What comes to mind when you think of menopause? If it’s something negative, like mood swings, hot flashes, or weight gain, you’re not alone.
Menopause is a natural biological process, but the symptoms it brings make most women dread it. While it’s true that menopause is a transition that can be challenging, it’s not all bad.
Farly Sejour, MD, Natalie Gould, WHNP-BC, and our team at Solace Women’s Care in Conroe, Texas, provide care for women in menopause and beyond, and we’re here to share some encouraging facts about the process.
Most women have monthly menstrual periods beginning in their early teens and continuing until menopause. By the time menopause starts in your 40s or 50s, that adds up to about 450 periods throughout your life.
You get your period when your ovaries release an egg and it doesn’t get fertilized. When you enter menopause, your ovaries stop releasing eggs. You can’t get pregnant anymore, and your periods stop.
Not having a period is a freeing feeling for many menopausal women. You don’t have to worry about when you’ll start bleeding or how long it will last, and you don’t have to buy period products anymore.
When your periods stop, so do your menstrual symptoms. Around 90% of women experience premenstrual syndrome (PMS) during their reproductive years. 85% of women suffer cramps before or during their periods. And 70% of women with chronic migraine also suffer menstrual headaches.
Hormones control your menstrual cycle, and hormonal fluctuations are the cause behind many of these unpleasant symptoms. Your estrogen and progesterone levels decline and stabilize during menopause, effectively putting an end to your menstrual symptoms.
About 65% of women use contraception during their reproductive years. While it’s very effective to prevent pregnancy, birth control often triggers side effects like headaches, irregular bleeding, and weight gain.
Since you can’t get pregnant after menopause, you don’t have to use contraception anymore. Any birth control side effects you experienced will go away, and you might be surprised to find that you enjoy sex more without the worry of unintended pregnancy.
Indeed, menopause often causes new symptoms, like hot flashes and vaginal dryness. Menopause can make you feel unlike yourself, but the symptoms are temporary, lasting an average of 4.5 years.
If you’re bothered by severe menopause symptoms, treatment can help too. Dr. Sejour and our team specialize in menopause care, and we may recommend lifestyle changes or medication to help make your transition easier.
Last but not least, menopause offers a fresh outlook on life. Menopause can bring a new sense of confidence and empowerment. Plus, the average life expectancy of an American woman is 81 years — so you still have nearly half your life ahead of you, and maybe more.
Many women use menopause as an opportunity to reflect and make changes to improve their lives. One study found that feelings of optimism rise in your 50s, and American anthropologist Margaret Mead named this phenomenon post-menopausal zest.
Menopause is something every woman faces, but you don’t have to dread it. Find compassionate care for menopause and life beyond at Solace Women’s Care. Call our Conroe, Texas, office at 936-441-7100 to get started.
