Your body is changing, the recommendations of some experts do not coincide with the appointments of others, and your mood and emotions sometimes get out of control. Everything seems to have changed! In this part of the guide, we will tell you about what to expect before the onset of menopause, immediately during menopause and after it, so that none of the symptoms catch you by surprise. In addition, we will focus on making the ten most important recommendations, following which you will quickly master the situation, minimize possible discomfort and build the foundation for well-being, excellent appearance and optimistic mood forever.

If you are approaching menopause or have already experienced this period, first of all you should realize that you are not alone. Menopause has ceased to be a topic that is not customary to talk about, and the generation of women who in the seventies found ways to control childbearing is confidently mastering the art of living fully and in the post-reproductive period.

Unlike our mothers, most women no longer see themselves only as a wife or mother. It is quite natural that we continue to recognize ourselves as an indispensable part of our family, team, our own social group, and in later years. We don’t want to be just “sweet old lady” anymore. We probably belong to the first generation of grandmothers who prevent osteoporosis by taking iron supplements and improve the quality of their sex life by using testosterone. (A female testosterone patch is currently undergoing clinical trials.)

In the past, menopause and the years following it were usually depicted in a rather gloomy light – like a time of depression, a decrease in vitality and confusion. All this happened because most women did not turn to specialists for help until a serious reason was found for doing this. But recently, the experience of many women shows that menopause does not carry totally negative consequences. If the symptoms of menopause make themselves felt painful, then you probably should discuss the situation with your doctor. A good specialist can always determine which of the symptoms are indeed related to menopause and which are not, and recommend effective treatment for both cases.

Recently, there are often articles promoting a romanticized attitude towards menopause, as at the time of the onset of female maturity, freedom, and the manifestation of inner strength. We cannot but agree that this period can become just such for you if you prepare for it, since a harmonious transition from one life cycle to another does not happen automatically!

Despite the fact that the topic of menopause has been widely discussed, this does not remove all the problems that a modern woman has to face. In the past, women willingly listened to the advice of specialists on the need to normalize the hormonal background in order to get rid of the manifestations of the symptoms of menopause – by using estrogen and a combination of estrogen and progesterone in tablet form. This treatment is called hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Most specialists are now carefully prescribing HRT in connection with recent studies by the National Institute of Health, according to which HRT is associated with an increased risk of cancer, as well as the inclusion of estrogen replacement therapy in the official list of methods that can cause cancer.

Due to the potential dangers of hormone replacement therapy, all women should take a more active life position in the present in order to prevent the problem of osteoporosis, weight gain and minimize the problem of hot flashes in the future.

Menopause is inevitable, like all changes in human life, so we decide how to use this time in the best way, remembering that our main allies are self-care and professional medical advice. All women are different, but what happens to most of them fits into the proposed scheme. Remember that this is only a scheme, and some symptoms may occur individually. Read the chapter for a long list of signs that you are moving from one period of life to another. Now, no matter what sensations you experience, you will know that they are correlated with the general physiological picture of menopause.