At Nottinghamshire YMCA, we are supporting all women this World Menopause Month.
World Menopause Month was created to encourage all women to never feel ashamed of a natural part of aging. Below are some tips to help you recognise symptoms and help you take the first step of managing them.
Menopause develops when a woman has no menstrual periods for 12 consecutive months, this tends to occur between the age of 45 and 55. During menopause a woman can no longer store eggs in the ovaries and your body’s oestrogen levels decline. Oestrogen is a hormone that is mainly produced in the ovaries and is responsible for controlling many bodily functions. When this falls, symptoms begin to occur.
Here are a few common symptoms:
- Hot Flushes
- Headaches and migraines
- Difficulty Sleeping
- Mood Changes
- Reduced Muscle Mass
- Problems with memory and concentration
To manage these, you can do some practical things, such as doing daily exercise, reducing your stress levels, taking cool showers and eating a healthy diet. If the symptoms become unmanageable, you may want to discuss them with your GP.