Menopause
Menopause
What is menopause?
Menopause is when you have your final period. You have reached menopause if you haven’t had a period or spotting for 12 months.
Most women reach menopause between the ages of 45 and 55. In Australia, the average age to reach menopause is 51 to 52.
Menopause can happen naturally at the expected age or early.
Menopause before the age of 45 is called ‘
early menopause
’. If menopause happens before the age of 40 it’s called ‘
premature menopause
’.
‘Perimenopause’ is the time leading up to menopause.
What causes menopause?
Menopause happens because your hormone levels (e.g. oestrogen levels) drop and you stop ovulating and having periods.
Menopause can also happen due to
surgery
or
cancer
treatment.
As you approach menopause, your hormones (e.g. oestrogen and progesterone) go up and down. These changes can lead to different symptoms.
Symptoms of menopause
Changing hormone levels can cause different symptoms. Menopause is different for everyone. Some women have no symptoms at all, while others have symptoms that interfere with their daily lives. Your experience can also be affected by what is happening in your life, and your general health and wellbeing.
Common physical symptoms include:
hot flushes and night sweats
sleep problems
headaches
muscle and joint pains
dry vagina (causing painful sex)
sore breasts.
Common emotional symptoms include:
mood changes (feeling unhappy or
depressed
)
tiredness
forgetfulness
brain fog (difficulty concentrating)
anxiety
.
Managing menopause
There are many ways to manage menopause. It may take time to find a strategy that works for you.
Lifestyle changes
You can:
eat healthy food
and drink lots of
water
do regular
physical activity
maintain a healthy weight
improve your
sleep
reduce or stop unhealthy habits such as drinking
alcohol
or
smoking
.
Practical tips
Try:
using a hand fan or water spray when you feel hot
wearing layered clothing so you can remove clothes when you feel hot
relaxation classes like yoga and meditation.
Therapies and medicines
You can reduce menopausal symptoms with:
menopausal hormone therapy (MHT)
– this is the most effective therapy to relieve many symptoms
medicines, such as antidepressants, which can reduce hot flushes and sweating
natural therapies.
Ask your doctor about the risks and benefits of these therapies and medicines.
Take care of your emotional health
It’s normal to experience different emotions around the time of menopause. There are many ways to take care of your emotional health. For example, having a healthy lifestyle and taking time to do things you enjoy. You can also talk to a
counsellor
or try
cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
to help manage your symptoms and emotional wellbeing.
If you are experiencing strong emotions,
anxiety
or
depression
, talk to your
doctor
.
Visit the Jean Hailes website for more information about
managing
menopause
External Link
.
More information
For more detailed information about managing menopause, related resources, articles and podcasts, visit:
jeanhailes.org.au/health-a-z/menopause
External Link
Where to get help
Your
GP (doctor)
Jean Hailes for Women’s
Health
External Link
Tel.
1800 JEAN HAILES (532 642
)
Jean Hailes for Women’s
Health
External Link
have released a suite of new menopause resources, including
fact
sheets
External Link
, video’s and
multilingual fact
sheets
External Link
.
Australasian Menopause
Society
External Link
National Cervical Screening
Program
External Link
Tel.
13 15 56
Quitline
External Link
Tel.
13 7848
Dietitians
Australia
External Link
A
naturopath
, herbalist or
complementary health practitioner
.