Research indicates that the three phases of menopause have a long-lasting effect on women’s mental health. Since menopause causes several physical changes in women, each woman’s experience of these changes is unique, menopause is a pivotal point in every woman’s life. When the female reproductive organ, the ovaries, cease to produce eggs for fertilisation, the fertility cycle comes to an end.
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The Phases Of Menopause, Perimenopause, And Postmenopause
Three phases can be distinguished by this gradual shift: premenopause, also known as perimenopause, which occurs the years leading up to menopause when the body experiences hormonal changes; menopause, which occurs on the day one year has passed since the last menstrual cycle; and postmenopause, which occurs the years following menopause and lasting the remainder of a woman’s life. While objective studies on women’s physical health have been conducted for several centuries, the connection between menstruation and mental health is relatively recent. However, research indicates that women’s minds are permanently affected by the three phases of menopause.
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Estrogen
Apart from progesterone, the main sex hormone controls teenage girls. It is present in estradiol, which during the perimenopausal stage transforms into estrone. This hormone is closely linked to serotonin, a mood-regulating neurotransmitter, and is strongest throughout a woman’s reproductive years.
Estrogen levels fluctuate during the first stage of menopause preparation, which is when this is most noticeable and leads to mood swings.
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This is linked to additional physical symptoms such as irregular menstruation, blood flow fluctuations, sleeplessness, dry vagina (which increases the risk of vaginal and urinary tract infections), decreased libido, and painful sex.
Low Levels of Estrogen
Anger, despair, and irritability are brought on by low oestrogen levels. In addition, a decrease in oestrogen puts women at risk for cardiac conditions and osteoporosis (weak bones). It causes weariness, memory loss, brain fog, thinning hair, dry skin, and weight gain, all of which hasten the ageing process. Numerous bodily changes are linked to their rapidly deteriorating cognitive health and serve as stressors. It literally means that they are no longer able to bear children, which is celebrated as a “feminine gift” in many cultures around the globe.
Menopause Usually Starts in the Early Fiftys
- Hot flashes: A common perimenopausal and menopausal symptom is intense heat in the upper body (chest, neck, and face), along with panic and a sense of suffocation.
- Signs of anxiety attacks are frequently similar: There are clear connections between menopause and depression, and the likelihood of these connections developing increases if a person has experienced depression in the past.
- Environmental elements make it worse: Menopausal women are also susceptible to memory loss and sleep disturbances.
Physical or mental symptoms that arise during these stages usually go away once the body adapts to the postmenopausal state, and medication is usually not needed:
Women find great benefit from hormone replacement therapy (HRT), which supplements the body’s low levels of oestrogen, sympathetic family situations, and counselling.
Because of their living and working environments, women from diverse cultural origins also have varying effects from menopause on their mental health.
Practicing yoga, meditation, picking up a hobby, getting involved in groups or organisations of one’s choosing, maintaining a balanced diet and sleep schedule, doing mild exercise, and focusing one’s energies on productive, calming, and creative work are some strategies to combat the affects of menopause.
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