I am experiencing an entirely new stage of life - the wild and crazy world of menopause. (Yep. We're going there. So, if this topic is going to make you uncomfortable - you may want to stop reading right now and go to a different blog.) Wait... that's not true,. It's not really entirely new since technically I have been in this stage of life for several years now.
Here's the thing. Other than the bare basics - no one ever told me much about menopause. I thought you had a short time with hot flashes and mood swings while your periods got further apart and then just stopped. Little did I know. Even after all this time, I'm still surprised by it on a regular basis. And I'm still learning what is involved in the process.
Let's start with some of the basics...
What IS menopause? I think of it as a sort of reverse puberty. Remember puberty? That time in life when your body went through changes leading up to the beginning of the menstruation years? Menopause is the time in life when your body goes through changes marking the end of the reproductive years. During this time your eggs are depleted, your ovaries start to shrink, and you begin producing less estrogen and progesterone - the hormones responsible for menstruation. Some women may experience early menopause if these changes occur for reasons such as Premature Ovarian Failure or hysterectomy.
Menopause occurs in three stages. Perimenopause is the 5 to 10 years before menopause when your hormone levels begin to decrease. This can start as early as the mid-30s, but usually begins in a woman's early 40's. This is the stage I'm currently experiencing. Menopause is when a woman has not experienced a period for 12 consecutive months (without experiencing other causes such as pregnancy, medication, or illness). Postmenopause is, well... the rest of your life without periods in which the symptoms experienced during menopause decrease or disappear completely.
What are the symptoms of menopause? You've probably heard all about the hot flashes, but menopause can also bring about:
- irregular periods
- night sweats
- insomnia
- mood swings
- irritability
- anxiety
- vaginal dryness
- dry skin
- elevated heart rate
- urinary issues
- weight gain
- and more
(Sounds like a real good time, right?)
Throughout this year, I will be sharing some of the lessons I have learned about menopause over the past several years. And maybe a few more that I learn in the months to come. I hope you'll join me for the journey.
Do you have questions about menopause? Let me know in the comments and I'll try to answer them through out the series.
Menopause for me was about 4 years of mood swings, hot flashes, and I got really sick. I had pneumonia for the first time while in menopause. I got the stomach flu, I had my first (and only) migraine headache, it seemed I was always catching a cold and just feeling miserable. (Maybe our immune systems are compromised? I don't know.) One day a friend and co-worker who knew I was going through it told me, "This part doesn't last forever." I had no idea it was all connected to menopause! But she was right, as I came out of menopause, the illnesses came less and less. I also developed an allergic reaction to nail polish, something I'd worn most of my life with no complications. A few years after menopause I could wear it again. It is a strange beast, that menopause!
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