Managing physical and emotional issues related to menopause:

Managing physical and emotional issues related to menopause is a challenge for females. Menopause is a time in a woman’s life when her fertility ends. Means that women will no longer be able to produce offspring or children. In this period, the menstrual cycle ends. However, this period is natural, but many physical and mental changes are associated with it.

During menopausal time, the hormones, which play an important role in fertility, drop and result in many other changes in the body. These hormones are estrogen, progesterone, luteinizing hormone (LH), and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)

What does estrogen do in the woman’s body?

Estrogen plays an important role in women’s health in the following ways.

• Maintains and regulates the fertility process:
• Helps in maintaining bone health
• Helps in protecting heart health

What happens when the hormone estrogen level drops after menopause?

When the estrogen level drops, both physical and emotional symptoms may occur in females.

Physical changes:

Bone pain:

As estrogen plays an important role in maintaining bone health, it helps regulate bone formation, calcium absorption, and retention. In this way, estrogen makes bones strong and keeps them healthy. However, when estrogen level decreases, women are at a higher risk of weak bones (osteoporosis), and women may experience joint pains after menopause. Joint pain is the first sign of osteoporosis; in osteoporosis, bones become inflamed, weak, and fragile.

How can you manage osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis can be managed by some dietary changes, lifestyle modifications, and supplements.

Dietary changes: dietary supplements, such as food containing calcium and vitamin D, can help in managing osteoporosis. Foods rich in calcium and vitamin D are

Eggs, especially egg yolks

Milk and other dairy products

Fish

Almonds, nuts

Lifestyle modifications: Managing physical and emotional issues related to menopause

 Some lifestyle modifications are necessary to maintain bone health. These are

Weight-bearing exercise: Managing physical and emotional issues related to menopause:

Bearing exercises, and their bones become stronger. This happens due to small tears in the bones. When these small tears become filled with new material, the bone becomes stronger.

Take a sun bath for at least 30 minutes a day to get vitamin D from the sun.

Medications/supplements: Managing physical and emotional issues related to menopause:

 Medications that contain calcium and vitamin D are necessary to keep the bones strong. Must take vitamin D with calcium supplements. Secondly, avoid iron supplements with calcium supplements, which may interfere with the absorption of calcium. Must take at least 12 12-hour’ gap between iron and calcium supplements.

Food high in calcium and vitamin D

Skin dryness:

Skin dryness, especially vaginal dryness, due to low vaginal mucus, as due to less mucosal secretions, the skin becomes dry, especially vaginal dryness. This dryness leads to itching and infections. If your skin dries, you must hydrate yourself by drinking fluids, especially water. Secondly, apply a moisturizer to keep the skin hydrated and avoid infections and dryness.

Hot flushes:

Women may feel hot flushes due to hormonal imbalance. The spells of flushes last for 2 to 3 minutes or 5 minutes. Moreover, the hot feeling is felt on the face, neck, and chest. Women can blush in their cheeks at the time of a hot flush.

What is the reason for hot flushes?

The hot flushes basically occur due to a drop in estrogen levels. And the lower levels trigger the hypothalamus in the brain. The hypothalamus which controls the temperature of the body.

What are the symptoms of hot flushes?

How can you manage hot flushes?

If a woman feels hot flushes frequently, firstly, it should be considered normal during the menopause period. Secondly, the following steps should be taken to feel calm during hot flushes.

Wear light clothes

Drinks plenty of water

Try to take a less oily and low-fat diet

Must wash your face, or take a bath

Do not take foods that are spicy, because hot and spicy food triggers internal body temperatures, which may further make someone hotter and flushed.

If you feel thirstier, you must drink a fluid that contains electrolytes, such as Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS)

What are the signs and management of dehydration?

How to manage physical changes associated with menopause?

Women may undergo many physical changes associated with menopause, such as the following.

Weight gain: Managing physical and emotional issues related to menopause:

Women may gain weight after menopause. The best way to manage and maintain weight is through diet and exercise. The following tips may help in maintaining weight:

• Do a 30-minute daily walk early in the morning and in the evening.
• Increase your intake of vegetables and fruits.
• Reduce intake of carbohydrates, such as rice, pasta, bread, and potatoes.
• Reduce foods that contain artificial sugar, such as candies, soda, and cookies.
• Drink plenty of water to keep yourself hydrated. It also helps in maintaining body temperature.
• Try to take a low-fat diet.
• Take small meals instead of large meals.
• Have a good breakfast with food containing proteins, such as eggs, and with a glass of milk, then take a small portion of fruit in between your meals. Try to do a light dinner.
• Using eggs and milk in the diet may help in maintaining calcium and vitamin D in your body. This may help in keeping bones strong, as calcium and vitamin D become low after menopause.

Sleep changes /disturbances:

As a result of hormonal changes, the sleep cycle may be disturbed. To keep your sleep cycle regular, following these tips may be helpful.

• Do regular exercise, which will help relax the mind and body.
• Try to make a regular schedule of sleeping and waking.
• Take a glass of milk 30 minutes or one hour before bedtime. An Amino acid in the milk called tryptophan, which helps the body in producing serotonin and melatonin, both of which help in muscle relaxation and help in falling asleep.
• Try not to drink water after 0600PM, this will reduce the number of visits at night, and the quality of the sleep will not be disturbed.
• Try to do mind relaxation, meditation, to keep your mind and body relaxed.

Hair loss or thinning of hair:

Estrogen and progesterone help in maintaining good hair health. When the hormonal levels drop, hair becomes brittle and dry. So, try to use simple, chemical-free shampoo and use an organic oil to keep the hair moist and hydrated. Secondly, try to use a soft comb.

Skin changes:

Skin is the most important organ in women’s health and beauty; its complexion changes with minor changes in the body, especially hormonal changes. In the menopausal period, the skin tone may loosen as estrogen level falls.

The following are some tips to manage skin tone, Dryness, and wrinkles

• Maintain good hydration and also use a good chemical-free moisturizer to prevent and manage dryness.
• Clean your skin with a good approved facial product
• Try to use collagen-rich foods in your diet
• Try to use cumin( jeera in Hindi), which helps to maintain estrogen levels

Depression, Anxiety, and Stress:

Altered hormonal levels may lead a woman to experience different mood changes, emotional disturbances, anxiety, and stress. Managing these changes in the initial stages can prevent a person from going into depression.

 How to manage emotional changes related to menopause?

The following tips may help manage anxiety and depression.

• Women should know the cause of stress, anxiety, and mood swings. This should be done by the healthcare providers to analyze the women to determine if this is the normal part of the menopausal period.
• Women should join different community support groups, so that others will share their situation and physical and mental changes. This may help in reducing stress and anxiety.
• Healthcare providers should arrange sessions on the management of symptoms earlier than the actual period. So, that preventive measure should be taken before the actual phase.
• Teaching and awareness sessions should be conducted to seek help in an emergency or a worsening situation.

Memory issues:

Many women experience memory issues as a result of hormonal imbalances. This may include forgetfulness, which may be forgetting the names of people, places, or things.

So, hormones play an important role in maintaining body functioning. The importance of hormones becomes more visible when their levels drop. A woman should take more care of herself at the time of menopause and should remain more active by indulging herself in exercises such as weight lifting, to keep bones strong and prevent osteoporosis.