ULTIMATE GUIDE ON MENOPAUSE MANAGEMENT

Has your period been especially sneaky with you lately?

Have you been gaining weight suddenly for no reason at all?

Is it difficult for you to sleep soundly these days?

And most importantly, do you fall anywhere between the ages of 40 -50 and above?

You might be experiencing symptoms of Menopause.

Rekha Chunawala (65 years) tells us about her struggles with the end of her menstrual journey. “I didn’t know what to do. My periods kept coming and going, and I was sick all the time. My mother-in-law used to say they were the consequences of me sinning too much; I had to do pashchataap”. Rekha had no clue that she was experiencing symptoms of menopause or what comes before it, Perimenopause.

We’ve decided to hand-hold you through the entire process of menopause management so that no Rekhas are fooled into doing pashchataap anymore.

There are three stages of menopause. These stages are as follows:

• Perimenopause
• Menopause
• Postmenopause

Perimenopause is the time before menopause when your body is readying itself to completely stop releasing eggs from your ovaries; you could call it the transitional phase from being able to give birth to not being able to give birth, although there is a lot more to it than just that.

You might start your perimenopause at an age in your life that is different from others. Usually, women in their 40s and sometimes in their 30s start perimenopause. Your ovaries start producing less estrogen and progesterone (reproductive hormones) as you age, and the process completely stops at menopause. The average duration of perimenopause is 4 years, but it might also last from a few months to 10 years for you.

Let us make your last few periods a little better. With RIO sanitary pads by your side, don’t worry about uncomfortable fits, surprise leaks, or rashes and irritation. RIO sanitary pads are made without using any chemical fragrances, sulphur or parabens to give you the best period you deserve. Better your period with RIO!

SIGNS OF A PERIMENOPAUSE

You should look out for these symptoms if you think you are going through perimenopause:

• tiredness
• dryness in your vagina, leading to discomfort while having sex
• irregularities in your periods
• your sex drive is going down
• sleeping troubles
• hot flashes (feeling warm all over your body and sweating)
• you are experiencing a lot of mood swings
• you feel you are leaking urine while coughing, sneezing or laughing

It’s not concerning if you are experiencing irregular periods or missing a few. You should get things checked out if the following things occur to you, though:

• your periods have become really heavy
• you see too many blood clots
• your periods have started happening closer than they were before
• you are spotting between periods
• you notice spotting after having sex

DIAGNOSIS FOR PERIMENOPAUSE 

Based on the symptoms that you might be experiencing, your doctor will advise you on your diagnosis. A blood test will help in checking your levels of hormones, or getting several blood tests during different times might be of more use since your hormones keep changing during perimenopause.

MANAGING PERIMENOPAUSE NATURALLY

Managing perimenopause is really easy if we are being completely honest with you, though the symptoms might make you want to bash your own head in sometimes. Management of perimenopausal symptoms requires you to be on top of your game and maintain your general well-being as much as you can. Do these things:

• drink less alcohol or quit it altogether
• quit smoking
• avoid spicy foods
• exercise regularly, and do Kegels pelvic exercises to manage urine leaks
• maintain a healthy weight
• have enough calcium in your diet
• consult your doctor regarding multi-vitamins and other supplements
• get enough sleep, set a sleep schedule and stick to it

OTHER SOLUTIONS

• Birth control pills for heavy perimenopausal bleeding management could be of use.
• If your sex life is getting affected, ask your doctor to recommend you a therapist or counsellor so you and your partner can work your way through the issues.
• If dryness in the vagina is the issue, make use of vaginal lubricants.
• Your healthcare professional may recommend antidepressants for your mood swings.
• Consulting your doctor for specific symptoms that you are looking to cure might be of help.
• Dealing with hot flashes at night could be especially annoying since all you want to do is sleep, popping a low-dose birth control pill has proved to be of little relief for many women.

MENOPAUSE

The term ‘menopause’ is used to refer to this entire phase, but in academic circles, it is the final period when a woman’s period stops completely. It is said to be reached when you have at least gone 12 months without getting a period. You might reach menopause when you are in your 40s and 50s. The journey from perimenopause to menopause can take a few months or several years.

You might experience symptoms that are similar to perimenopause when your period completely stops. Some of them are:

• desire to have sex goes down dramatically
• dryness in your vagina
• slower metabolic rate
• weight gain
• depression, etc

MANAGING MENOPAUSE NATURALLY

The best tip for managing menopause symptoms would be to wait it out for a while since the symptoms go down naturally. You can do the following to ease the symptoms of menopause:

• Exercising regularly could be of great help in managing menopause weight gain.
• Management of hot flashes in menopause is pretty simple. Whenever you feel a hot flash approaching, move to a place that is airy and dress in clothes that can be easily removed.

POSTMENOPAUSE

Postmenopause is the stage of your life when you are done away with your periods, and you just don’t have to bother with them. You are no longer ovulating, meaning releasing eggs.

It is the stage which comes after menopause and stays for the rest of your life. Your body has successfully completed the transition from perimenopause to menopause. You leave your reproductive years behind you by this time, and you have zero chances of becoming pregnant ever again.

The symptoms of menopause that you were experiencing before become milder or completely go away for good. If they start interfering with your daily activities, it might be best to visit a doctor.

POSTMENOPAUSAL MANAGEMENT

Bleeding after menopause is not a side effect of menopause that is completely normal. It could result from the dryness in your vagina after you have sex. It could also be the reason for serious underlying health conditions like cancer, endometritis or uterine fibroids.

If you have been looking up ways for the management of postmenopausal bleeding on Google, unfortunately, this time, you will have to make that visit to the doctor; it’s about time, woman!

For bleeding on normal days, use RIO Heavy Duty and Regular Duty pads.  All RIO pads are 100% sulphur, paraben and chemical fragrance-free. We understand your flow and make pads that do not leak, bunch up in the middle or smell funky after use. With RIO sanitary pads, better your period!