The term “menopause” describes the period in a woman’s life in which her body gradually loses its ability to reproduce. It is a phase of hormonal change in the female body similar to puberty or also pregnancy.
Women in menopause are often confronted with familial and professional changes. The children have grown up and left the parental home.
For many women this frequently means a reorientation as well as opportunities to rearrange life and to develop an altered role in partnership and society. Menopause is a phase in which the body changes and requires support…
Time of change
The physical changes of menopause also have positive aspects for many women. Problems with contraception come to an end with the last menstruation (menopause).
Most women have their last menstruation between the ages of 48 and 52. But this can also be earlier or later (for example, smokers often undergo menopause at an earlier stage).
Menopause (also known as climacteric) lasts longer and describes the phase roughly between the ages of 45 and 60. The function of the ovaries, and therefore the production of the hormones oestrogen and progesterone, normally tapers off during this time.
Physical and emotional discomfort can arise from about 40 years of age due to the imbalance of hormones. For example, symptoms can be occasional hot flushes, attacks of sweating or sleep disorders.
But this certainly does not have to be the rule. It is assumed that about one-third of women are free of complaints, another third report minor complaints and about one-third suffer severe symptoms and therefore consult a medical specialist.
An oestrogen deficiency can also have a significant influence on other organ systems such as bone metabolism, skin and hair, heart and circulation or the brain.
Support your body
Menopause is not an illness, but a natural ageing process. That is why there is no way to prevent it. But you can certainly support your body during this time.
- Apart from enjoying exercise, regular sporting activity is important in order to preserve physical well-being and mobility.
- Your diet should be balanced: eat lots of salad, vegetables and little animal fats. With regard to your bone metabolism, now it certainly makes sense to eat calcium-rich food, because during and after menopause calcium can gradually be removed from the body.
- Vitamin D is necessary so that calcium can be absorbed by the body at all. But many people do not ingest enough vitamin D with the food intake. The body can develop vitamin D itself through the regular exposure of sunlight on the skin. But this self-production is often not enough in our latitudes. Particularly in the autumn and winter months the body develops less vitamin D.
- Do something that is fun: pursue your hobby, your interests and preferences. Discover and plan your world again. Now is the right time!