What Can You Expect Post Menopause
If, when you reach your 50s, you still have both of your ovaries, the chances are that you will stop having menstrual periods altogether. When you have stopped having a period for 12 months or more, then its official , you have experienced a natural menopause. So the periods have stopped, but what other changes will take place as a result of this transitions? Post menopause - what lies ahead? After the menopause, oestrogen and progesterone levels take a nose dive, and although some parts of your body will continue to produce some hormones, they will not be able to compensate fully for the loss of ovarian hormone production.
One of the most major side effects, post menopause, for the reduction in these hormones is increase bone loss and the drying and shrinking of the vagina (vaginal atrophy).Due to the reduction in oestrogen production, the vaginal wall become less lubricated and flexible and more prone to tears and cracking. In fact, all of your skin will become thinner and less elastic, and this includes the muscles around the urethra (the opening to the bladder), this is how post menopause symptoms can lead to involuntary urine release through stress incontinence.
Other post menopause symptoms occur in the decades immediately following the menopause. Your body will undergo some inevitable changes resulting from the natural ageing process. Once again, your body is unique, and therefore your medical history, lifestyle, and individual health programme will determine how you cope with these changes. in general there are several changes many women experience in the years which follow the menopause: hearing loss as the ear canal’s tissue becomes thinner and drier; joints lose cartilage with age making them less flexible and resilient, making arthritis and other types of joint pain more common in ageing women; lungs become less elastic which can contribute to shallow breathing and therefore less oxygen in our bloodstream; brain mass loss which occurs with each passing year, keep it active by reading and doing crossword puzzles; and digestion will slow down in our 60s, many post menopause women complain of constipation.
These post menopause changes will contribute to the challenges faced in maintaining your strength and health as you move through the postmenopausal years of your life. When you learn about menopause and its effects on your body you will be better place to control its effects and get as much menopause support as you can from doctors and especially friends and family. The menopause can usher in a time of great freedom, personal exploration and growth, so how you manage the post menopause symptoms and the realities of ageing that follow will determine your own post menopause experience.
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