The Many Voices of Menopause

Menopause has different meanings for each woman. For some it is a right of passage, or a time of new understanding. For others it is the blossoming of a new level of maturity, or a time fraught with fear or great sadness. For many it is a time of liberation from concerns about unexpected pregnancy and birth control, or a time of great wonder or an opportunity to contemplate the wisdom of their years. For most it is a time of unexpected symptoms, and for many, a time to get reacquainted with a body that feels like it must belong to someone else. In this culture, until the boomer generation, menopause was something we whispered about to our best friends (maybe) and discussed in hushed tones with our doctors as we pondered alone, the sense of loss and the upheaval of bodies out of control. Today we are fortunate to be able to speak openly about this challenge as we share our experiences and seek new understandings about ourselves and our bodies.

For each of us, menopause does indeed speak in many voices challenging us to listen and find a way to make them sing in harmony instead of in the jarring ways we often experience. Part of the answer is to find a conductor who will hear the voices and bring them together seeing the potential in the discord. Many of us were taught to believe in physicians as the ultimate authorities in health matters…and yet, who knows our bodies better than we do? Let’s appoint ourselves as conductors calling on physicians and other healers only as consultants.

Begin with reading and research about menopause and its varied voices (symptoms). You’ll find they are many, and that much of what has plagued you is due to shifting hormones as your body prepares for the Big Change. If you are still young and you think The Change is years away, think again. The widespread use of synthetic hormone, including pills and shots (like depo-provera) for birth control and as a solution for PMS and other menstrual difficulties has had the effect of lowering the age of pre-menopause, some say by as much as 10 years from 45 to 35 or even younger. Add to this the xenoestrogens (substances used widely in personal care and household cleaning products) to which we are all over-exposed, and which also contribute to early menopause, and chances are good you feel the effects.

There are at least 35 symptoms of pre-menopause identified in the literature (eg see What Your Doctor Never Told You About Menopause, Dr. John Lee) including: hot flashes, night sweats, rapid heart beat, irritability, mood swings (including sudden tears) insomnia, irregular periods including flooding, loss of libido, vaginal dryness, fatigue, memory lapses and difficulty concentrating, breast tenderness, gas, indigestion, nausea and other gastrointestinal distress, depression, allergies, weight gain, hair loss or thinning, osteoporosis, arthritis, autoimmune disorders, breast cancer, breast cysts, gallbladder disease, high blood pressure, candida, and many more. If you are personally familiar with any of these you may well be experiencing pre-menopause.

So how do you, the conductor, bring harmony to the discord? Certainly, visit your doctor, if you are inclined, and hear what he or she has to say. If they suggest synthetic hormones or anti-depressants (which is to be expected) ask for a reprieve while you do more research. Then try a tube of natural progesterone cream. Every conductor needs a baton to direct the voices, this is yours. Try it and chances are you’ll be too busy enjoying the music to ever fill the doctor’s prescription.

Celeste M. Smucker, MPH, Ph.D. is an author, speaker and women’s health advocate who is passionate about educating women about alternatives to synthetic hormones. Join her discussion group at health.groups.yahoo.com/group/naturalmenoease where you will find an enthusiastic and supportive group of women sharing and learning about natural approaches to the discord of hormonal imbalance. Read more at www.celestialways.com

Article Source: http://www.wellnessarticlelibrary.com

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