After forty to forty-five years, the ovaries begin to produce less estrogen. Periods gradually become irregular, you can go much smaller or, conversely, significantly longer than usual. Changes occur in estrogen-dependent organs: the Central nervous system reacts, the skin turgor decreases, the vaginal mucosa becomes drier, the bones are more fragile.
Different women experience menopause in different ways. Someone does not notice any special changes in health, someone is faced with intense physical and psychological consequences. The way a woman feels in menopause is influenced by individual physiological and psychological characteristics, as well as external factors, including the attitude to menopause in society.
Despite the fact that popular culture presents menopause in a negative light, many women are happy about the changes. Someone likes that you no longer have to deal with menstruation, someone enjoys the opportunity to have sex without the risk of getting pregnant, someone, contrary to stereotypes, with the onset of menopause begins to feel calmer and more balanced.
“Larisa (53 years old) is pleased with the changes: “My psychiatrist said that the panic attacks that tormented me will end with the beginning of menopause. So it happened: for a year and a half, as they left and did not return. And the fact that there are no more periods is very convenient, of course.” What else changes when entering the menopause? The main symptoms that are associated with hormonal changes (and which are not necessarily manifest in you) include the so-called tides, sleep disorders, swelling of the chest, frequent urination and mood swings.”
What are tides?
Tides are sharp flashes of heat, which can be accompanied by a sharp sweating, reddening of the skin, trembling, rapid heartbeat. More than 75 % of menopausal women experience tides. One flash can last from thirty seconds to thirty minutes, and they can happen just a few months, and up to thirty times a day. Night hot flashes can cause sleep disorders, another common menopausal symptom. Maria (50 years) says that wakes up at night “through wet”: “it is Necessary to get up, change clothes, change bed linen”.
Larisa (53 years old) coped with the tides, starting to take hormonal drugs: “My tides were very strong — about thirty per day, and at times they occurred every ten minutes, and it was just hell.” For some, the appearance of tides, on the contrary, becomes a positive change. Marina (52 years) is happy that thanks to the tides “finally stopped freezing in the winter.”
The causes of tides are still poorly understood, but they are associated with changes in hormone levels that affect the temperature-regulating function of the hypothalamus. To cope with the tides successfully helps hormone therapy, but now actively studied and other methods. If the tides are not treated medically, they usually stop themselves within a couple of years, although there are cases of continuing tides for ten years.
Climax and sex
Libido during menopause can behave differently: someone it will fade, someone, on the contrary, violently awaken, and the third will not change at all. Often women say that they feel more free because they can no longer be afraid of unwanted pregnancy. However, doctors recommend the use of contraceptives for a couple of years after menopause, as during this period the risk of getting pregnant still persists.
“When I went to the first gaps in the cycle, the first thing I noticed: how much was the fading of the skin and increased libido. I thought that the menopause, on the contrary, will kill sexual desire — and it unexpectedly strongly increased”, — Yulia (46 years) tells. Irina (46 years old) has another experience: “When I had problems with orgasm, at first I explained it to myself with difficulties with a new partner. Then gradually took libido — but at that time I attributed it all to stress, fatigue and depression.
If the relationship with a partner or partner during menopause change, it is not necessarily the influence of hormones. Changes in the emotional climate in a couple may be due to how a woman and her loved one feel psychologically
Doctors say that regular sexual life can facilitate manifestations of menopause. Our client says that when she started a new relationship and had regular sex — menopausal changes retreated: “the cycle Disruptions, pressure surges and tides passed over the course of the year. I’m seeing a gynecologist, and she says it’s related to the recovery of sexual activity.”
Because of the decrease in estrogen levels, the vaginal mucosa and vulva often become drier and more sensitive, easier to wound and easier to bring infection. Therefore, those who practice vaginal penetration or contact with the vulva, need to take care of a good lubricant to maintain comfort and safety. Even when pregnancy is ruled out, the issue of prevention should still be treated responsibly, follow special recommendations for intimate hygiene and consult a doctor in time if something is bothering. If the relationship with a partner or partner during menopause change, it is not necessarily the influence of hormones.