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What’s It All
About?
The first article
in Dr. Joan's multi-part series
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By
Dr. Joan
Irvine
Menopause is often
referred to as a difficult, crazy, out-of-control time.
When our period stops, it supposedly signals the end of
our lives as “complete women”. You may have heard - it’s
all down hill from here.” We get hot flashes; we can’t
sleep; we may experience incontinence. Is there nothing we
can do? Must we struggle through our last 30 to 50 years?
No way, NOT ME!
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Women both
fear and look forward to Menopause. |
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This covers the “Magic and Mystery of Menopause” for two reasons. Although
menopause has been viewed as a mystery, we now have access to
information almost daily as more research is completed. Also,
as one verse in the old Beatle song, "“Magical Mystery Tour”,
says, “They’ve got everything you need, satisfaction
guaranteed,” It’s time for us to change the ‘they’ to only
‘you’ have everything you need and only you can guarantee
satisfaction.
What is Menopause,
Anything?
I was describing my signs
of pre-menopause to a friend: more PMS, cramps, tiredness, and
heavy bleeding. She said, “You just described my puberty.”
Remember when you went through puberty - your first experience
with changing hormones. What happened? You got your period.
You developed breasts, grew public hair and your shape
changed. Well, get ready for another change!
TOP
An empowering
description of menopause is “Nature’s course correction when a
woman no longer has to put up with the nuisance of monthly
periods, free to exercise her lusty libido without the risk of
pregnancy and the burden of bearing children, a time she is
likely free of child care, still in good health, and full of
the wisdom of life. What a blessed gift of Mother Nature!”
John Lee, M.D., who has helped many women, make this powerful
transition using natural progesterone, wrote this.
There is a delicate
balance of hormones in our bodies. During the menopause
transition, this balance changes, and varies more than normal.
Some have described this imbalance as feeling like a drug
withdrawal. You may feel nervous, moody and irritable among
other signs. However, since the levels of estrogen,
progesterone, testosterone, and other hormones are always
changing even during the menopause transition; it may take
years before your hormones reach your new plateau. This is the
reason that the signs come and go. You are not going crazy.
Sometimes it seems as if you are like a troublesome
automobile. There is something wrong with your car until you
take it to the mechanic. Then, of course, it works just fine.
What’s needed here is a good diagnosis - the information you
need to get back in the driver’s seat. TOP
The Three Stages
of Menopause
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1: Pre or peri-menopause
Covering the years before menopause, when most of the signs are
apparent. This can last from a few months to 10 years.
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Stage 2: Menopause
12-months
after your last period.
Stage 3:
Post-menopause
No
period, supposedly limited signs and a post-menopausal
“zest” - increased energy and enthusiasm.
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When Does Menopause Occur?
Menopause generally
takes place between the ages of 40-60; the average age is 51. But
it can happen at a much earlier age. A close friend went through
menopause at age 32. It took the physicians years to figure out
what was happening with her. She went from her family doctor to
her gynecologist to an endocrinologist (specializing in the glands
that secrets chemicals such as hormones) who finally figured out
that she was prematurely menopausal. Not a fun couple of years!
If a woman has a
hysterectomy (her uterus removed) or an ophorectomy (her ovaries
removed), she may quickly experience signs of menopause.
How Many Women Are
Affected?
EVERY WOMEN! Nearly 1.3
million women reach menopause each year in the U.S. - that’s a lot
of us. Over 43 million women will pass through menopause in the
next 20 years. Of these, 20% of the women will have no outside
signs, 20% will have extreme signs, and 60% will experience some
degree of signs. You are not alone. TOP
What Are The Signs?
You may be surprised to find
out that one’s period doesn’t just stop, although that may happen.
It may be that your period gets shorter or longer. It may stop for
a few months and start again. Some women have more PMS - cramps,
heavier bleeding and fatigue. One of my clients only had hot
flashes; she wondered if she were supposed to experience other
signs. There are no “musts” in this transition, except to take
charge of your changes. Please keep track of what is happening
with you. Your individual signs will help you direct the health
care practitioner who is working with you.
You may feel depressed or
tired. You may notice a change in your sexual desire. Your sex life
does not need to stop because you are going through menopause. A
friend, Susan, experienced a decrease in desire and the sudden
inability to have an orgasm. When she discussed her situation with
her physician, natural testosterone (one of the hormones that
feeds the libido) was prescribed to help renew her sexual desire.
Some help care practitioners suggest using natural progesterone,
others diet and vitamin supplement, and other HRT (Hormone
Replacement Therapy). As with menopause itself, there are several
approaches to working with changes in sexual desire. Since a good
sex life is important to both your emotional and physical health,
you can discuss changes with your health care practitioner. Don’t
think it’s just you!
Next Month
Dr. Joan covers strategies on making it through
Menopause
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EMAIL
this
ARTICLE
to a friend
Menopause is as individual as we are, so we must be aware of our
own particular changes as they occur.
We are
knowledgeable women; we know better than anyone else does: what is
happening to our bodies and emotions.
We can take
charge of our lives during these changes - it’s our life, our
change, and our responsibility. Who can do it better than we can?
Keeping a
sense of humor and laughing is crucial! Laughing is more fun than
crying, but if you need a good cry, do it! Laughter will soon
follow.
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