Dr. Anagha Karkhanis – Senior Gynaecologist and Infertility Specialist and Director of Cocoon Fertility
The term menopause is nothing but a natural biological phase in every woman’s life, commencing when her monthly cycle comes to a stop. A very normal aspect of aging, in some cases menopause, occurs ahead of time in women who are less than forty years of age. If a female has gone for twelve sequential months without having a menstrual cycle, she is legitimately considered to have reached the phase of menopause. For some ladies, menopause is an indication to an end to their reproductive years and the understanding that they are getting older, while for some reaching menopause implies they no longer have to bear with the uneasiness and trouble related to a monthly period. Moving towards menopause also brings a permanent full stop to the anxiety about an unwelcome pregnancy.
The term Menopause has gotten a bad rap, but it is not always all the hot flashes and mood swings. Unraveling fact from fiction can aid in easing both your mind and the transition. Below mentioned are the myths surrounding menopause and ways that can help women deal with the situation.
Reaching menopause is the end to a new beginning:
Possibly the most common and biggest myth related menopause is that it’s the start of the end. This fact may have been true during our ancestral times, when the usual age of menopause overlapped with or often exceeded life expectancy, but in current times women are living for a longer period of time and are leading healthier and improved lives than ever before. The average woman today can presume to live about one-third of her adult life post reaching the phase of menopause, which characteristically starts around age 51. And for most feminine, those years are actually a time of development and opportunity. Women should bear in mind that menopause only marks the end to your monthly period and should not be considered to be the end of your life, nor is it the depressed experience it is often made out to be.
Most women going through this phase are sure to experience anxiety:
This is completely untrue, womenare already twice as probable as men to experience unhappiness or depression. Bouts of worry and mood swings can arise because of hormone fluctuations and major depressive episodes, but an episode of menopause alone cannot be held responsible for causing any sort of despair in them.
All women are likely to experience unpleasant symptoms during menopause:
Although it is true that most women do have signs and indications that include hot flashes, bed-time sweats, and mood fluctuations, but menopause is known to affect each woman differently. For many women, menopausal indications are very mild, and for some, the only understandable symptom is the absence of a monthly cycle.
Women tend to gain a lot of weight post menopause:
Many women tend to gain weight between the age groups of thirty five and fifty five. Although some researches confirm that middle-aged women tend to put on more weight during peri-menopause and menopause phase, others have revealed that even those women who remain pre-menopausal during this age range have a propensity to experience weight gain. Some researches indicate to a modification in body composition post menopause, including upsurges in the fat percentage of the body and reductions in lean body mass. If you take care of your dietary intake and follow a good exercise regime, you can avert unwanted weight advance during your middle years.
Women stop having sexual intercourse after menopause:
This is totally false in fact sex can essentially be better and more fulfilling post menopause owing to the fact that you no longer have to face the fear about getting pregnant. Some women are also able to gain a healthier mental outlook and a superior level of self-assurance that comes with adulthood. So before you play the blame game on menopause, you must always check with your doctor if a lack of interest or condensed enjoyment in sex is due to any long-lasting sicknesses or to a medicine that you may be taking.
It is possible to get pregnant after menopause:
During the start of the menopause phase, when you are still having an infrequent period you are technically considered to be in the perimenopause. If you have indulged into sexual intercourse with your partner you can get pregnant and hence must consider taking to your doctor about the right birth control suitable for you during this time. Once you have successfully reached 12 consecutive months with no sign of a menstrual period, you have officially surpassed through menopause and there is no longer a need for you to worry about conceiving.
Certainly the biggest myth about menopause is that it is considered to be a phase when you slow down and start watching your health start to go downhill. In reality women live healthier, tend to become more active than ever before and can often utilize this time to further advance their career goals, travel and should spend more time with loved ones. Women who take proper care of their minds and bodies can continue to enjoy life long even after menopause and nothing can stop them.
