There are women who flutter through the menopause with a shrug, but the majority suffer from it for months or even years. You can do a lot yourself against the complaints. And: during the transition, make sure you stay healthy after the menopause.
No hot flashes, no sleepless nights. Not excitable. No crying fits. Being able to sleep in the same nightgown for a whole week – and only take it off for a carefree lovemaking.
Everyone signs up to get through the menopause this way, but only one in five women is actually given it. For half of the women, the menopause is indeed a struggle, and another 30 percent suffer from mild to moderate complaints.
Take care of yourself
What makes you lucky or unlucky? In any case, heredity does not play a role. If your mother went through a rough menopause, it says nothing about how you will fare.
What does play a role: if you expect a lot of misery, you have a greater than average risk of actually worrying about ailments. Those who approach the transition optimistically have less chance of complaints. Your lifestyle is also important. A healthy diet, exercise, not smoking, a healthy weight, and above all taking care of relaxation and doing fun things: it all contributes to feeling more comfortable. Menopause is a time when you have to take good care of yourself.
Do GPs have enough time for the large group of women with menopausal complaints? “If all goes well,” says Boukes, who is not only a general practitioner but also one of the compilers of the guideline for general practitioners about menopause. Boukes: “Certainly with physical complaints, you have come to the right place at the GP. But some women also feel psychologically uncomfortable. After all, the menopause also confronts you with the fact that you are getting older. If you suffer from this a lot, you can it may be that you need more attention than a GP can give during the consultation, then you really have to take time and rest.”
hot flashes
- How many women are affected by it?
80 percent. - What do you notice?
It feels like a heat explosion followed by profuse sweating. Sometimes you get chills afterwards. The skin of the head, neck and chest suddenly turns red. During the hot flash, the heart may beat faster. - How come?
The exact cause is not yet known. It is possible that the hypothalamus, the area in the brain that regulates body temperature, among other things, is upset by the hormone changes. - How long can it take?
From a few seconds to half an hour. One has a hot flash once a week or month, the other all day long. Hot flashes subside on their own, sometimes after a few months, sometimes after a few years. There are also women who continue to experience occasional hot flashes for the rest of their lives.
Roadmap
- What can you do about it yourself? Women with a healthy lifestyle (exercising a lot, not smoking, not being overweight and having enough relaxation) often suffer from hot flashes less or not at all. If a hot flash does occur, you can stop half of the hot flashes by breathing deeply, slowly and from the lower abdomen, research shows. Also make sure you don’t get too hot: heat can trigger a hot flash. You can also take special nutritional supplements. Always discuss the use of alternative means with your doctor first, especially if you are taking medication.
- When to the doctor? If you want advice on trying out alternative remedies. And if, despite the above measures, you continue to suffer from severe hot flashes and the quality of your life is affected.
- What can the doctor do for you? Prescribe temporary hormone replacement. Hot flashes can therefore be reduced by 90 to 95 percent. If hormones are not suitable for medical reasons, the doctor can also prescribe a very low dose of non-hormonal medicines: antidepressants or a medicine for high blood pressure or an anti-seizure medicine (gabapentin). These non-hormonal medications can reduce hot flashes by 40 to 60 percent.
mood swings
- How many women are affected by it?
Unknown. - What do you notice?
From one thing to another
moment you become irritable or you are tearful. Often the environment suffers with angry outbursts. - How come?
Often due to a bad night’s sleep due to nocturnal hot flashes. Hormonal fluctuations are suspected to play a role, but a direct link has never been established. - How long can it take?
It can occur at different times in a day. When the hot flashes disappear, the mood swings often disappear as well.
Roadmap
- What can you do about it yourself? As best you can, ensure that you get enough sleep, a healthy lifestyle and plenty of relaxation. Every day at least half an hour of vigorous exercise is best: this stimulates the production of endorphins, and these happy hormones counteract depressive feelings.
- When to the doctor? If you’re stuck with it. And if the mood swings at home or at work have a negative influence on your functioning.
- What can the doctor do for you? The GP can talk to you about it and tailor the advice or treatment to your personal situation. Where do the mood swings come from: are hot flashes the culprit, are there problems at home or at work, or is there depression?
Heart and vascular disease
- How many women are affected by it? According to the Dutch Heart Foundation, about 54,000 women in our country develop a cardiovascular disease every year after the age of 50. Every year about 22,000 women die of a heart attack or stroke; almost all after their fiftieth year. Cardiovascular diseases are therefore the number 1 cause of death for women who are in the menopause or who have gone through it. Many doctors are not aware of this. Only 5 percent of women between the ages of 45 and 70 know that they have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease after the menopause than men, according to research by TNS NIPO on behalf of Unilever. Hardly anyone knows that the cholesterol level can be influenced by the menopause; only 4 percent of women are aware of it, this study shows.
- What do you notice? Usually nothing – until cardiovascular disease manifests itself.
- How come? Due to the decrease in estrogen production. Until the menopause, these hormones provide important protection against cardiovascular disease. They do this in many ways: they keep the blood vessel wall in good condition, they help raise the ‘good’ HDL cholesterol and lower the ‘bad’ LDL, and they ensure good blood pressure.
- How long can it take? After the menopause, the risk of cardiovascular disease remains elevated.
Roadmap
- What can you do about it yourself? Don’t smoke (most importantly!), have a waist size of less than 88 cm, eat healthily, drink alcohol in moderation, and get half an hour of moderately strenuous exercise every day. With such a healthy lifestyle, you tackle all kinds of risk factors that can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by up to 80 percent.
- When to the doctor? If you are concerned about cardiovascular disease. And if these conditions run in the family.
Bone decalcification
- How many women are affected by it? In the Netherlands, one in four women over the age of 50.
- What do you notice? Nothing. Unless you break something and get really hurt.
- How come? Due to the lower estrogen level. Estrogens play an important role in the formation of new bone and in inhibiting bone breakdown.
- How long can it take? The first three to four years after the menopause, an accelerated bone breakdown takes place, from 2 to sometimes 6 percent per year. After that it goes less quickly: 1 to 1.5 percent bone breakdown per year.
Roadmap
- What can you do about it yourself? Daily vigorous exercise builds bone. Even women who are already in the menopause can increase bone density by 1 to 2 percent through regular exercise – in combination with sufficient calcium. You do have to load your body with its own weight, such as when walking, dancing and climbing stairs. Provide 1000 to 1200 mg of calcium per day through food or supplements and for sufficient vitamin D. The Health Council advises people in their fifties to take an extra 2.5 micrograms of vitamin D per day, 5 micrograms in their sixties, and 10 micrograms from the age of 70.
- When to the doctor? If there are risk factors: osteoporosis in the family, too low a body weight, long-term use of prednisone-like drugs (corticosteroids), no or very little exercise, or if you enter the menopause before the age of 40. If you break something after the age of 50, it could be a sign of osteoporosis.
- What can the doctor do for you? See if you are at increased risk and if necessary refer you to the hospital to have your bone density measured. If osteoporosis is diagnosed, medicines are possible
