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Menopause
34 symptoms of menopause
Menopause is a woman's last period. The average age of menopause is 51 years. Some women sail through without noticing symptoms until their periods stop. Peri-menopause, which is the period of time leading up to menopause, can start 10 years before . The below list are possible symptoms that a women may experience in peri-menopause and post menopause. The good news is that not every woman will experience all of them and not everyone will experience extreme symptoms. This list is to help you make sense of what is happening in your body.
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Hot flashes and night sweats
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Irregular periods
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Vaginal dryness
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Mood swings
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Loss of libido
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Allergies
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Bloating
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Brittle nails
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Change in body odour
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Dizziness
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Fatigue
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Hair loss
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Bladder incontinence
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Heart palpitations
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Weight gain
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Osteoporosis
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Anxiety
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Concentration difficulties
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Depression
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Irritability
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Memory loss
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Panic attacks
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Breast pain
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Digestive problems
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Oral health problems
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Itching/the feeling of ants under the skin
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Muscle pain
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Tingling hands or feet
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Asthma
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Dry eyes
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Dry mouth
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Unwanted facial hair
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Restless leg syndrome
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Tinnitus
Diet
The number one killer in women is heart attack. After the menopause it is imperative women protect their hearts.
Calcium and vitamin D are important to protect bones.
Other things to consider:
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replacing saturated and mono-unsaturated fat intake with olive oil, rapeseed oil or spreads based on these oils. (the easiest way to achieve this is to minimise the intake of animal based fat)
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basing meals on starchy foods such as potatoes, bread, rice and pasta
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choosing wholegrain varieties of starchy food
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eating plenty of fibre-rich foods – such as oats, beans, peas, lentils, grains, seeds, fruit and vegetables, as well as wholegrain bread, and brown rice and pasta.
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reducing the intake of sugar and food products containing refined sugars including fructose
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eating at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables per day
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eating at least 2 portions of fish per week, including a portion of oily fish
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eating at least 4 to 5 portions of unsalted nuts, seeds and legumes per week.
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always eating breakfast
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try to monitor the size of the portions you are eating to ensure you are not over eating
Exercise
As women can be at risk of osteoporosis, it is important to do weight bearing exercises such as running or yoga.
Suggestions for exercise:
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do at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic activity or
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75 minutes of vigorous intensity aerobic activity or a mix of moderate and vigorous aerobic activity
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do muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days a week that work all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms)
This may be possible by:
making enjoyable activities – such as walking, cycling, swimming, aerobics and gardening – part of everyday life.
minimising sedentary activities, such as sitting for long periods watching television, at a computer or playing video games.
building activity into the working day – for example, take the stairs instead of the lift, take a walk at lunchtime.
Support
Are you going through menopause and just want to talk to someone about it and cater advice to what you are going through?
Take a look at my 6 month support programme here. Menopause 6 month support programme.