30-Second Summary
- Menopause is an unavoidable part of aging and is marked by certain signs and symptoms.
- Although menopause cannot be reversed or deferred, and it eventually happens to all women, there are certain steps you can take to make the transition easier and cope better with the symptoms.
- Some of the steps you can do include avoiding symptom triggers, getting on dietary supplements, having baseline levels checked, receiving hormone replacement therapy, eliminating toxins and xenoestrogens, working out regularly, and living an active social life, among several others discussed here.
- Menopausal women should notice an improvement in their overall symptoms and health with these tips.
Why You Should Prepare Yourself for Menopause
All biological women will deal with menopause at some point as they grow older. While many are aware, not all are prepared to deal with the changes that often accompany this stage of life.
And considering that the symptoms and signs of menopause can be life-altering for many, you certainly do not want to be surprised or overwhelmed by them to the extent of affecting all areas of your life as these symptoms can be far-reaching.
If you are menopausal and searching for tips to help you better deal with menopause or simply looking to gain insight into some of the experiences, you will find the tips shared here helpful.
But first, we’ll discuss the different stages to help you better understand the terms commonly associated with menopause.
Menopause: This stage is marked by having no monthly periods. At this point, the period is absent for up to 12 months, indicating that this change is permanent.
Perimenopause: Perimenopause is the stage before menopause. It consists of signs such as irregular periods, hot flashes, low libido, night sweats, and mood swings.
Below are tips to help you know what to expect and better deal with the symptoms alongside one of the best menopause supplements for the common symptoms.
- Get your baseline levels checked. Menopause is a new experience and changes are inevitable. You want to make safe decisions when these changes occur and you can only do so by having a doctor check your blood and hormone baseline levels.Usually, health professionals advise all adults to get baseline readings of their hormone levels once they reach adulthood. As menopause is a new stage entirely, you want to ensure that your hormones and blood tests are within safe levels.
- Mindfulness and cognitive behavioral therapy. In many studies, mindfulness and cognitive behavioral therapy were shown to help ease menopause symptoms even though it is always better to start early.Practice mindfulness to enjoy its full effects on the common symptoms of menopause, such as mood swings and low libido.
- Have an active social life. While the importance of having people around at every point of your life cannot be overemphasized, with menopause, it is especially crucial due to the hormonal changes and the susceptibility to emotional problems.Therefore, keep in contact with your friends to enjoy the support and connection you need to thrive through this stage.
- Keep exposure to xenoestrogens low. Xenoestrogens are everywhere in our environment and alongside other toxins, they can disrupt the hormonal balance by mimicking our body’s estrogens. By avoiding excessive plastic use and opting for safe, skincare products and processed foods when possible, you can minimize and even prevent several issues.
- Reduce alcohol and caffeine consumption. Our lives are burdened with so many responsibilities. Flooding them with alcohol and caffeine will only load us up with more responsibilities that could eventually affect our performance, hormones, and overall health when already dealing with menopause.
- Learn new hobbies. Learning never ends and even with menopause, you can pick up enjoyable hobbies. This will help keep the body and mind active. You can even sign up for them with your female friends for a more rewarding social life.
- Eat cruciferous vegetables. Consume lots of cruciferous vegetables[1], including cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts. They are rich in phytochemicals that break down into sulforaphanes, D-glucarate, and indole-3-carbinol – all known to support liver detoxification. Also, consume foods like berries, tomatoes, onions, and apples to provide your liver with the nutritional support required for optimum cleansing.
- Hormone replacement therapy. While this may not be an option for all, Hormone Replacement Therapy[2] can be an effective way to prepare and cope with menopause and its accompanying symptoms. The therapy can be beneficial against vaginal dryness, hot flashes, and night sweats.
- Reduce processed food. Aside from helping to prevent menopause weight gain, drastically reducing your intake of sugar and processed grains can help you better prepare and deal with menopause symptoms. Also, reduce the consumption of natural sugars as while safer, they can elevate blood sugar levels the way processed grains and sugar will.
- Consume adrenal superfoods. Consume nutrient-packed foods such as organ meat[3] to provide your body with the nutritional support for adrenal health and overall wellbeing. You can prepare and consume organ meat alone or add it to other recipes you enjoy.
- Get quality sleep. While the recommended 8 – 10 hours of undisturbed sleep is not often attainable, you should try to get adequate sleep every night; a minimum of 6 hours of good quality sleep. On weekends and holidays, you can try to add a few more hours to your usual sleep schedule, especially if you do not get enough of it regularly.
- Keep your weight healthy. Menopause weight gain is not uncommon. While this is often linked to hormone fluctuations, you can keep excessive weight at bay by maintaining a healthy weight before menopause through the consumption of healthy meals and setting up an exercise routine to stay active and fit. Excess body fat can elevate your risk of developing life-threatening conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.
- Consume quality carbs. Regular consumption of quality complex carbs has been shown in studies to be beneficial for nervous system health and the promotion of restful sleep.
Foods containing complex carbs include potato, rice, and pumpkin. In the right amounts, these types of carbohydrates can be nourishing and filling and the latter is important to keep you healthy and the weight down.
- Stay hydrated. As dryness is a common symptom of menopause, women experiencing menopausal symptoms are advised to consume up to 8 or 12 glasses of water daily. Doing so helps to keep bloating down and prevent weight gain by keeping you full and increasing the body’s metabolism.
- Consume natural supplements. Many women have found relief from their menopause symptoms by consuming products formulated for menopause. While studies may still be required on some of these supplements, including the best menopause supplements, many found them effective.
These supplements often contain ingredients such as phytoestrogens, probiotics, ashwagandha, and black cohosh. These elements and other commonly used ones have been found to play beneficial roles in feminine health as explained in Estroven reviews and other similar reviews.
Conclusion
Menopause is an unavoidable part of female aging and while this stage cannot be stopped or deferred, it can be managed and the symptoms kept minimal with some tips and steps.
Here, we discussed known and effective menopause tips to help women currently undergoing menopause or curious about what to expect better prepare for this transition. They include regular exercises, diet modifications, and social support alongside other tips menopausal women will find helpful.
Menopause products such as Estroven and their science-backed ingredients were also discussed. For even more insight into these products, you can check Estroven reviews to decide if a dietary supplement for menopause is something you would like.
We hope you find the tips useful and also share them with other women on the same journey.
Reference:
1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5928523/
2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6317580/
3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6213018/