» What is Menopause?
» Peri-menopause
» After Menopause

What is Menopause?
Every woman will experience menopause in her own unique way. For some women, menopause will be a gradual phase that is hardly noticed. For others it can be marked with severe symptoms that make going about your daily life close to unbearable.

Menopause literally means the last monthly period of a woman's life. However, it is confirmed when a woman has not had a menstrual period for 12 consecutive months. The gradual decrease in the ovaries production of oestrogen during this time is simply the body's natural evolution from the fertile child-bearing years to a whole new stage of life.

For most women, menopause usually occurs between the ages of 45 to 55 years and for Australian woman the average age is 51 years.

Peri-menopause
Natural midlife changes have begun when your periods become irregular. Peri-menopause refers to the time leading up to menopause when the cycle length and menstrual flow can vary significantly. You may skip a period or your flow may become heavier or lighter. A common symptom is the commencement of hot flushes, which many women describe as a sudden rush of heat that spreads over the upper part of the body and face making the skin flush and causing a sudden burst of perspiration. The onset of hot flushes can often cause embarrassment for women as they can occur at anytime without warning. Night sweats and mood swings are also common during this time and you may find that your sleep patterns change.

Oestrogen levels play an important role in a woman's life. They rise at puberty with the onset of childbearing years and then increase and decrease rhythmically with your menstrual cycle. They peak during pregnancy and then decline as you reach menopause and your menstrual cycle ceases.

This decline in oestrogen levels during menopause gives rise to common symptoms such as:

• Hot flushes
• Night sweats
• Mood swings and irritability

Other symptoms associated with menopause include:

1. Reduced libido
2. Insomnia
3. Headaches
4. Urinary frequency
5. Dry vagina
6. Inability to concentrate

If you are currently going through menopause, chances are you are accustomed to more than one of these symptoms. Perhaps it's the intense hot flush when you want it the least, or it's the on again, off again tug of war with the blankets at night as you experience night sweats. The fact is thousands of women begin menopause everyday, so you are not alone.

Many women are also unaware that decreasing oestrogen levels can have a less obvious but more harmful effect on your body, such as an increased risk of osteoporosis (bone loss) and high cholesterol.

For most post-menopausal women, the visible symptoms of menopause such as hot flushes and night sweats will ease. However, there are the invisible effects of menopause which remain.

Up until menopause, as well as regulating the reproductive cycle, oestrogen has also assisted the body in maintaining a healthy heart and strong bones. However, after menopause, lower oestrogen levels decrease the ability to absorb calcium¹ and heart health is likely to decline².

So, in the years after menopause it is important for women to take an active role in maintaining bone and heart health. Exercise and diet can play a significant role and Promensil Vitality can help as a natural dietary supplement to assist in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis and maintaining heart health.