A woman should pay special attention to her health during menopause, which is a critical stage of life. It is not a sickness; rather, it is a big transformation with several symptoms.
There are steps you may do throughout menopause to aid with these symptoms and better protect your health from some of the dangers you could face.
What is menopause exactly?
It is characterized as the end of a woman's menstrual periods caused by aging or occasionally by the removal of the uterus or ovaries.
It often lasts a few years before menstruation permanently stops, and it generally occurs between the ages of 45 and 55, with a median age of 51. After a year without a period, a woman has reached complete menopause.
It may begin sooner or later than the normal range, and some women experience perimenopause first.
Before menopause, a woman may experience hormonal changes, irregular or changing periods, and other signs that her body is preparing for menopause. It can begin up to ten years before menopause but not all women experience it.
So how can you tell whether menopause is beginning for you? You'll probably experience some of these common signs:
- Hot flashes
- Night sweats
- Irregular or missed periods
- Periods that are heavier or lighter than usual
- Trouble sleeping
- Flushing (your face gets red)
- Vaginal dryness
- Incontinence (trouble controlling your urine)
- Depression or anxiety
- Irritability or mood swings
- Spotty memory
- Thinning hair
- More facial or body hair
- Loss of breast mass
- Dry skin, mouth, or eyes
- Frequent headaches or joint pain
consult your doctor, If you have these symptoms and you're in the menopausal age range (particularly if other women in your family have gone through it).
Ask to get checked for an underactive thyroid if it seems a bit early; many of the symptoms listed above are the same, and it's common among older women.
Menopausal symptoms natural remedies
Along with other medications like hormone therapy and antidepressants, you can discover medical solutions to your problems with the help of your doctor.
However, if your symptoms aren't severe or you choose to start with non-medical treatments, here are 12 natural ways to treat them:
1. Consume calcium- and vitamin D-rich foods
Menopausal hormone imbalances can cause bone weakness, increasing the risk of osteoporosis.
It's critical to get enough calcium and vitamin D in your diet as these nutrients are related to strong bones.
A decreased incidence of hip fractures due to weak bones is also linked to adequate vitamin D consumption during postmenopause.
Dairy products like yogurt, milk, and cheese are among the many foods that are high in calcium.
Calcium is also abundant in green, leafy vegetables like kale, collard greens, and spinach. It is also abundant in sardines, tofu, beans, and other foods.
Additionally, foods that have been fortified with calcium, such as certain cereals, fruit juice, or milk substitutes, are also excellent sources.
Since your skin generates vitamin D when exposed to sunlight, sunlight is your major supply of this vitamin. But as you age, your skin becomes less effective at producing it.
Increasing dietary sources of vitamin D or taking a supplement may be useful if you don't get much sun exposure or cover up your skin.
Oily fish, eggs, cod liver oil, and foods fortified with vitamin D2 are excellent dietary sources.
2. Always keep the temperature down
Hot flashes are the most typical menopausal symptom. Women going through menopause are recommended to dress comfortably all the time, especially at night.
In order to promote better sleep, it is essential to maintain the bedroom well-ventilated at night.
3. Keep your weight at a healthy level
Weight gain is frequent during menopause.
This may be brought on by a mix of genetics, age, lifestyle, and changing hormones.
Excess body fat, particularly around the waist, raises the risk of illnesses such as heart disease and diabetes.
Additionally, menopausal symptoms may be affected by body weight.
One research of 17,473 postmenopausal women discovered that hot flashes and night sweats were more likely to go away in those who dropped at least 10 pounds (4.5 kg) or 10% of their body weight over a year.
4. Drink a lot of water
Dryness is a frequent menopausal symptom. The skin, vagina, and other areas of the body are all affected by this dryness. This dryness is a result of the reduction in estrogen levels.
Drinking plenty of water will minimize this discomfort and keep the body hydrated. Additionally, managing weight, which is a special issue for menopausal women, would be easier with proper water consumption.
It is advised to have one or two glasses of water before each meal to lower calorie consumption.
5. Consume plenty of fruits and veggies
Many menopausal symptoms can be avoided with a diet high in fruits and vegetables.
Fruits and vegetables are excellent for weight reduction and weight maintenance since they are low in calories and make you feel full.
They could also aid in the prevention of some illnesses, such as heart disease.
This is crucial since the risk of heart disease tends to rise after menopause. Age, increased weight, or potentially lower estrogen levels may be to blame for this.
Finally, eating more fruits and vegetables may help stop bone loss.
Diets rich in fruit and vegetables may prevent bone degradation, according to one observational study of 3,236 women between the ages of 50 and 59.
6. Skin Care
Dryness and irritability of the skin are common menopausal symptoms.
Moisturizers and other skin care products can help lessen skin irritation and dryness.
7. Exercise regularly
Exercise may help with hot flashes and night sweats, but the research is still insufficient to say for sure.
However, there is proof to back up the additional advantages of consistent exercises, such as Pilates-based workout regimens. These advantages include increased metabolism and energy, stronger bones and joints, less stress, and better sleep.
For instance, Korean research that examined the results of a 12-week walking exercise program discovered that it enhanced the physical and mental health as well as the general quality of life in a group of 40 menopausal women.
In addition to improving general health, regular exercise has been linked to a lower risk of developing illnesses and disorders like cancer, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and osteoporosis.
Several studies have shown that regular exercise may help lower the risk of heart disease in menopausal women, whose risk is already significantly increased.
8. Stop drinking and smoking
Anyone, regardless of age, should avoid unhealthy habits like smoking and drinking.
In addition to causing other illnesses or disorders, these activities can aggravate menopausal symptoms.
9. Increase your consumption of foods rich in phytoestrogens
Phytoestrogens are organic plant substances that can imitate estrogen's physiological effects.
As a result, they could aid in hormone balancing.
It is believed that the high use of phytoestrogens in Asian nations like Japan is the cause of the rarity of hot flashes among menopausal women there.
Phytoestrogen-rich foods include • Soybeans and soy products, beans, tofu, tempeh, flaxseeds, linseeds, sesame seeds, and others.
However, different processing techniques result in different amounts of phytoestrogen in food.
A soy-rich diet was linked in one research to lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and the intensity of hot flashes and night sweats in women who were starting to experience menopause.
However, the question of whether soy products are healthy or not is still up for debate.
It appears that natural dietary sources of phytoestrogens are preferable to supplements or processed meals with soy protein added.
10. Excite the Mind
Stimulating the brain is a way to escape the stress and discomfort that comes with menopause and prevent mood swings.
At this point in their life, menopausal women are recommended to study new things. It may be learning a new skill or art form, a new language, or anything else that challenges the mind and the brain. This aids in deflecting attention from the difficulties of menopause.
After turning 40, women should prepare for menopause, which marks the end of the menstrual cycle.
It also has a number of uncomfortable side effects, including hot flashes and vaginal dryness. It is advised that we modify our lifestyles to include frequent exercise, staying cool, and strict dietary instructions in order to either enjoy menopause or at the very least lessen its symptoms.
11. Reduce your intake of refined sugar and processed foods
A diet rich in sugar and processed carbohydrates can cause your blood sugar to jump significantly, leaving you exhausted and agitated. This might make menopausal symptoms—both physical and psychological—worse.
In fact, research indicated that postmenopausal women's risk of developing depression may be increased by diets rich in refined carbohydrates.
The health of your bones may also be impacted by diets heavy in processed foods, particularly if these products are taking the place of the nutrients you need from a regular balanced diet.
Among women between the ages of 50 and 59, significant observational research discovered a link between poor bone strength and diets rich in processed and snack foods.
12. Never miss a meal
When going through menopause, it may be necessary to eat regularly.
It may be more difficult to maintain weight while eating irregularly, which might worsen some menopausal symptoms.
During a 12-month weight-management program for postmenopausal women, it was shown that missing meals resulted in a 4.3% lower weight reduction rate.