dread. Usually, the intense heat begins in the face or chest area, and spreads to the rest of the body. Severe enough hot flashes can cause some women to pass out–or at least to feel as though they might. Hot flashes can interfere with sleep, leading to insomnia (another common menopause symptom). While in the past, doctors regularly prescribed hormone replacement treatment to alleviate hot flashes, some studies suggest that this treatment may lead to breast cancer in menopausal women. Instead, they now recommend changes in diet and lifestyle that include reducing the consumption of caffeine, alcohol, hot drinks and spicy foods. Adding soy and such supplements as Amberen to the diet also helps some women because it contains what are known as phytoestrogens, which are known to mimic estrogen in the body. Other sources of phytoestrogens include beans, nuts, and oilseeds like flax.
Mood swings are symptoms of menopause that affects women as well as the people around them. Many women find that meditation and exercise help to reduce the severity of the mood swings, but for others doctors often recommend antidepressants. Because antidepressants and other medications can cause side effects, it may be a good idea to try natural means of dealing with mood swings before deciding to try medicine.
Weight gain is like the other symptoms of menopause in that it can be related to the dropping levels of estrogen in the body. However, it can also be related to increased stress levels. Diet and exercise are always a good idea to maintain health and keep weight down, but may not always work to keep menopausal women from gaining weight. There is a mind-body connection which often means that both the mind and body need to be dealt with before a woman can find relief from menopause symptoms. Dealing with stress through yoga, meditation and other means may help to bring the mind and body into balance and, hopefully, stop the weight gain as well as some of the other symptoms associated with menopause.