If you are a middle-aged woman in your late 40s or early 50s and feel you are not being yourself. All sorts of confusion and anxieties are suddenly creeping up without warning. Then perhaps menopause is setting in.
You will need to deal with it for a few years and many home remedies can help you to handle menopause effectively.
Fatigue, heavy bleeding, drenched with night sweats, hot flashes, weight gain, and mood swings begin to define your personality. That is not the real you; that is the onset of menopause which is changing you temporarily. This may last for a few years before you begin to feel normal again.
Every woman of 40+ age goes through this stage, a natural phase of life where hormonal balance once again begins to redefine who she is. She has already gone through a cycle of hormonal balance change in her puberty teens and now the cycle is reversing.
Your monthly menstruation cycle is coming to a permanent end. Generally, between 45-55, every woman goes through this phase. Some may get it early and others a little later. You have a large choice of natural home remedies to get relief from menopause symptoms. Some of them are given here.
Signs and Symptoms of Early Menopause
Symptoms of Early menopause are very similar to normal menopause. Except for the age at which early menopause occurs there is no other significant difference. One of the signs and symptoms of early menopause is confusion. It is not expected to happen at this age. It can take some women by surprise and then lead to confusion. Is it menopause or something else?
The first symptom of early menopause is of course the irregularities in the menstrual cycle. This may not ring the bell because irregular periods can happen due to some other problems as well.
If the irregularity of menstrual cycles follows with bouts of hot flashes then these are predictable symptoms of early menopause. However, every woman may not get hot flashes, so confusion may continue.
Other menopausal symptoms also begin to appear one by one. For example, mood swings and menstrual irregularity. Even mood swings are not sure signs of menopause because this can happen due to so many other reasons including mental and physical stresses.
But a combination of all these symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, and weight gain, etc. along with irregular periods should alert a woman to investigate and then get ready to accept the onset of early menopause.
Finally, when the 12 consecutive periods are missed, it confirms the early menopause. So as we see that there are no differences in the signs and symptoms of early menopause and normal menopause. The only difference is the age at which it happens defines it as early menopause.
Anxiety and Depression during Menopause?
Some women experience depression, irritability, and even rage during menopause. Doctors and scientists have different views about the causes of these symptoms. Many scientists believe that reduction in estrogen levels impacts brain activities leading to depression and irritability.
It has also been established that some of the other symptoms of menopause like hot flashes, night sweats (already discussed above), and sleep disturbances create fatigue, irritability, and depression. In most women it is the combination of both; estrogen level depletion and other symptoms that are responsible for irritability, depression, and rage.
The probability of experiencing depression during menopause significantly increases if a woman has a prior history of depression.
Other physiological reasons like feeling negative and insecure about getting older and infertile also can trigger depression.
Every woman has a different experience. Some women experience severe symptoms of menopause which creates stress, anxiety, and depression.
Other reasons can be social where women are taking care of their aging parents and young children in addition to working and may be many more household responsibilities. These extra responsibilities do not allow me time to take care of myself. Fatigue and stress build up causing sadness and mood swings.
The big question is how long do this kind of sadness and depressive mood last? How many years does one need to suffer? There are no exact answers. It entirely depends on the woman. She has to decide to take a route that sets her free from these issues as soon as possible.
A well-read and conscious woman will understand her symptoms well. She can motivate and prepare herself with the help of other loved ones (husband, children, and friends) to deal with the symptoms with minimum psychological problems.
On the other hand, an unaware woman may not know why it is happening to her. She may begin to think too much and get into vicious cycles of looking back and forth about her life and regret many past actions or inaction leading to more depression, irritability, and rage.
Keep yourself busy, surrounded by good people and good thoughts by accepting this significant change in life gracefully. Regular meetings and counseling with gynecologists will keep your senses in balance.
The majority of women handle menopause very well.
Menopause is the second transition in every woman’s life. The first is puberty. Menopause is the end of one cycle and the beginning of the other. The word Menopause comes from two Greek words – Meno and Pause which simply means periods stopped.
That means a permanent end of menstrual cycles. Menopause is said to have occurred when a woman misses her 12 consecutive cycles. The usual age of menopause ranges from the mid-forties to the late fifties.
Before we begin to focus on some natural home remedies for menopause, it is really important to understand the change that is taking place inside the woman's body.
Ovaries stop functioning during menopause. There are two ovaries above the pelvis region on either side of the body. The main functions of ovaries include the production of egg which travels to the uterus from the fallopian tubes for fertilization. The other function is to produce the female hormone estrogen which is responsible for bodily changes like the formation of breasts and body shapes in females.
When the production of estrogen stops a hormonal imbalance begins to affect the women from both psychological and physical levels.
Menopause will occur when a woman’s ovaries are removed surgically for some reason. This type of menopause is sudden; therefore the symptoms of menopause are more severe and unpredictable psychologically.
Every woman should prepare herself for menopause to reduce its psychological impacts. Since this is not a disease but a natural transitional condition generally there is no need for any medication.
What is required is to accept it gracefully and use natural remedies to maintain good bone and heart health during this transition.
Natural Remedies for Menopause
Most of the home remedies for menopause provide different levels of relief to different women, but some of these remedies work well with the majority of women during menopause. One such remedy that works well for most women, is Soy. Soy and soy products help in alleviating menopausal symptoms due to their high phytoestrogens concentrations.
Phytoestrogens produce almost a similar effect as hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Phytoestrogens are plant-derived components that have estrogen-enhancing capabilities. There is not much-published research on the effectiveness and side effects of Phytoestrogens, therefore their use should be monitored.
According to the American College of Obstetricians recommendations about 50 grams of soy protein per day can help relieve menopause symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats. This may also help in cholesterol balancing and improving bone density.
However, excess use of soy protein for extended periods (many years) can hurt women prone to estrogen-related breast cancer.
Other plants based food items that have estrogen-containing compounds are Alfalfa, crushed flaxseeds, garlic, green beans, wheat, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, anise seeds, peas, yams, corn, cucumbers, cabbage, olives, olive oil, papaya, oats.
All the above products are not only rich in estrogen compounds but also contain minerals, vitamins, and fiber. Consuming these products not only benefits menopause but also is good for overall health.
Another very useful home natural remedy for menopause is drinking a lot of warm water daily. Drinking 8-10 glasses of warm water spread throughout the daytime provides relief from hot flashes and night sweats.
Regular exercise such as 40 minutes of brisk walk daily along with the above food and drinking habits will make your menopausal experience the least troublesome.
Post Menopause Care
Post menopause begins when ovaries have stopped producing hormones and the menstrual period is completely stopped. The symptoms are easily manageable as compared to perimenopause or menopause symptoms. Many of the menopause symptoms begin to slowly disappear during post-menopause.
There are no more hot flashes, night sweats, or mood swings. Other noticeable changes are found in terms of memory improvements and getting back emotional stability. Though most of the symptoms of menopause disappear or significantly improve, post menopause period has some of its difficulties.
The biggest problem during post-menopause is the decreasing bone density. The bone becomes more fragile. Special care should be taken to ensure that you don’t fall or slip on a hard surface. The fractures caused during this period don’t heal quickly.
Incidences of foot and leg cramp increases. Extra care should be taken while walking.
Drooping is another bone-related symptom that can be noticed in some women during the post-menopause period. This in most cases can be managed by being extra cautious to remain straight during sitting and standing posture.
Another big problem that occurs is in the bladder. Bladder incontinence especially during lifting, laughing, coughing, or sneezing is a very discomforting symptom of post-menopause in many cases. The involuntary leaking of urine causes unnecessary discomfort. This can be controlled by certain types of pelvic exercises.
The skin loses its elasticity. Therefore wrinkles and fine lines may begin to appear all over the body.
Sexual desire reduces and pains during intercourse due to dry skin are some of the other but manageable symptoms of post-menopause.
Since the post-menopause symptoms don’t create the havoc created by perimenopause or menopause symptoms, it is more manageable. A little extra care particularly maintaining bone density goes a long way.