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Menopause is the stage in a woman’s life when you stop getting your monthly menstrual cycle indicating the end of your reproductive years. Perimenopause is the period preceding menopause when your body starts its transition towards menopause.
Symptoms of menopause
Most women start experiencing hormonal headaches and migraines when they are approaching menopause. The severity of these migraines usually varies from one woman to another, but women who have a history of taking oral contraceptives or getting hormonal headaches are at more risk. These headaches usually stop once you have reached menopause and your hormone levels have reduced. These hormonal changes could also cause mood swings, anxiety, and depression.
Some women experience osteoporosis, characterized by age-related bone weakness and loss. It usually starts gradually developing in the few years leading to menopause, and the symptoms start showing fully after menopause. Most women also experience urinary incontinence, which is the involuntary leakage of urine caused by weakened or lost control over your urinary sphincter. You can overcome it by frequently doing Kegel exercises which involve continuous contracting and relaxing of urinary muscles for better bladder support.
Eating a quality balanced diet
Your diet has a huge role to play in the changes that occur in your body. Too much caffeine from tea and coffee could be contributing to the severity of your hot flashes. Foods that are too spicy also contribute to hot flashes and other health issues. During this period, your hormones are going through extreme imbalance, and you need to eat foods rich in plant estrogen, including soybeans, lentils, beans, chickpeas, flax seeds, grains, fruits, and vegetables. Make sure you get enough vitamin D and calcium for stronger bones. When you regularly take natural herbs like ashwagandha to help menopause, symptoms become easier for your body.
Exercise regularly
Working out may seem difficult when you are dealing with all the changes happening to your body, but you have to try keeping your body active as it helps you deal with most symptoms of menopause, such as hot flashes. You do not have to do vigorous exercise; you can just do some weight-bearing exercises like using the stairs instead of the elevator, dancing, jogging and walking every day. Remaining active also prevents you from having insomnia, and calm exercises like yoga will help reduce your mood swings and feelings of constant anxiety.
Take prescription drugs if you have to
If your symptoms are severe, you can visit a doctor to assess you and prescribe some medications to control them. Your doctor can administer medications to provide estrogen therapy in the form of a pill, cream, or gel. Some birth control medications and antidepressants can help combat hormonal symptoms like hot flashes and mood swings. In extreme cases, your doctor can also prescribe gabapentin, a seizure medication that helps your body to deal with hot flashes. You can also get vaginal creams if you are experiencing vaginal dryness.
Work on your sleep schedule
To be able to combat insomnia successfully, you should first focus on developing a better sleep routine and trying to stick by it. Set a specific time to go to bed and ensure you are in bed by that time. To have a better sleep, avoid eating heavy meals at night, and have your dinner at least three hours before going to bed. Avoid taking alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine in the evening since they stimulate the brain to be more active. Also, when you go to bed, adjust the levels of light, noise, and temperature to create a calm relaxing environment that can enable you to have a better sleep.
Taking care of your skin
Your skin is most likely going to start acting up during menopause because of your hormonal imbalance. You can tackle this through lifestyle changes. Quit smoking, drink a lot of water, use sunscreen daily to protect your skin from being overexposed to sunlight, maintain a healthy weight, and control the level of cholesterol in your body. Also, avoid taking soapy baths and showers that are too hot and long because they dry out your skin.
Conclusion
Menopause is a tough time for most women, but practicing a healthy lifestyle and finding moral support from friends, family, and support groups will make it easier for you to navigate. Here is more information about menopause and how to manage it.
