How can We Reduce our Post Menopausal problems?
Post menopausal problems can be emotionally draining. The time comes in our lives when our children are all grown up, making their own ways in the world, and at long last we finally have the freedom to do whatever we want. It's not surprising then that we feel betrayed when our body chooses this time to present us with post menopausal problems, and instead of going out to have fun, we're forced to stay home, beset with various discomforts.
A woman is said to be post menopausal when her periods have finally stopped, when it has been a year since her last period and her ovaries are finally inactive. During this period our reproductive hormone levels continue to drop and fluctuate for some time, so any hormonal withdrawal symptoms we may have been experiencing do not immediately end, but may take quite some time, maybe even several years, to entirely disappear.
Post menopausal women still suffer fatigue, insomnia, hot flashes, night sweats, depression and loss of libido. Often these symptoms are triggered by hormonal changes, though other factors may also be involved. Post menopausal symptoms may make us feel old, unattractive and worthless, and these feelings can trigger episodes of depression and a lack of sex drive.
When in the post menopausal stage, estrogen and progesterone levels in our bodies drop to around 50% and continue to decline. Because of this, accumulated fat distributes itself around our bellies instead of our hips, the appearance of which in turn can adversely affect our self-esteem.
Osteoporosis likewise becomes a problem as we begin to lose bone density more rapidly due to estrogen deficiency. Another serious physical condition that we should watch for is heart disease from atherosclerosis, the hardening of our arteries.
Maintaining a healthy diet is one way for us to remain problem-free. A proper diet with plenty of calcium-rich foods such as fruit and vegetables, oily fish, nuts and fiber helps prevent osteoporosis, keeps our cholesterol levels low and our bodies healthy. Supplements such as vitamin D and calcium combat osteoporosis and should be seriously considered. Not smoking may not only put off post menopausal symptoms by a couple of years, but may also reduce the risk of heart disease and osteoporosis.
Using progesterone creams may keep the vagina and bladder area healthier, make intercourse more comfortable and therefore more appealing. Genuine natural hormone creams are effective, reliable modes of administration for the management of hormone deficiency conditions. Other delivery methods of natural hormones, such as lotions, gels, sprays, and capsules have simply not proven to be as effective as creams. Patch treatments, for example, contain diosgenin, a steroid substrate chemically similar to progesterone, but does not act like progesterone within our body. Our bodies cannot convert diosgenin into progesterone.
Regardless of the type of post menopausal therapy we choose, we need to regularly consult with our doctors. Extended use of hormone creams should always be under the supervision of a family physician.
As post menopausal women we may experience many discomforts, but regular exercise, maintaining a healthy lifestyle and regular trips to our doctors can greatly lessen these symptoms and assure us that our quality of life is not decreased.
If you suffer from post menopausal symptoms you may also be suffering from a number of other symptoms related to low progesterone. The following link contains a list that expounds on these, and you might want to check this list by clicking the link below.
Click here to read about the symptoms of PMS