Why Menopause Is a Transition, Not an Illness
Menopause is often discussed as though something has gone wrong.
It hasn’t.
Menopause is a natural biological transition in which the reproductive phase of a woman’s life comes to an end and hormone patterns change.
That does not mean the transition is always easy.
For some women it passes with relatively little disruption. For others, changes in sleep, temperature regulation, mood, energy, digestion, sexual desire and vaginal comfort can have a significant effect on everyday life.
The difficulty is often made worse by not understanding what is happening.
Understanding the change
Our hormones do not work independently.
They are part of a complex communication system involving the brain, pituitary gland, ovaries, adrenal glands and other parts of the endocrine system.
During the menopausal transition, reproductive hormone patterns change substantially.
The body then has to adjust to a different hormonal environment.
That adjustment can take time.
It is one reason the experience varies so much from woman to woman.
There is no single menopause experience
Linda Bostock has worked with women through menopause for many years and one principle has remained particularly important:
There is no normal.
Some women are troubled primarily by hot flushes and night sweats.
Others notice poor sleep, palpitations, changes in mood or reduced energy.
For another woman, the biggest difficulty may come later, with vaginal dryness, discomfort during sex or a loss of confidence in her intimate relationship.
None of these experiences makes someone a “failure” at menopause.
They simply demonstrate how individual the human body is.
Start with the foundations
It is tempting to look immediately for one thing that will fix menopause.
In practice, the foundations of health still matter enormously.
A varied diet, adequate hydration, regular movement, good sleep habits, reduced stress and paying attention to your own symptom patterns can all help you understand what your body needs.
Keeping a simple diary for a short period can also be useful.
Record what you eat, your activity, sleep and significant symptoms.
Patterns that are invisible from day to day sometimes become surprisingly obvious when they are written down.
Menopause does not end with the hot flushes
There is another aspect of menopause that receives much less attention.
What happens afterwards?
A woman may have got through the worst of the obvious symptoms but still experience changes in libido, lubrication, vaginal comfort, arousal or confidence.
These subjects are sometimes difficult to discuss, but they are an important part of health and relationships.
Growing older does not mean closeness, affection or sexual pleasure cease to matter.
Sometimes the body simply needs a different approach from the one that worked twenty years earlier.
A different way of looking at menopause
Perhaps the most useful starting point is to stop viewing menopause as something that has “gone wrong”.
The body is changing.
Understanding that change gives you a much better basis from which to decide what support you need.
And where symptoms are severe, unusual or worrying, professional medical advice remains important.
Menopause is a transition.
It is also the beginning of another substantial part of life.
There is every reason to approach it with knowledge, confidence and a little less fear.
The Menopause Reset by Linda Bostock brings together practical guidance on menopause itself with help for rebuilding comfort, confidence and intimacy afterwards.
[DISCOVER THE MENOPAUSE RESET]
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