End the prejudices: Why menopause is not as bad as everyone thinks

The menopause. The dreaded sword of Damocles that has always hovered over women’s heads around the world. The change is a red cloth for many, because after all, with the menopause, the best time of life is over, right? Wrong!

So the most important thing in advance is that menopause is not the end and there is no reason to be afraid of it. Numerous women before you have gone through it and that’s exactly what many women will do after you. So the process is something very natural and the menopause can even be important for you and your body. But more on that later.

How one (or woman) feels the change varies from person to person and not everyone suffers from persistent discomfort.

In this article we want to clean up prejudices and inform about the biological process behind the climate. You will also find answers to probably the most important questions on the subject: When do I enter menopause and what does that mean for me?

Menopause? Menopause? Climacteric? What is all this?

These are all complex terms, which are usually thrown into the room on the subject.

Simply explained:

• Menopause (also
  climatic
  ): Are the years of hormonal change before and after the suspension of menstrual bleeding in women.
• Menopause: Means in German the time of the last regular bleeding and the onset of the woman’s inability to reproduce.
  (Attention: In English , “
  menopause
  ” is also used for the period after the menopause, but in this country one speaks of “
  postmenopause
  “.)

So menopause and menopause are closely related, but they are not the same. Basically, the change begins with a hormonal change: from about 50 years (sometimes earlier, sometimes later) the level of the sex hormone progesterone decreases. It’s important for the onset of the menstrual cycle, so if you have less of it in your blood, it will affect the appearance of your monthly rule.

So the first sign of the coming menopause is irregularities in your monthly bleeding.

Probably the most important hormonal change is the decrease in estrogen produced in the ovaries. As a result, they are finally stopping their production of eggs. Menstruation is finally absent and the time of menopause is reached.

However, this change does not only affect fertility. The hormones also affect other parts of your body – so what effect does the menopause have on us?

What complaints do you have to reckon with?

About a third of all women do not notice any symptoms during menopause except the suspension of monthly bleeding. Most, however, experience certain symptoms. These can vary depending on the woman and are summarized in medicine under the term “
climatic syndrome
“. Occurrences may include:

• Hot flashes and associated sweats
• Insomnia
• Dryness of the vagina and pain during sexual intercourse
• Dizziness
• Mental problems such as inner restlessness, mood swings or even depression
• Weight gain

As you can see, the menopause has far-reaching effects on your body. The resulting complaints are definitely to be taken seriously – however, a visit to the doctor or a change in your lifestyle can help you. Most of the problems in menopause can now be treated well.

Why are there menopause and menopause in the first place?

What many do not know: We humans are one of the few mammal species in which a menopause occurs at all. In addition to us, the suspension of female fertility with increased age has only been demonstrated in grind and killer whales.

The reasons for this have not yet been sufficiently researched. However, it is assumed that the menopause in humans has developed in the course of evolution.

One theory for the cause is the
so-called ” grandmother hypothesis
” that the exposure of fertility is an advantage over other species that can produce offspring until the end of their life.

On the one hand, this can be justified by the fact that the physical changes result in a longer life expectancy, which can be used to care for the others. On the other hand, it has been proven that offspring of older parents have an increasing chance of birth defects, miscarriages or transmission of hereditary diseases.

It could therefore be beneficial for the woman’s organism and also for her offspring to give up reproductive capacity.

However, this theory is not without controversy and requires further research.

Evolution does not necessarily have to have something to do with it: another assumption is that the number of eggs to be formed over the course of life is genetically determined and that the menopause represents this pre-planned limitation.

Is there a change in the man?

Whether a similar change also occurs in men is very controversial medically. Although men also make hormonal changes with age, they remain largely procreative.

Although this change in men can also have an effect on the physique and psyche, it can hardly be compared with the onset of menopause in women.

When are the menopause?

The burning question that is surely preoccupied with you now: When do my menopause begin?

Due to the complex processes in our organism during the change, it can only be predicted to a limited extent. However, the process usually follows a pattern that can be divided into three phases.

• Premenopause (first change in hormone levels)
• The onset of menopause (last regular bleeding)
• Postmenopause (period of about one year after the last menstruation)

The change has therefore not yet taken place with the menopause and the absence of the monthly bleeding. It can take up to a year for your body to adjust to the new circumstances. Only after this time did you survive the menopause.

When do the menopause begin and how long do they last?

The onset of menopause varies from woman to woman. Most use them between the ages of 40 and 55. The majority of women experience them at around 50.

About seven years after the onset of hormonal changes, the menopause occurs and at the age of 58, almost all of them have the climate behind them.

In addition to numerous factors, this also depends on geographical location. Women in Europe experience the change at an average age of 50 years, women in Asia about five years earlier.

Just because a woman no longer has a monthly haemorrhage does not mean that contraception can be dispensed with. Women over 50 can give it up from about a year after the last menstruation – younger ones should even wait up to two years.

About four percent of all women enter menopause early, i.e. before the age of 40 or 35. In addition to autoimmune disease or undergoing chemotherapy, surgical removal of the ovaries may also be responsible.

How do the menopause swell?

As already mentioned, the climate is a very complex process and not all the supposed signs of it certainly point to the occurrence of menopause.

In most cases, however, the impending hormonal changes are noticeable by the following symptoms:

• Shortened and irregular menstrual cycles
• Strong regular complaints
• Abdominal pain
• Water retention
• Drivelessness and easy irritability
• Heart turf
• Dizziness
• Mood
• Decreased sexual desire

As you can safely imagine, a number of these symptoms can also have completely different causes. Your gynaecologist can provide more detailed information with a hormone measurement. Especially in case of heart problems or irregular bleeding, you should always consult him/her.

Are you on the verge of menopause? No need to panic!

Even if many women are anxious and anxious at the thought of menopause, there is actually no reason for this. The menopause is the beginning of a new phase of life and you can see that quite positively.

Studies show, for example, that women suffer less from menopause if they maintain a positive attitude towards them.

The increase in life expectancy in the Western world means that for many women, the post-mennpause period will be longer than the time before. So your life is far from over with the menopause.

Most ailments can also be successfully treated in this country and with a balanced diet and exercise you can effectively counteract excess pounds.