Yay, the holiday season is almost upon us, but in the meantime, today is WORLD MENOPAUSE DAY! Seriously. There is a day for this, and hey, ladies, today’s that day. Woot woot.
What this tells us is that menopause symptoms are real, and they’re worth addressing, because they can be devastating to women.
And what I have to say is that they don’t have to be.
Before you boo me off the stage, please hear me out, because I bring you tidings of great joy.
Menopause is a biological condition that all women go through. It is a fact of life that there comes a time when we leave our childbearing years. During the time leading up to menopause (which is marked by one year from the time of your last period), the production of estrogen and progesterone and other hormones slows down and changes. This is normal.
For many of us, those changes bring with them a wonkiness of body and mind that can be hard to handle: hot flashes, mood swings, weight gain, vaginal dryness (cringe), low libido (I mean… following that last symptom, this makes sense), insomnia, fatigue, hair loss, aching joints, headaches, irregular periods, heart palpitations, depression, anxiety, digestive issues, memory loss, lack of focus, crying jags…
Interestingly, in many other countries, women report much milder symptoms. Menopause looks different around the world. Why is this? Does it have to do with ethnicity? Is it cultural? Perhaps both.
Hormone levels don’t operate entirely independently. In fact, it’s more of a dance. Cha-cha-cha. And lifestyle plays a very large part of this. (THIS IS THE TIDINGS OF GREAT JOY PART!)
How you eat and drink, sleep, move your body, and think are known to affect hormone levels. For example, cortisol (stress hormone) and insulin (a hormonal response to blood sugar levels) are powerful hormones that have big impact on our health. And these are known to respond well to lifestyle changes.
In the United States, menopause is often treated as a disease. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and prescription drugs are sometimes presented as the only way to get through this. “Soldier on, dear lady, this will be over in a mere 10 years.”
Contrasting this, in some cultures, menopause is something to look forward to because it signifies wisdom, as well as a new freedom. Perhaps this mindset and this mindset of looking at menopause as a welcomed beginning to a new phase of life sends our body and its hormones different signals than seeing menopause as something we’ve dreaded all our lives… a disease to be suffered through.
Can lifestyle eliminate all of the symptoms associated with this hormonal change in a woman’s life? Probably not. This change is, after, an inevitable part of aging. But lifestyle can go a long, long way to easing this transition. You can still have a vibrant and full life without being sidelined by hormonal craziness. And you can have pants that still fit. Bonus!
By way of encouragement, check out a little bit of my transition to menopause story. I’m here to say, a smooth transition can be yours. Reach out to me. I can help. And dark chocolate may be involved (hooray!).
What about you?
Are you experiencing a difficult time with hormones? Girlfriend, message me.