The First Signs Of Menopause And What Can Help
“Menopausal women are hot!”
The first signs of menopause can differ from woman to woman. You may experience a variety of symptoms leading up to menopause, this is known as perimenopause.
The perimenopause period usually starts in a woman’s 40s, but it can start earlier. This is a period when your ovaries start to produce less oestrogen.
You may start to experience shorter or longer menstrual periods or even miss periods. The time when your periods stop for 12 months is when perimenopause ends.
Other Menopausal Symptoms
Hot flashes
Hot flashes happen during the day and can happen at night too, known as night sweats. You’ll feel hot and sometimes have a red flushed face and sweat.
Weight Gain
Many women notice their bodies changing with weight gain around the middle which is very difficult to lose. Try practising yoga to reduce stress, which is another factor that leads to weight gain.
I wrote a post about shapeshifter yoga, the full workout is just over an hour and makes me feel great when I do it, there is a shorter flow if you’re short of time too.
Frequent urination
Needing to urinate more often and incontinence, increase in urinary tract infections.
Worse PMS symptoms
Mood swings, bloating, lethargy, headaches etc, all due to the imbalance of hormones.
Tender breasts
Tender breasts are caused by the changing levels of hormones and should improve when your periods stop.
Lack of interest in sex
The loss of oestrogen and testosterone in a woman’s body affects the sex drive causing a lack of interest in sex. Vaginal dryness can be a problem.
Trouble sleeping
Night sweats often disturb sleep. Many women have difficulty getting to sleep in the first place or will wake often in the night.
Fatigue
Tiredness from not sleeping well and hot flashes during the night can leave you feeling sluggish during the day.
How can we help ourselves?
Exercise More
We can help ourselves by exercising more frequently. Try walking more. If you wish to exercise at home try a workout app, exercise DVDs or a diet program that helps you eat mindfully.
Cut Down On Portion Sizes
Cut back more on portion sizes and try to eat healthier, you won’t be able to eat like you did in your 20s and stay slim. Try using a diet plate.
Using a diet plate will make sure that you are eating the correct portions. I have one myself and wrote a post about it, you can read about the portion plate here.
Relax More Before Bed
As we get older we don’t need to sleep as much as when we were younger – not stressing about getting to sleep is a good start. The more stress the less you’ll sleep.
Try turning off any devices an hour before bed. Go to bed with a book and read for a while. Have a set time to go to bed. If you can’t sleep there are some recordings of white noise available on YouTube that can send you off into the land of nod. I’ve tried them myself and it is soothing to hear the sound of rain or the sea.
Take Supplements
Try taking a supplement such as these sage tablets, they are great for menopausal hot flashes and night sweats.
Women also use sage for painful periods and to correct excessive milk flow when breastfeeding.
Menopause Patches
There are patches for menopause available. Menopause patches are great if you don’t like taking pills.
Another option is LadyCare which is proven to relieve menopausal symptoms in 71% of women!
LadyCare is a small magnetic device that attaches to the front of your underwear. The LadyCare Plus version is a lot stronger.
I have trouble with the weight gain around my middle and have problems sleeping.
What symptoms do you suffer from, and what have you found helps you? Let me know in the comments.
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