Post menopause is the last stage of menopause. Although menopause has officially set in at this point, there are still some changes going through your body. Thankfully though, the symptoms of post menopause are not as bad as the symptoms of menopause. But entering post menopause also means that you are at particularly high risk for other health complications like osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease. Post menopause is the phase of life from the time menopause is reached until the symptoms of menopause and post menopause stop completely.
Causes and Risk Factors of Post Menopause Symptoms
Why do those post menopause symptoms occur anyway? You’d think that once you reach menopause, there are no more hormonal fluctuations and thus you should not be experiencing any discomfort or symptoms, and that post menopause should be nothing more than a way of describing a certain phase in a woman’s life. However, post menopause is a continuation of menopause and changes will still occurring in your body for at least a few years after menopause. Following are some of the main causes and risk factors of post menopause symptoms.
- In the years leading up to menopause, your body has to adjust to a 40% to 50% drop in hormonal levels as the ovaries begin to shut shop. Although your body has several years to get used to the lowered hormone levels, it can take longer for it to adjust. Some women’s bodies may adjust immediately with no problem whatsoever. But you may not be so lucky. Which is why you will experience post menopause symptoms as your hormone levels continue to fluctuate.
- Your habits and lifestyle can also influence post menopause symptoms. For example, it has been proven that women who smoke are likely to experience menopause symptoms such as hot flashes well into the post menopause stage. Your lifelong intake of caffeine and alcohol can also cause post menopause symptoms to last much longer than is normal.
- If you have had your ovaries removed, you are more likely to suffer post menopause symptoms for longer periods of time and with greater severity.
- Radiation and chemotherapy treatments for cancer can also cause some rather extreme post menopause symptoms.
- Are you anxious by nature, always stressing out over little things? Or maybe you have had many strains of bad luck that have caused immense stress for long periods of time. Whatever the reasons, stress has a massive impact on post menopause symptoms. .
Post Menopause Symptoms
Not all women will have similar post menopause symptoms or the same intensity of post menopause symptoms either. Post menopause may be a very easy time for some women while wrought with uncomfortable post menopause symptoms for others. As you can see below the symptoms of post menopause are almost similar to the symptoms of menopause.
- One of the post menopause symptoms you may experience from time to time are hot flashes. Perhaps not with the same intensity or frequency as during menopause, but that will depend on the factors that cause your post menopause hot flashes.
- You may have continued vaginal dryness as one of your post menopause symptoms. The vaginal lining may get thinner and dryer than ever, thus causing discomfort or pain during sex. This could contribute to putting you off sex. The vaginal dryness puts you at greater risk for vaginal infections and vaginal tearing which may lead to vaginal bleeding. Always report any post menopause vaginal bleeding to your doctor. The thinned out walls may also cause itching.
- Those extra pounds you piled on when you hit menopause will not slide off during your post menopause phase. In fact, continued weight gain is one of the most common post menopause symptoms. Expect to put on at least ten pounds post menopause.
- If insomnia was on of your pre menopause symptoms, it is very likely that you will continue to have trouble sleeping in your post menopause years.
- Another irksome post menopause symptom is an incontinent bladder. This is when you lose a little control over your bladder and are not always able to control the flow of urine. You may urinate or leak a little if you cough, laugh or sneeze.
- If you do not have them already, wrinkles will plague your skin post menopause. Estrogen is mainly responsible for hydrating the skin cells. With the loss of this important hormone, you can bid goodbye to smooth skin too.
- As you go through post menopause, your risk for cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and high blood pressure increases day by day. So as part of your post menopause symptoms, you may experience some of the symptoms of these diseases as well such as pain or cramps in the legs or joints for osteoporosis or blurred vision for high blood pressure.
- One of the more embarrassing post menopause symptoms is the growth of facial hair. Yes, all women have facial hair anyway. But it may grow darker and be very obvious post menopause
Relief from Post Menopause Symptoms
Post menopause, you should pretty much maintain the same remedial measures that you did to remedy your menopausal symptoms.
- The safest and easiest way to find relief from post menopause symptoms is to make changes to your lifestyle. Quit smoking to ease your post menopause symptoms. Eat a balanced diet, exercise regularly, keep caffeine and alcohol intake to a minimum. Do not forget those multivitamins and supplements to make up for the nutrition you do not get through food. Get enough sleep and learn to manage your stress. Do regular Kegel exercises to strengthen your pelvic floor and minimize the severity of bladder incontinence. If possible, make these changes years before you reach menopause so as to avoid the worst of post menopause symptoms.
- Before you opt for medication to treat your post menopause symptoms, try some alternative therapies such as acupuncture or herbal remedies. It is more effective to combine an alternative therapy of your choice along with the aforementioned lifestyle changes to reduce or eliminate your post menopause symptoms.
- Finally, if nothing works and your post menopause symptoms are particularly troublesome, your doctor may suggest hormone replacement therapy or HRT. HRT has some unpleasant side-effects, and it has not been studied well enough to understand its long-term impact. However, it does provide relief from post menopause symptoms and may be your only option. Discuss the pros and cons of this treatment method in detail with your doctor before making a decision.
You may experience post menopause symptoms for a few months or years after you reach menopause and then they may gradually cease altogether, or they may go on for a couple of decades, or even not stop at all. That is why it is important that you find a remedy for post menopause symptoms that works for you. It could be awhile before they go away, and there’s no predicting how long they will stay.
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