作者:苏珊·斯科格

你好,更年期. It often arrives just as you’re juggling many other major life changes: career shifts, college-bound teens, 年迈的父母.

But better understanding menopausal symptoms can help women manage the transition, stay healthy and strong, and ease the confusion that can surround menopause, says Roxanne Slayden, a physician assistant at The Women’s Clinic of Northern Colorado.

“It’s good to remember that menopause is a natural physiological process that every woman goes through. It marks a time when our ovaries stop producing eggs, our estrogen levels decline, and menstrual cycles start becoming irregular,斯雷登说.

Most women enter into perimenopause, or the transition period before menopause, in their 40s. It can last from about four to 10 years. Changes in menstrual cycles and flow are often the first sign, Slayden说. “Time between menstrual periods may be longer or shorter, and the flow can be heavier, 更轻的, 或者只是发现. It’s also common to skip periods. You may skip cycles for a month or months.”

Women are fully in menopause when they’ve had no menstrual cycle for 12 consecutive months. “The average age for menopause is 52, but the range can be from 40 to 55.”

生活变化, 正常衰老, and stress can easily cause symptoms similar to menopause: 体重增加, 乏力, 情绪波动, 易怒, 睡眠问题, and thyroid disorders.

“Also, remember that each woman is unique and will not have every symptom of menopause. Some may have only one symptom. Some may have 10,” Slayden adds. 

Common menopausal symptoms include hot flashes, 盗汗, 情绪波动, 易怒, 睡眠问题, 焦虑, 抑郁症, 阴道干涩, 性欲减退, 乏力, 体重增加, 雾蒙蒙的思考, loss of collagen and elasticity in the skin, changes in hair texture and amount, 头痛, frequent urinary tract infections (UTIs), 关节疼痛, 身体疼痛, 低的耐力, and low motivation.

Contrary to common belief, changes in memory are associated with natural aging, but no evidence links them to menopause, Slayden说. “Some women report 雾蒙蒙的思考 and difficulty remembering during menopause. It could be that 睡眠问题 are affecting brain function. Midlife stressors can also cause memory issues.”

幸运的是, women can choose many options to help ease menopausal symptoms including exercise, getting plenty of sleep, 吃好, maintaining healthy weight, 减少压力, 不吸烟. Avoiding or reducing sugar and alcohol consumption can help with sleep.

In addition to lifestyle changes, many treatment options also help ease perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms, such as dietary supplements, hormone replacement therapy, antidepressant medication, and other non-hormonal drug therapies. “The first line of treatment should be lifestyle changes/modifications and then medication if the symptoms become so bothersome they interrupt your normal life,斯莱登建议道.

It’s important during this stage of life for women to stay healthy and take care of themselves as much as they care for others, Slayden说. 放松, 冥想, 瑜伽, 按摩, 休闲洗浴, 或者慢慢来, deep abdominal breaths can help reduce hot flashes. “Choose something fun to do and stay active.”

Stigmas once led women to believe that the quality of their live wanes after menopause. But many women now find that menopause is actually the beginning of a strong, 自信的阶段, Slayden说.  

“Some positive things associated with menopause are a sense of freedom with no longer having to worry about birth control, premenstrual syndrome symptoms, or menstrual problems. At this stage of life, children are also getting older, and you are able to pursue more professional and personal ambitions. Many women report feeling empowered with a greater sense of confidence.”