Menopause can be a confusing time for women. The changes you're subject to at this time with your hormones can have a significant impact on a woman's body, emotions and mental health. It's no coincidence that the menopause was once known as the “change of life”. This is a time when, typically, the children are grown and people can look forward to the next stage of their lives after raising their family.
Menopause is normally expected around the age of 50; however, the symptoms that affect women during this period can start in their 40s, or sometimes even earlier. This article will look at what menopause is, how to know if you're being affected by menopause or perimenopause and what action you can take to improve menopause symptoms.
What is Menopause?
It might be surprising to know that menopause is actually one day, or one moment, in time. Officially it's the point at which a women's periods have been stopped for 12 months. After that, you're in postmenopause, and the time before is perimenopause. The symptoms that are associated with this time, like hot flushes, mood swings or changes in their menstrual cycle, generally start before menopause and continue for months or years into postmenopause.
The changes that mark this time are caused by fluctuation in progesterone and estrogen, hormones produced by the ovaries. That's why when a woman has a total hysterectomy, including removal of her ovaries, she will begin to experience menopausal symptoms immediately, regardless of her age.
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