Menopause

If you are like most of today's women, you will live a third of your life after menopause. Menopause is the point in a woman's life when her period stops for good. This means she can no longer get pregnant. Menopause does not happen all at once. It can be a slow process where a woman has symptoms before her period stops, called perimenopause.

Learning about the physical and emotional changes with menopause is a good first step in having a positive body image. Hot flashes, while giving you really low heating bills, can be uncomfortable and embarrassing. Other symptoms include sleep problems, anxiety, depression, vaginal dryness (which can cause painful sex), having to urinate a lot, memory loss, weight gain, thinning hair, and changes in sex drive. Not every woman gets all these symptoms and each woman's experience is different. But when a woman starts to have any of these symptoms, it can be a surprise to her and can change how she sees herself. Simple changes in diet and exercise can help to ease the symptoms, along with hormone replacement therapy (HRT). The National Women's Health Information Center has provided the following publications and organizations to help women learn more about menopause and perimenopause and how to maintain a positive body image.

Publications

Age Page: Menopause
This fact sheet explains what menopause is, and the different symptoms and health concerns that accompany its different stages. It gives recommendations for what women can do to stay healthy throughout menopause and answers common questions about hormone therapy, phytoestrogens and other important issues for menopausal women.

Frequently Asked Questions - Menopause
This fact sheet discusses menopause symptoms, treatments, including postmenopausal hormone therapy (HT), practical steps women can take to alleviate symptoms and prevent diseases like osteoporosis and heart disease.

Menopause and Bladder Control
This brochure discusses the effect of menopause on bladder control, the different types of incontinence and how they can be treated.

Menopause Guidebook (Copyright © NAMS)
This guidebook has been published by The North American Menopause Society (NAMS) to help in understanding the changes - physical and emotional - that often accompany menopause. NAMS recognizes that menopause is a complex event in a woman's life, one not easily explained solely by the effects of hormone withdrawal. This publication serves as a helpful resource guide.

Menopause: Another Change in Life (Copyright © PPFA)
This publication provides information to women to help them prepare for menopause. It also explains the signs and changes of menopause, as well as the alternative therapies to treat menopause.

Menopause

Publications

Organizations