How to Thrive in Menopause

If you google ‘menopause’ you will find countless posts on surviving this crazy season of life. Let’s face it, just when your kids require less from you, your body decides to rebel and become something you don’t recognize. Let me tell you, my sisters, it IS possible to THRIVE in menopause.

The symptoms of menopause can be unpleasant, this is true. Suddenly there’s a belly that wasn’t there before, and other people irritate you more. You body may feel like it’s going to internally combust at times. Ugh.

Sisters, as women, our hormones dominate everything. They always have. And, now they’re beginning to shut down.

But, it’s ok. We are strong and this is but a season.

As I am reaching perhaps the end of the tunnel of this rollercoaster, I’m sharing some quick, ‘non-medical-ese‘ helpful hints to navigate the menopause journey.

See Your Doctor (First and Foremost)

If you think you may be in menopause and/or are experiencing any of these symptoms, chat with your doctor. Make an appointment for a full physical with appropriate blood tests.

Symptoms of menopause:

• Heavy or irregular periods (actually indicating perimenopause, and you can read about that phase here)
• Hot flashes
• Night sweats
• Vaginal changes
• Trouble sleeping
• Reduced sex drive
• Brain fog
• Belly gain

There are blood tests available to evaluate hormone levels which will tell whether or not you are menopausal, if you so wish.

During your evaluation, your doctor will likely advise you to make other appointments as well including a mammogram, pelvic exam, and depending on your age, a colonoscopy.

(Sign up for my free printable Menopause: Foods to Eat and Avoid at the bottom of this post.)

If you haven’t taken care of yourself before, now is the time. In the words of Nike, JUST DO IT.

Also, ask your doctor about doing a full blood panel, or at least testing your levels of :

• Thyroid function (TSH)
• Vitamin D
• Magnesium
• Calcium
• Hormone levels

Irregularities in any of the above tests can affect how you feel and can be easily supplemented.

Talk to Your Doctor about Sex and Hormone Replacement Therapy

This is the next question for your doctor. Should you consider adding in hormones to relieve symptoms? Together you can discuss your symptoms and their severity to decide if they necessitate beginning HRT.

This answer is different for everyone. Beginning HRT also comes with some health risks, just like birth control pills, which your physician will discuss.

Menopause can bring with it a decline of libido. It’s just logical. HRT can help with this and is offered in many forms and products, including pills, patches, gels, creams or sprays.

Custom compounded progesterone creams are another option to consider, and are increasingly popular because of their effectiveness.

Talking to your doctor about your sex life can be uncomfortable, but it is worth it to consider the products that he recommends for relief.

Your physician will likely talk about exercise too.

Get Your Groove on and Exercise

Here’s a little tough love my sisters: Gone are the days of being able to eat anything and not gain weight.

Menopause just slows down the metabolism. Plain and simple.

We have to get moving.

And, actually, exercise combats bone loss as well, also one of the side effects brought on by changing hormones.

So what’s your pleasure?

If you are not already in an exercise routine, begin slow. Here are a few ideas:

• Find apps on your phone for easy exercise that only takes 7-15 minutes, and can be done anywhere. Here’s a review for several of them that you can find in the app store.
• Find a yoga class. There are even Youtube channels for yoga when you don’t want to leave your house. There’s even Christian Yoga.
• Join a gym. There’s always new and fun classes offered to work on your problem areas. You might meet some new friends too.
• Join or start a walking group in your neighborhood. Get to know your neighbors!

Cut the Sugar, ‘Sugar’

Some more tough love: Sugar is evil and is now your enemy.

I cut out sugar when I started to recognize that I would have a hot flash literally moments after eating sugar or another carb. Truly.

It was weird. And no one told me that could happen.

Here’s the biology for it:

Menopause is the process of the ovaries shutting down in their production of estrogen and progesterone. Progesterone quits first, leading to something called ‘estrogen dominance’. If all we have left is estrogen, we feel more the effects of it’s fluctuating. This is when we get hot flashes, irregular periods, headaches, water retention and depression.

Sugar (and other carbs which turn into sugar) increases estrogen levels – then suddenly drops it. A sudden drop of estrogen causes hot flashes.

Fun fact: When you hear the term ‘balancing hormones’ it’s referring to the balance of progesterone and estrogen.

Another fun fact: Japan doesn’t even have a word in their language for ‘hot flash’. What??? How can that be?

Interestingly, the Japanese consume 24 lbs of soy every year on average. In comparison, the American diet typically contains 3 lbs of soy yearly.

Soy is known for balancing hormones.

Eat soy and NOT sugar! Edamame here I come!

(Sign up for my free printable Menopause: Foods to Eat and Avoid at the bottom of this post.)

Create a Bucket List

This last tip is perhaps the most important.

Menopause (and anything else in life) should be viewed with the proper perspective.

We can think of it as us getting old and our bodies shutting down, OR, we can think of it as the beginning of the second half of our lives, without the nuisance of a period every month.

Yippee!

So, with that change in perspective, what do you want to do? Really think about this question.

Would you like to travel? See places you’ve always wanted to see?

Have you always wanted to go back to school and finish your degree?

Do you want to finally landscape your yard or declutter your basement?

How about a cooking class?

The sky is the limit my sisters!

Make an appointment with your physician today and discuss your health and even sex life! Get yourself moving and ditch the sugar!

Make yourself a bucket list and some goals for moving your life forward!

Menopause is just a bridge to your best days ahead!

If you enjoyed this post, I’d be honored if would you please share it with a friend or on Pinterest.

P.S. Don’t forget to sign up for my free printable Menopause: Foods to Eat and Avoid below!