Life After Menopause
|
As a woman
hits mid-life, usually her late forties, she may begin to notice how
different she feels. Some women just feel completely worn out, as if
they are tired and may never recover. Most women do not realize that
they are experiencing post-menopausal symptoms. During menopause,
women's bodies change. Their ovaries are increasingly less
productive, which means that the hormone levels in their blood go
down. Before a woman can reach post menopause, however, she must not
have experienced a menstrual period for at least one year.
|
|
As women age and begin perimenopause, they may
miss the occasional cycle, but they will not reach post-menopause until they
have no had a period for 12 consecutive months.
The different kinds of things a woman feels during
post-menopause can be debilitating. There may be whole ranges of emotions that
women experience like anger, depression, and frustration. These emotions can
have serious consequences in the woman's life. They can damage new and current
relationships. They make it easy for old friends to stop contacting or
communicating with these women because they never know what mood they might
encounter. It can make it hard on employers, too, because it is hard for a
woman to focus on her work when she is dealing with so many other issues. It
is essential to remember that all of these emotions are quite normal. Every
woman has them, and some women deal with them without a problem. Other women,
though, can have a much more difficult time with the issues. Sometimes
medication is necessary in these cases.
If you do experience any serious post-menopause
symptoms, it is essential to choose the right doctor. If your doctor seems
cold or impersonal, it can be essential to find a new gynecologist who works
with your personality style. You need someone who can give you the right
options about treatment. You also need someone who can provide you with some
encouragement. It is important to remember that it may feel like you will
never get over the problems associated with post-menopause, but you will,
eventually, be able to move on with your life at some point. Hopefully, the
people around you who have been struggling with your emotional changes will
understand and expect this to be part of your normal menopausal process. While
they may seem mad or just tired of your emotional condition at first, they
will get over it eventually. Moreover, you will need their love and support to
get over this emotional point in your life.
One thing that can help
is to learn to focus on other things besides your menopause symptoms. For
example, many women, when experiencing menopause, take up activities that are
new or forgotten to them. Some find a new hobby like gardening or pottery.
Others meet old friends once a week for coffee.
|
Still others try to do
something special for themselves on a regular basis.
Try joining a water aerobics
class. You might contact your local college and see what continuing
education opportunities they have available to you. Keeping yourself
busy and working with things you enjoy can help you control your
symptoms. You might also want to contact a local herb store and see
what natural supplements they have available. These tend to cost far
less than prescription drugs, and they don't have the side effects
that prescriptions do. The key to dealing with menopause is taking
the time to understand it. |
|
|