Menopause 1: What Happens When A Woman Reaches Menopause?

Introduction

Forbes recently published a survey that 76% of women generally do not get adequate information about menopause before it starts! This is why I am pleased to write-up on this topic by popular demand… Menopause!

What comes to your mind when you think of menopause? Thoughts of getting older, mournful or celebratory thoughts of the inevitable loss of your menstruation, the sense of loss of womanhood, or maybe you anticipate it with such relief? Why don’t we have enough confidence to discuss it with friends, family members, or our partners in particular? Does menopause makes us feel older or more aware of our age?

Would you be confident enough to discuss at the workplace the effect it has on your physical and mental well-being? Why are we not comfortable to say “I am menopausal, and to navigate this phase of my life as stress-free as possible, I need to make work adjustments”?  Menopause has major effects on women, which is absolutely alright to talk about, as I previously wrote on, in this article: Why do women hush when talking about period and menopause?

I was having a discussion with a lady who is currently going through menopause, and the main challenges she has are the effect on her sex life and explaining to her partner the changes she is going through. Nearly 30 years ago, I remember wondering why my mum would sweat profusely immediately after taking a cold shower! On the other hand, a colleague did not experience any symptoms at all going through menopause ? lucky for some, right?!

This is to show that not every woman experiences the menopausal symptoms, and those who do, have them in varied degrees of severity. I will be discussing in detail what things to look out for regarding menopausal symptoms in the next two blog posts, so sign up for the newsletters to be kept updated with all the blog articles.

What is Menopause

Menopause simply happens with the permanent cessation of our monthly menstrual period; however, there is a build up to it and this happens in stages (next post will explore this further, you do not want to miss it). It starts when there is a drop in the level of oestrogen, therefore increasing the levels of Follicle Stimulating Hormones (FSH) and Luteinizing Hormone (LH); these hormones basically manage our menstrual cycle.

Menopause can occur at any age between 45 – 58 years old, with an average of 51 years old. However, women below the age of 40 years can experience premature ovarian failure or ovarian insufficiency, this is when the ovaries stop functioning, for various reasons and women start experiencing menopausal symptoms.

Menopause and Black Women

On average, black women reach menopause two years earlier than their white counterparts, the main reason being sustained stress level. However, in women, irrespective of their ethnicity, smoking lifestyle is a major risk factor for reaching natural menopause at an early age. Are we ready to confer, ladies, so that by the end of this topic series we will be well-equipped to make decisions and or make the necessary adjustments or put a plan in place for when menopause comes knocking?

I would like to end this introductory post on menopause on this positive note. Black women are significantly more positive in their attitude towards menopause, followed closely by Caucasian women. These ethnic groups perceive menopause as the beginning of freedom and independence, YAY!!! This was confirmed by my amazing 11-year old editor, mind you she only just started her monthly period journey 🙂

Sign up to the HEW newsletter so as not to miss any upcoming blog posts. Thank you

Yemisi x