If one reads the overall descriptions of perimenopause and full-blown menopause found on Wikipedia, one might believe there is nothing good about either process.  However, there are those who manage to retain their positive attitude even throughout these challenging, but normal phases of a woman’s life.  Just as with any situation, these women manage to find the silver linings in processes that are sometimes rocky, but thankfully transient.

Body Temperature Benefits

Of course, one of the common symptoms found in menopause are the often frequent changes in one’s ability to maintain a comfortable body temperature.  On the surface, feeling uncomfortably warm doesn’t seem like much of a benefit, but some women find themselves pleased with their newfound ability to save on their heating bills.  Married couples may also find they are finally in agreement that the thermostat should be set to a lower temperature!

Conversely, hot flashes can come in handy when a woman finds herself a bit chilly.  One woman recounted how she felt cold during the night but did not want to get up to find an extra blanket.  As she continued to go back and forth in her mind about whether she should get up and walk over to the other side of the bedroom to get a spare blanket, her body decided to have a hot flash at that very moment, and she fell back asleep now comfortably warm and cosy all thanks to a hot flash!

Food and Sex

Many women find they must decrease the amount of food they eat during perimenopause and especially with full-blown menopause.  As their hormone levels decrease, along with a natural decrease in their ability to retain fuel-consuming muscle, they simply cannot maintain their formal level of food intake.  On the positive side, some women can appreciate spending less money on food, which allows them to spend more money on something else they prefer.

One of the biggest benefits postmenopausal women find is they no longer have to concern themselves with all the various aspects of preventing pregnancy.  So less food?  Perhaps.  But once on the other side of menopause, women can enjoy years of worry-free sex with their partner.

Menopause is Personal

Although there seem to be many common denominators found both in menopause and perimenopause, these processes are actually very personal and unique.  If you were to put a group of women together who were all going through these phases, each woman would probably recount a very different story.  Some women may report frequent heart palpitations, while others report changes in their mood or sleeping habits.  Others might report scanty, irregular periods while others experience what seems to be a flood.  This is why it is important to talk with someone who can listen to a woman’s unique experience.  By getting together one on one with a qualified professional who has great expertise in fine-tuning menopausal solutions, a doctor can help determine the precise path their patient needs to take.  Creating together, a customized plan to manage changes in menstruation, improve sleeping habits, and reduce uncomfortable hot flashes and/or heart palpitations, along with the many other symptoms produced by these menopausal phases.

Summary

The great thing about today’s woman is that she is more easily empowered to find solutions and retain her sense of positivity and her sense of humor during challenging situations.  If you would like to know more about how to maximize one’s personal health, while minimizing the side effects of both perimenopause and menopause, please contact us.  Dr. Allie can provide a wealth of expertise and material, including an online course, informing women about what they can do to successfully navigate through the middle-age years and beyond.