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Changes During a Woman’s Menopause
As baby boomers move into midlife, a woman’s menopause does nothave quite the alarming effect that it did some years ago.However, it remains a time of change in her life, as the ovariesstart shutting down causing hormones to fluctuate. When thisoccurs, her childbearing years come to an end. A woman’smenopause is a perfectly normal process that occurs over severalyears, but the physical and emotional changes associated withthis “change of life” will vary from woman to woman. Some womenexperience symptoms that include hot flashes, mood swings,memory difficulties, vaginal dryness, and insomnia, while otherwomen experience no symptoms whatsoever.Too often, women even confuse natural aging changes withmenopause. The few symptoms actually associated with menopausecan usually be handled with a few minor lifestyle changes.Contrary to what most women have heard about menopause, it canbe an exciting and challenging time. All women should know thatthey will experience menopause at some point in their life,whether it be premature or natural menopause. So many times, itis easy to blame other factors on menopause but it should beunderstood that not all symptoms a woman experiences arenecessarily related to menopause. For instance, a number ofwomen will undergo a different stresses in midlife, causingmoodiness and anxiety, but these factors do not mean that awoman’s menopause causes depression.There is a myth that most women will lose their desire for sexduring the menopausal years when in fact, the midlife years canbe a time of enhanced sexual desire because of the freedom fromhaving to use birth control and concerns over possiblepregnancy. If a woman experiences vaginal dryness or painfulintercourse, lubricants or creams can be used. A woman’s desirefor sex usually has more to do with feelings for her partnerthan with her body’s hormonal changes. Another factor that mightbe blamed on a woman’s menopause is weight gain, but some womenmay actually lose weight. It is important to be wise, eatinghealthy food and exercising regularly to maintain optimal health.A couple of important things for women to remember while goingthrough this time in her life is that she should be open in hercommunication by sharing thoughts and concerns about the changesin her body and mind. Open communication helps bring couplescloser instead of creating distance. Another consideration inhelping a woman feel better about going through the change oflife is to connect with female friends, reminiscing about thepast and possible changes to be made in the future.Additionally, women going through menopause need proper sleep.If she has trouble going to sleep, she could try taking a hotshower before bedtime or drinking a glass of warm milk or aglass of wine (just one). Even an occasional sleeping pill isrecommended if nothing else seems to work, but only whenrecommended by her doctor.Maintaining optimal health by eating healthy and exercisingregularly is important for anyone not just for a woman goingthrough menopause. Some other suggested ideas include dressingin layers during the winter and cooler clothing during thesummer for hot flashes. As mentioned earlier, not all women willhave the same menopause process, so if a woman is experiencingsymptoms that are uncomfortable or if she is just plain curious,she should consult her doctor. The doctor can perform a bloodtest for FSH levels to determine if a woman’s menopause isnearing. Menopause is the doorway to a new life, closing onechapter in life and moving on.
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