10 Things Nobody Ever Told Me About Menopause
Lets talk about Menopause. Menopause is what happens to a woman’s body as she reaches midlife. The Dictionary defines Menopause as “the ceasing of menstruation” says it “typically occurs in women between ages of 45 – 50.” That’s it. That’s all it says. I’ve suffered with what they call PERImenopause for years, which is (according to the dictionary) “the period of a woman’s life shortly before the occurrence of menopause…” ::insert confused emoji here:: As you can see there is very few words that define this “condition”. Of course you can always Google for more in depth definitions and explanations but sometimes you just need to hear from other women. I never in a million years thought that Menopause would be this horrible to deal with. The only thing I ever hear other women talk about is the hot flashes. I’ve been having mild hot flashes for years. I’m hot blooded by nature so this wasn’t really that terrible. Boy was ever shocked to find out all that comes with full blown Menopause, which I entered into about 8 or 9 months ago. I had no idea what was going on with me until I finally visited my Doctor. Menopause is so much more than your period stopping and Hot Flashes. In case nobody ever told you, I want to make sure you know what menopause is, how the changes have affected me, and some real solutions. I hope it helps.
10 Things Nobody Ever Told Me About Menopause
Since Hot Flashes are the first thing anyone brings up when you mention menopause let’s talk about them. Hot Flashes is the flushing of your face and upper body. When it happens your body triggers itself to think you are hot and sweat is produced to cool you down. That is all true. What nobody tells you is about the severity, frequency and longevity of them. Before i started my herbal treatments, I was having them every hour on the hour and they would be intense and last for several minutes. Within seconds my face gets flushed and sweat immediately forms on my head, between my breasts, the back of my neck and my back. When I say “flushed” I mean hot to the touch and drenched with sweat. Its horrible and the shame of it has kept me from attending events and doing what I love to do. (i have since found a solution!)
With menopause comes a big change of hormones, namely a decrease in estrogen. Hormones control our behavior. I found myself having unnecessary reactions to small things and not enough reaction for the big things. I am generally an upbeat, fun loving person so experiencing this other side of myself was scary. At first I thought I was going crazy! My poor family was dealing with 2 different versions of me.
Hormones are special chemical messengers in the body that are created in the endocrine glands. These messengers control most major bodily functions, from simple basic needs like hunger to complex systems like reproduction, and even the emotions and mood. hormone.org
Because I was unable to control my emotions and didn’t even understand what was happening, I thought something was wrong with me. I was crying all the time over insignificant things. I lost focus and interest in the things that I love to do. I’ve never knew what hopelessness and despair felt like until now. I had gone from bubbly to bleak in a matter of months. My physician called it Menopause Induced Depression. A sudden change in hormone levels can bring this on! There are many many remedies for this and I have this one solved.
For years I slept like a baby, no matter what. Unfortunately, good sleep is now a thing of the past. I haven’t solved this problem yet, so I am still dealing with sleepless nights. Not restless but sleepless. This has been going on about 4 weeks now. Since I create my own work schedule and work from home this hasn’t been a huge problem. I am still searching for a solution that doesn’t involve medication
This falls in line with some of the hormonal things going on. Nervousness about my condition and uncertainty about my future are things that I never used to worry or be anxious about. Menopause changed all of that. Sudden anxiousness triggers hot flashes so this was a big problem for me. The two symptoms happening at the same time has kept me home a lot.
The skin changes have been horrendous as once again I am plagued with acne. I am sure that my condition could be worse. I get weekly outbreaks now which can be easily hidden, however when you had flawless skin, any blemish is devastating. I have invested in a commercial skin care treatment that seems to be helping.
The skin on other parts of my body has also been affected. My skin has become very itchy. The only way I can describe it is like a bug bite that you cant stop scratching. I know that with aging our skin loses elasticity but I am unsure of what causes this. It appears to only happen in the evening where i just become itchy on my arms and legs. This not a dry skin or eczema situation. I have spoken with other menopausal women who are experience the same. The only thing that soothes my skin during this time is Sistah Buttah.
Night sweats are hot flashes that come at night while you are sleeping. Leaving you to sometimes wake up drenched in the middle of the night. Things like sleeping with a fan or light loose pajamas can help with this. Once you figure out how to control your daytime hot flashes you will also solve this problem.
The older you get the harder it is for you to lose weight. Even though I am not gaining massive amounts of weight, its enough. The difference now is that it is harder to get off. Also with all of the symptoms that come with this condition I find myself sometimes comforting myself with food. I am attempting to stay on track by watching what I eat and walking on my Tread Climber daily.
My God I cannot believe I am sharing this but my sex drive has definitely been affected. I am either not interested at all or OVER interested, if you know what I mean. There is no in between and that’s all I’m gonna say.
Of course not everyone is going to go through the same thing at the same time. These are the things that I went through without having prior knowledge of what to expect. Nobody told me all of this which is why I am telling you. With my doctors help I have been able to find treatment options that work to help me stay in control and comfortable for most of these symptoms. I have incorporated, natural herbal remedies, consistent exercise, meditation and sharing my experiences into my daily routine and it appears to be helpful in all ways. If you think you are dealing with any form of Menopause I suggest you speak to a doctor to find what is right and what will work best for you. Menopause is a real condition that should be taken seriously and trust me, its way more than just hot flashes.
Are you experiencing any of the symptoms of menopause? What are some of the things that are helping you?
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