Menopause

Menopause happens because of a decrease in a woman’s oestrogen levels. When we’re approaching menopause, our periods become less frequent, and eventually stop. When we haven’t had a period for at least one year, we’ve reached menopause. This is typically around 51 years of age in the UK. Perimenopause is the lead-up to menopause. It can start up to ten years prior to a woman reaching menopause, although sometimes it’s earlier.

It all sounds reasonably straightforward. However, I’m sure you’ll agree, there’s a lot more to it. I, like many women, thought that menopause was a case of no longer having periods combined with the odd hot flush. Hindsight is a wonderful thing! It’s true that some women have very few issues at all. It’s also true that many women struggle with menopause symptoms. For those women, midlife can be challenging, confusing and, at times, very lonely.

Menopause education is thankfully improving. Unfortunately, however, many women are stumbling into midlife completely unprepared for the impact of menopause. I was certainly one of those women. We know that as many as 90% of women will suffer with the effects of menopause. As of 2021, there are thirteen million menopausal women in the UK.

Although there are many symptoms of menopause, and they vary between women, these are some of the most common:

• Hot flushes
• Anxiety
• Panic
• Palpitations
• Low mood
• Lack of libido
• Weight gain
• Headaches
• Fatigue
• Hair loss
• Insomnia
• Loss of confidence and self-esteem
• Forgetfulness
• Difficulty concentrating (brain fog)
• Mouth and gum problems
• Joint pain