Beginning in your late forties or fifties, menopause is the period that marks an end to a woman’s menstrual cycles. It is a natural, biological process that occurs when a woman does not have periods or menstrual cycle for 12 months. In general, the menopause age is from 45 to 55. The menopause symptoms range from slowed metabolism to mood changes and hot flashes. The good news is that there are ways to reduce them. But before we get there, let us first understand what leads to menopause.
What Causes Menopause?
Listed below are some of the most common factors that lead to menopause:
1. Naturally Declining Reproductive Hormones
Ovaries produce less oestrogen and progesterone as you approach your late thirties. Oestrogen and progesterone are hormones that regulate menstruation, keeping a check on your fertility. When you reach your forties, you find fluctuations in your menstrual cycle. While your ovaries stop producing eggs in your fifties, your menstrual cycle also declines naturally.
2. Oophorectomy: Surgery That Removes the Ovaries
Oophorectomy is a surgical procedure to remove either one or both of your ovaries. Ovaries produce hormones that manage your menstrual cycles and contain eggs. If you get this surgery, your menstrual cycle stops, leading to surgical menopause. While hysterectomy is the surgery that removes not your ovaries but your uterus, it does not cause immediate menopause. So, even though you do not get your periods, your ovaries still produce eggs and hormones.
3. Primary Ovarian Insufficiency
Premature menopause is the loss of function of ovaries which is experienced by approximately 1% of women before the age of 40. Women can get pregnant with this condition. Premature menopause may result from your ovaries being unable to produce desired levels of reproductive hormones (oestrogen and progesterone.)
4. Chemotherapy and Radiation Therapy
Menopause can also be induced by chemotherapy and radiation therapy which are cancer therapies. However, this halt is not permanent after chemotherapy while radiation solely affects the function of the ovary.
Symptoms of Menopause
Given below are symptoms of menopause that you may observe in the months leading up to it – it is also called perimenopause.
- Vaginal dryness
- Hot flashes
- Chills
- Irregular periods
- Night sweats
- Sleep problems
- Mood changes
- Slowed metabolism and increase in weight
- Dry skin and thinning of hair
- Loss of breast fullness
Ways to Reduce Menopause Symptoms
Even though menopause does not require any treatment as it is a biological natural process. There are natural ways to reduce the symptoms of menopause to provide some relief:
1. Eat Food High in Phytoestrogens
Compounds that naturally occur in plants are called Phytoestrogens. The term ‘Phyto’ is a Greek root of the word ‘plant’. Phytoestrogens compounds in food can imitate the effects of oestrogen and thereby help in balancing hormones. Evidence suggests that as individuals of Japan indulge in food that has Phytoestrogens, menopausal individuals rarely experience hot flashes.
2. Increase Water Intake
Women often experience dryness during menopause which is caused by lower oestrogen levels. Drinking six to eight glasses of water can ease these symptoms and reduce bloating. You will also feel a slight increase in the metabolic rate.
3. Reduce Refined Sugar and Processed Foods
Your blood sugar is affected if your diet contains high amounts of sugar and high carbs. This irregularity in blood sugar levels can make you restless and exhausted. Processed foods can also affect your bone health. Therefore, postmenopausal women are subjected to an increased risk of declining bone health and mental health issues.
4. Eat More Protein-Rich Foods
Having a protein-rich diet greatly strengthens your muscle mass which is already at a decline with age. Food rich in protein makes you feel satisfied and may help in fighting weight loss as weight-gain is a common symptom of menopause. If you regularly take a protein-rich diet, then you will also have a good sleep cycle.
5. Consider Natural Supplements
Many women also resort to natural supplements to relieve their menopause symptoms. Some of them are:
Phytoestrogens: Even though Phytoestrogens can be consumed through natural sources of food, many times they’re also consumed through natural supplements such as red clover extracts. Natural supplements can reduce symptoms of menopause but there is a lot of scope for research to gain evidence about their effectiveness and safety.
Black Cohosh: There is mixed evidence on the consumption of Black Cohosh and how they reduce or alleviate hot flashes which is a common symptom of menopause.
Conclusion
In general, you do not require a specific diagnosis for menopause. But as everybody is different, it may be better to go to your doctor under certain circumstances. The menopausal transition varies for each individual. Menopause symptoms would not affect some as they might others. They may affect each individual in a different way.
