Menopause is a natural part of life that affects mental health as well.
SAN ANTONIO — October is Menopause Awareness Month, a disease that is often misunderstood and misdiagnosed. That time of life can have a huge impact on a woman’s physical and mental health.
The impacts are far and wide, affecting life, work, relationships and overall well-being. But there are ways to address all of these battles to help women take control of a time of life that can’t be ignored.
Claire Gill, the founder and president of the National Menopause Foundation told us, “What people don’t really realize is that the menopause transition is actually just that a transition and a journey.”
That journey includes perimenopause. Gill said, “Women start to lose estrogen and start to have changes in their bodies around five to seven years before the menopause.”
After that is menopause itself, followed by post-menopause. Gill added, “Once we lose estrogen, we become at higher risk for many different conditions and diseases.”
The most common symptoms of menopause include hot flashes, night sweats, changes in the menstrual cycle, changes in mood including depression and anxiety, and heart palpitations.
“Frozen shoulder is another one that people don’t seem to know about. The muscle in the shoulder becomes so paralyzed and painful,” said Gill.
The Society for Women’s Health Research says 1.3 million women will transition into menopause every year in the U.S. Every day about 6,000 women will reach menopause. And two out of every five women will consider finding a new job because of their menopause symptoms or experience. Medical experts say the stigma around this natural change in life that is often misdiagnosed. Gill added, “We need to understand it and just break down that stigma around it. So it becomes as normal as puberty and that people know what happens.”