Today, October 18, 2023, is World Menopause Day.

In 2009, the International Menopause Society teamed up with the World Health Organization to declare October Menopause Awareness Month, and the 18th day of October, World Menopause Day.

It is a day to raise awareness of the menopause transition and the support available to the women experiencing it.

Some details:

• This year, the theme is cardiovascular disease, as it remains the largest killer of women, and the signs in women are so subtle.
• About 1.3 million women enter perimenopause every year in the United States alone.
• By 2025, 1.1 billion women globally will be impacted by menopause.
• According to a survey conducted in the United Kingdom, 9 out of 10 women were never taught about menopause. Further, more than 62% described their experiences as “awful” and “a nightmare.”

I added that last fact in case you were wondering why we need a World Menopause Day.

This menopause transition can be difficult. Yet study after study have revealed that education and attitude can ease the transition.

In that spirit, I wrote an article for another blog that I wanted to share here today…

Six Things that Make Your Menopause More Positive

September 19, 2023 by Corey Jackson  General

According to Science

Introduction

Menopause – a word that can bring uncertainty and apprehension, even confusion. But it doesn’t have to be. Menopause, a natural life transition that typically occurs in women between the ages of 45 and 55, is a time of significant hormonal changes and cessation of menstrual cycles. Many women feel out of control when they enter perimenopause. Instead of embracing the power and freedom that can come on the other side of this life stage, they succumb to the negative effects of symptoms, assuming that the best of life is behind them. This blog post aims to educate and provide reliable advice, based on menopause research, to help make your menopause transition more positive and empowering.

1. Knowledge is Power

Perimenopause is the phase in which the ovaries slow down and cease production of sex hormones like estrogen and progesterone. The final cessation results in the end of the reproductive phase of a woman’s life, marked by 12 months without a period. The menopause transition, aka perimenopause, can trigger various symptoms, including the big hitters – hot flashes, night sweats, brain fog, and mood swings – and a rather extensive list of lesser-known symptoms – musculoskeletal pain, anxiety, insomnia, dry skin. In fact, there are 34 known symptoms. Some of them are so weird and seemingly unrelated that they can take over your life if you let them.

Oprah Winfrey has talked publicly about her experience with heart palpitations, a puzzle that her doctors couldn’t solve. Turns out irregular heartbeats are among the 34 symptoms.

I experienced the same thing. The symptoms came during a year that I was struggling with other health things. I contracted giardia in the late spring, and experienced heat sickness in the summer. The palpitations came on the heels of those things, and I was worried about my health. I visited the ER, got a referral to a cardiologist, wore a Holter monitor for two weeks, took a stress test (which was inconclusive) and finally had an exploratory heart catheter. The result? My arteries were beautifully clear. The heart palpitations were a symptom of perimenopause.

Knowing that even the most troubling symptoms you are experiencing are related to perimenopause helps to remove confusion and fear. It’s all too easy to get in your head about all the changes your body is going through, just as easy to think you’re losing your sanity. Knowing which changes are due to the menopause transition can at least help you check the crazy.

2. Attitude is Everything

Studies like this one and this one show a direct correlation between a woman’s attitudes (and her spouse’s)

toward the menopause transition and the severity of her symptoms.

It turns out that the more positively you think about the natural transition you’re going through, the easier time you will have. Whether or not physiological symptom severity was measurably reduced or that a woman’s ability to withstand the symptom was increased by the positive attitude is unclear. But in the end, does it really matter?

What does matter is that a positive mindset during menopause can empower you to take proactive steps for your health and wellbeing. Actions like eating a healthy diet, strength training, managing stress, getting regular checkups and medical screenings – can ensure better health outcomes in the long run. It’s a virtuous cycle: thinking positively about the experience causes you to act positively, making it overall a more positive experience.

3. Habits Make the Woman

The most effective weapons in your arsenal are your nutrition, exercise, sleep strategies, and stress management techniques. These will positively impact your physical health and your mental health. Diet, particularly protein and healthy fats, and exercise, particularly strength training, play a crucial role in managing menopause symptoms. Regular physical activity can combat weight gain, improve mood, and promote better sleep. Researchers and practitioners alike are recognizing that strength training in particular can treat depression more effectively than any other form, and it is even more effective than medication and talk therapy.

Menopause experts point to new anxiety and depression as a very common early symptom of the menopause transition. Women in perimenopause can make a significant impact on these symptoms by starting or maintaining an exercise schedule that features strength training. Additionally, body composition, sleep quality, and stress levels are significantly improved by proper strength training and a healthy, whole-food protein-rich diet.

4. Supplements are Your Natural Life Hack

Estrogen is important to multiple processes, including many involving micronutrient absorption or turnover. As a result, women in perimenopause tend to be deficient in several nutrients. And while you should test for micronutrient deficits and never guess, supplementation is warranted for many of these nutrients.

Certain supplements, like magnesium, vitamins E, D and B, calcium, zinc, and Omega-3 fatty acids, may help alleviate menopause symptoms, particularly those that are caused or impacted by shortages. Body aches, inflammation, dry and thinning skin, fatigue, poor sleep, and symptoms of low thyroid function can all be a result of or worsened by a lack in any of the above-mentioned nutrients.

Natural remedies like DIM have been shown to be effective in estrogen metabolism and clearing. Other adaptogenic supplements seem effective in managing fatigue, cortisol response, and anxiety, – namely rhodiola and ashwagandha respectively. Yet others, such as maca and saw palmetto, support sex hormone production and balance.

Finally, women experiencing perimenopause should all be taking a good probiotic supplement, due to the impacts of estrogen decline on the gut. Improving gut health will improve digestion, negative estrogen clearing, and neurotransmitter production.

5. Useful Products for Perimenopause

Hot flashes and night sweats can be better managed by wearing moisture-wicking fabrics and using bedlinens that promote cooling, such as bamboo sheets. If you share your bed with someone that doesn’t appreciate your need for lower temperatures, consider the Chilipad dual zone cooling mattress pad, which lets users set different temperatures for their side of the bed. Vaginal moisturizers containing hyaluronic acid can help manage vaginal dryness. My favorite is the Everyday Honor Balm by Rosebud.

6. BONUS: Medical Interventions

So what do you do if you have your habits dialed in and you still struggle? Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) is a viable and safe option if lifestyle changes aren’t enough. Recent research shows that HRT is cardioprotective and doesn’t significantly increase cancer risks if you are not positive for estrogen-receptive cancer genes. Non-hormonal medical treatments like SSRIs or Gabapentin can also help with symptoms like hot flashes and mood swings.

However, regardless of whether you choose this option – and every woman should feel free to – it is not a hall pass to bad behavior. Your habits and lifestyle are still crucial to a positive perimenopause. That’s why this section is titled BONUS. No one can expect to pop a pill or slap on a patch and see symptoms disappear if they aren’t checking the nutrition, exercise, and stress management boxes.

Conclusion

Menopause is a significant life transition that should not be taken lightly or dismissed. While it is an inevitable phase of a woman’s life and can be challenging, it doesn’t have to be endless suffering. It can be an empowering and positive growth period with the right attitude, lifestyle changes, and medical support.