[Healthy Life] Teach you how to easily get through menopause, please check out these expert suggestions!

Many diseases increase significantly during menopause, and many diseases such as diabetes, osteoporosis, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, Alzheimer's disease, gynecological tumors, etc. attack women.

Female menopause

Understanding menopause

Although the concept of menopause has been around for a long time, the public is still not aware of it. Since 1994, the World Health Organization has proposed replacing the concept of "menopause" with "perimenopause". Its time range refers to the time when ovarian function begins to decline to one year after menopause. Therefore, the length of perimenopause varies from woman to woman. Some women can end it in just one year, while others have to endure 3 to 5 years, or even 10 years.

People often regard the paranoia, bad temper, suspicion, mood swings, etc. of menopausal women as normal manifestations. In fact, these symptoms are signs of menopausal morbid psychology. Other symptoms manifested in menopause, such as urinary system diseases, osteoporosis, sexual difficulties, etc., are often mistaken for physiological phenomena of natural aging of middle-aged and elderly women. Therefore, experts call for strengthening guidance and education for menopausal women. In addition to paying attention to self-care during menopause and changing bad living habits such as smoking and alcoholism, women with menopausal syndrome need to actively seek medical treatment if the symptoms are severe and receive hormone treatment under the guidance of professional doctors.

How to tell if you are in perimenopause

Menstrual disorders: may manifest as irregular cycles, prolonged menstruation, increased or decreased menstrual flow

Hot flashes and night sweats: The skin on your face, neck, and chest may suddenly feel hot and sweaty

Dizziness, palpitations, insomnia, tinnitus

Mood swings: sometimes excited, irritable, anxious, sometimes depressed, even wanting to cry

In addition, the decline in hormone levels can also lead to vaginal dryness, difficulty in sexual intercourse, and vaginal inflammation. Even the urethra is implicated, and urinary urgency, pain, and urinary tract infections are common. During this period, women's risk of osteoporosis, Alzheimer's disease, cardiovascular disease, and gynecological tumors also increases.

Relieve menopause

A healthy lifestyle guides daily life, such as resting on time and actively participating in social activities, enriching life content, managing emotions , maintaining a cheerful, optimistic and positive attitude, keeping a good mood, changing bad living habits , avoiding staying up late, holding urine, sitting for long periods of time, etc., avoiding external harm, avoiding the intake of harmful substances , not smoking, avoiding secondhand smoke, etc.

Nutritional guidance

Limit the intake of saturated fatty acids (<7% of total calories), avoid the intake of trans fatty acids , avoid the intake of fried and pan-fried foods , eat less animal fat and cholesterol (<300 mg/day); limit salt (<6 g/day), control sugar (including sugary drinks, ≤50 g/day), use less oil (25-30 g/day), limit alcohol (alcohol ≤15 g/day), and drink enough water (1500-1700 ml/day) ; increase the intake of a variety of fruits and vegetables, choose carbohydrates such as whole grains or high-fiber foods, eat fish at least twice a week, and ensure adequate intake of calcium and vitamin D ; the recommended calcium intake for adults aged 18-49 is 800 mg/day, and the recommended calcium intake for women over 50 and postmenopausal women is 1000 mg/day. It is recommended to first supplement calcium through diet. If you cannot get enough calcium from your diet, then use calcium supplements to reach the recommended daily intake.

Proper weight control

Menopausal women should maintain an appropriate body weight, with a body mass index (BMI) of 18.5-23.9 kg/m² being normal, and a waist circumference of less than 80 cm . Excessive body weight can increase the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, and low body weight can increase the risk of osteoporosis.

Contraception and sexual health guidance

It is recommended that menopausal women first use barrier contraceptive methods and progestin intrauterine sustained-release contraceptive systems. Those who are clinically diagnosed with menopause can stop taking contraceptives.

Menopausal hormone therapy

It is a treatment measure for ovarian failure. By supplementing hormones, it can effectively relieve menopausal symptoms caused by estrogen and progesterone deficiency in women. Early use in menopause can also prevent the occurrence of chronic diseases in the elderly such as osteoporosis, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. As a medical method, MHT has its indications and contraindications, and it is necessary to choose an appropriate individualized plan under the guidance of a professional doctor. In principle, it is not recommended for women to start using MHT after the age of 60 or more than 10 years after menopause. During the application of MHT , regular follow-up should be conducted, and the risks and pros and cons should be evaluated, and the MHT plan should be adjusted individually.

Sports Guidance

Appropriate exercise can regulate nerve function and promote body metabolism; menopausal women should insist on at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per week, such as walking, jogging, cycling, swimming, dancing, etc.; perform muscle tension exercises at least 2 to 3 times a week to increase muscle mass and strength. Communicate with a doctor before exercising to determine the exercise method and intensity, and adjust according to the situation.

Certain Chinese patent medicines and botanical medicines, such as black cohosh extract, may also be effective in relieving vasomotor and other menopausal symptoms.

Menopause is a necessary stage in every woman's life. We should correctly understand the changes that menopause brings us. When psychological changes occur, we should maintain a cheerful and optimistic attitude, accept ourselves, understand relevant health care knowledge, and receive spiritual support and guidance from psychologists under the guidance of professional doctors when necessary to smoothly pass through menopause. Menopause is also a high-incidence period for diseases such as tumors. We should have a health check-up at least once a year to detect problems early and treat them early.