When is the menopause likely to happen?
The , although symptoms can start several years before that. The age at which women experience the menopause is quite variable, and is partly influenced by genetics. So the age at which your mother went through the menopause will be a clue. Around 1 per cent of can experience premature menopause, which occurs before the age of 40.
How can you tell it is starting?
The menopause itself is defined as beginning at the date of your final period, and is diagnosed a year after that happens. Symptoms can start three or four years beforehand, and can include hot flushes, night sweats, sleep loss, weight gain, mood swings, anxiety and problems with thought processing, as well as forgetfulness. For many women the first hint that they are entering “perimenopause”, as it is known, is erratic periods. There may be two or three months between each period, and they may be exceptionally heavy or light.
How long do the symptoms last?
This is also hugely variable between women. Some may not experience any symptoms at all, beyond their periods stopping. Others can have severe symptoms for years before and after the menopause – which can last for a decade or more.
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Is there anything you can do to prevent the onset of symptoms?
Doctors advise that women do everything they can to lead a healthy lifestyle in order to help with any potential symptoms. Eating well and getting plenty of exercise can help improve your mood and minimise potential weight gain, for instance. Nick Panay, a consultant gynaecologist and board member of the International Menopause Society also recommends limiting your intake of alcohol, caffeine and tobacco, which can all trigger hot flushes. And if your symptoms are affecting your quality of life, it is worth seeking medical advice, says Panay. Prolonged heavy periods could lead to anaemia, or potentially be a sign of polyps or fibroids, for example, he says.
Anything else work for hot flushes?
Beyond avoiding potential triggers, once hot flushes start the best bet is to combat them with cooling aids – cool clothing, fans, ventilation and chilled pillows can help. Some women recommend filling hot water bottles with cold water and taking them to bed to help with night sweats.
Should you take HRT?
Hormone replacement therapies come in all shapes and sizes. They may feature any mix of oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone, in varying doses, and can be found as pills, patches, gels and implants. HRT has had a bad rap in the past decade, as some forms have been linked to an increased risk of cancers or blood clots. But the same risks don’t apply to everyone, and doctors now recommend “appropriate” treatment on a case-by-case basis. “For women with moderate or severe symptoms, HRT at the appropriate dose in the right age group, particularly in the first few years, is safe,” says Panay.
How does going through the menopause change you?
The menopause leads to lasting hormonal shifts, and the drop in oestrogen in particular is thought to affect a range of organs and tissues. A loss of collagen and elasticity in the skin can predispose women to skin ageing, as well as vaginal dryness, for instance. There is also often an accumulation of abdominal fat, and acceleration in bone loss, which could lead to osteoporosis. Oestrogen is thought to play a role in keeping heart and blood vessels working efficiently, which might explain why a woman’s risk of cardiovascular disease increases after the menopause, probably because of the drop in oestrogen levels.
Why is the menopause such a taboo subject?
Considering that it’s so rare for the female of a species to live a healthy life past reproduction, it’s perhaps surprising that the fact we humans can double our living years afterwards isn’t celebrated more widely – not to mention the years free of the tyranny of periods and contraception. As for why, some believe it’s because women have been expected to endure their symptoms rather than make a fuss over them. Panay pins it on the media, who “don’t like ageing women”. Thankfully, the taboo seems to be lifting in many countries, as more celebrities tell their own personal stories of menopause.
