1. Menopause is No Laughing Matter
Defined as the end to a woman's menstrual cycle and fertility, menopause is often the punch line of many jokes. However, menopause changes women's bodies, causing them to suffer from hot flashes, mood swings, night sweats and other symptoms. Women often need physical or emotional treatment during menopause, and can find help through hormone replacement therapy, herbs, or other natural therapies.
2. Celebrate Your Right of Passage
Menopause is the passing from one stage of your life to another. It is a time to celebrate, not to mourn. Many societies, such as native American tribes, treat women who have gone through menopause as wise women or matrons. Recognized for their life experiences, they hold a position of respect. Women in our society are now starting to come forward and talk about their experiences, instead of being ashamed.
3. Consider Hormone Replacement
Menopause is caused when a woman's body no longer produces the same level of hormones it did when she was younger. Hormone replacement therapy, or HRT, is a drug therapy that replaces these hormones, usually with a combination of estrogen and progesterone. There are a few risks associated with HRT, such as increased chance of blood clots, breast cancer, heart disease and stroke. However, HRT also has benefits, such as lowering a woman's risk of osteoporosis, colorectal cancer and some heart disease. Weigh the pros and cons with your doctor before deciding if this option is for you.
4. Go Natural With Herbs and Exercise
Many holistic physicians recommend a regimen of herbs and exercise for women with menopause symptoms. Several herbs recommended are black cohosh, dong quai and red clover, which are all phytoestrogens. These plant estrogens bond with the estrogen receptors in a woman's body to help reduce the symptoms of menopause. Exercise is also important. Weight bearing exercise counters the bone loss women suffer when no longer producing higher levels of estrogen.
5. Life After Menopause
A woman usually experience menopause between the ages of 45 and 55. Life expectancy for women in the world today is averaging near 80. This leaves 25 to 35 years after menopause, for most women. Menopause is the beginning of a new era in a woman's life. She should embrace her age, have fun and feel more independent after going through menopause.
