Moving homes, new relationships, career prospects and summer holidays. These are some things you might be thinking about when youre in your 20s and 30s. What most people in this age range probably arent likely to be pondering, however, is the big change. It may be the furthest thing from your mind, but the reality is that menopause isnt a sudden condition that hits women once they reach their late 40s. Rather, its a gradual transition (calledperimenopause)and can start 10 years beforemenopause itself.
As many as 5% of the UK population will reach menopause earlier than the average age of 45-55, while 1% experience it earlier than 40. In your 20s, the likelihood is 0.1%. And the longitudinal US study SWAN showed that women from Black and other minoritised ethnic groups might experience menopause earlier than the average.
Theres certainly more awareness now of what can be distressing symptoms of menopause: increased anxiety, osteoporosis, insomnia and a slower metabolism. The earlier you start monitoring and recognising those symptoms, the more empowered you will be to seek advice and start a treatment plan to alleviate them and other long-term effects.
Most of us can usefully integrate diet and fitness tweaks, including more strength training to build muscle mass and bone density, which also helps prevent low hormone-related diseases and symptoms.
Some women have lots of symptoms; some women might only have one symptom and that symptom is enough to really impact the quality of their life, says GP and menopause specialist Dr Louise Newson, explaining there is no blueprint of how women experience perimenopause.
Some people may start feeling worse just before their periods more irritable and tired other people feel those days last longer. Some experiences will involve symptoms coming on very quickly with a sudden onset of mood, memory and sleep issues. Hot flashes and night sweats are commonly cited problems but not all women will experience these. However, some women will feel bad all of the time.
There are more unusual symptoms too, such as urinary symptoms, vaginal dryness, burning mouth, tinnitus, restless legs and itchy or dry skin. Symptoms may vary throughout the days as well.
Theres this misconception that women have to manage the symptoms, says Dr Newson. When women have symptoms, its a sign that their hormone levels are low. And that can be easily treated with hormone replacement therapy (HRT), which Dr Newson says is safe for the majority of women.
Taking HRT earlier can also reduce the risk of disease, says Dr Newson. But, as well as women empowering themselves with information, there should also be a wider acknowledgement that womens choice is largely being dismissed. Women have been refused HRT, for example, and given antidepressants instead.
Women are just being ignored, which has got to stop. Its 2022, says Dr Newson.
Women know their bodies; often, women understand whether their symptoms are due to their hormones or not. And if they think they are, then they absolutely should be taken seriously.
However, while a 1% chance of experiencing menopause before your 40s may seem like good odds, one in 100 women is actually a significant proportion, says Dr Newson: A lot of women are told theyre too young to be menopausal or perimenopausal for which no one is too young.
That is why its so important that women know when to get appropriate guidance from a healthcare professional. You really want to see your GP as early as possible, particularly once symptoms start affecting your quality of life.
But Dr Newson also says that moderating diet and exercise can assist with some of the health-related risks associated with having low hormone levels, as can looking at your sleep and mental wellbeing. Perimenopause is, therefore, a good time to take stock and consider how we live our lives and how it will affect our future selves.
Irina Allport, a personal trainer and nutritional coach, also recognises the benefit of reviewing diet and exercise practices during perimenopause and menopause, something she homed in on after watching her mum have a particularly tough time going through it.
She found that some of the best ways of looking after your health are to incorporate more fish, nuts, veggies, fruit and dairy into your eating plans.
Eat natural foods and stay clear away from anything that elevates your hormones coffee, booze or overconsumption of sugar. We want you to have a balanced body to help out with all the changes taking place, says Allport.
In addition, Allport advocates for eating soy foods, phytoestrogens or plant-based oestrogen that mimics the role of natural oestrogen in the body. Research suggests that eating phytoestrogen-rich foods (soy milk, tempeh, tofu, soy-linseed bread) may ease menopausal symptoms.
Supplements can form part of any regime. Allport says to consider:
Then theres exercise, which many say should include more resistance training and balance not just cardio.
Strength train. This is the best thing to do as we get older, says Allport. Strength training exercises will help to build bone and muscle strength, and rev up your metabolism. At home, opt for dumbbells and resistance bands.
Being more attentive to your diet and exercise can improve mood, balance hormones, sleep and energy levels and lower heart disease, diabetes and osteoporosis risks, says Allport, which are linked to low hormone levels. In addition, professionals say the younger you start these exercises, the more beneficial it is.
Equipment: set of dumbbells/1.5 litre water bottles
See original here:
How to eat and exercise for menopause: why you should prep now - Stylist Magazine
- Pharmac seeking bids from suppliers to fund another type of hormone replacement therapy - New Zealand Doctor Online - April 5th, 2024
- What is Hormone Replacement Therapy and how safe is it? - PinkNews - March 19th, 2024
- Menopausal Hormone Therapy | Johns Hopkins Medicine - January 6th, 2024
- Find a Provider - Biote - January 6th, 2024
- Biote Certified Providers By State - Biote - January 6th, 2024
- Is Hormone Replacement Therapy Right for You? What to Know - Motherly Inc. - January 6th, 2024
- Hormone Replacement Therapy - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf - February 6th, 2023
- Natural hormone replacement therapy: How it works - Medical News Today - February 6th, 2023
- Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) - Types - NHS - December 27th, 2022
- Helping Reduce Your Risk of Breast Cancer ThedaCare - ThedaCare - October 13th, 2022
- 'How Hormone Replacement Therapy Impacted My Strength Training' - Women's Health - October 13th, 2022
- This Simple Blood Test Gives Incredible Insights Into Building Muscle Mass - Yardbarker - October 13th, 2022
- Take strides to raise awareness of breast cancer - Theredstonerocket - October 13th, 2022
- Breast cancer and hormone therapy | GNP online - brytfmonline.com - October 13th, 2022
- Early detection matters | Marshall Medical employee recounts her breast cancer journey - Sand Mountain Reporter - October 13th, 2022
- Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) - Benefits and risks - NHS - October 4th, 2022
- Thyroid Hormone Replacement Therapy | Johns Hopkins Medicine - October 4th, 2022
- Prescribing HRT in women with migraine The Medical Republic - The Medical Republic - October 4th, 2022
- Caring for the gynecologic needs of the adolescent patient - Contemporary Obgyn - October 4th, 2022
- Im a GP heres the best way to treat acne and when to see a doctor... - The US Sun - October 4th, 2022
- State-by-state prevalence of the 5 most common types of cancer - KFOR Oklahoma City - October 4th, 2022
- How Menopause Affects Cholesterol And What to Do About It - TIME - September 25th, 2022
- Stroke symptoms in men & women - Times of India - September 25th, 2022
- Turn back the clock with collaborative care solutions Peace Arch News - Peace Arch News - September 25th, 2022
- Health benefits of flaxseed - Punch Newspapers - September 25th, 2022
- Progesterone Market Size to Grow by USD 1.23 Billion, Rise in Research and Development of Progesterone Drugs -Technavio - Yahoo Finance - September 25th, 2022
- Hormone Replacement Therapy for Menopause - Healthline - September 16th, 2022
- Hormone Replacement Therapy Market to Hit Value of $29.65 Billion by 2028 | Looming Shortage HRT Products to be a Key Challenge - GlobeNewswire - September 16th, 2022
- This Is How Long It Takes For Hormone Replacement Therapy To Start Working - Health Digest - September 16th, 2022
- Progesterone to be fully funded for all who need it in 'a welcome change' - Stuff - September 16th, 2022
- Contributor: In the Misdiagnosis of Menopause, What Needs to Change? - AJMC.com Managed Markets Network - September 16th, 2022
- Premenstrual syndrome: Real-life impact and coping strategies - Medical News Today - September 16th, 2022
- Why you should be paying attention to Ohio Supreme Court races - News 5 Cleveland WEWS - September 16th, 2022
- When You Take Vitamin C Every Day, Here's What Happens Eat This Not That - Eat This, Not That - September 16th, 2022
- Using HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) - breast cancer - September 8th, 2022
- Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy for Men - September 8th, 2022
- Hormone Replacement Therapy for Over 60s | Gransnet - September 8th, 2022
- Rethinking "The Change": Discover 40+ Ways to Embrace Menopause - PR Newswire - September 8th, 2022
- Seven days in medicine: 31 Aug to 6 Sep 2022 - The BMJ - September 8th, 2022
- If Covid Distorted Your Sense Of Time, Don't Panic: You're In The Majority - Kaiser Health News - September 8th, 2022
- Hot Flashes Can Impact Up to 80% of Women So Why Arent We Talking About It? - SheKnows - August 30th, 2022
- Woman shares the frustrations of going through menopause at age 49 - Insider - August 30th, 2022
- F*cking Ridiculous! Scotland Is Championing Menopause But Got One Big Thing Wrong - Suggest - August 30th, 2022
- Hunter Schafer Criticized For Appearing to Agree With Anti-Nonbinary Post - Newsweek - August 30th, 2022
- Gender Dysphoria Is Now Protected Under the Americans With Disabilities Act and It's a Pretty... - POPSUGAR - August 30th, 2022
- Boxing New Zealand supports open category in Olympic style boxing - New Zealand Herald - August 30th, 2022
- Doylestown Turns The Town Teal For Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month - Patch - August 30th, 2022
- The far right aims to eliminate trans people But the working... - Liberation - August 30th, 2022
- Hormone Replacement Therapy Will Be Available Over-The-Counter In The UK In SeptemberWe Wish The U.S. Would Follow Suit - Suggest - August 22nd, 2022
- To Your Good Health: Length of hormone treatment depends on the individual - Agri-News - August 22nd, 2022
- Menopause: Symptoms, causes, complications, diagnosis and treatment - Rising Kashmir - August 22nd, 2022
- How to Treat and Prevent Melasma with Nutrition - Intelligent Living - August 22nd, 2022
- 4 Real-Life Dating Tips for People Living with Alopecia - Everyday Health - August 22nd, 2022
- Cardiovascular health in the menopause transition: a longitudinal study of up to 3892 women with up to four repeated measures of risk factors - BMC... - August 22nd, 2022
- Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) | Health Navigator NZ - July 3rd, 2022
- Hormone-replacement therapy: current thinking - PubMed - July 3rd, 2022
- With 6.1 % CAGR, Hormone Replacement Therapy Market Size worth USD 21.49 billion by 2028 Industry Trends - Benzinga - July 3rd, 2022
- Lower Hormone Levels Linked to Risk of Sleep Apnea - Medscape - July 3rd, 2022
- Menopause and Sensitive Teeth: Symptoms, Causes, Treatments - Healthline - July 3rd, 2022
- 8 Bad Habits Leading to Breast Cancer Eat This Not That - Eat This, Not That - July 3rd, 2022
- Open, honest conversations key in reducing LGBTQ health disparities - WFYI - July 3rd, 2022
- Stopping Hormone Replacement Therapy: Cold Turkey Menopause - Breastcancer.org - July 3rd, 2022
- What the Reversal of Roe Means for the LGBTQ+ Community - Progressive.org - July 3rd, 2022
- Top 10 Hormone Replacement Therapy Industry to Look Out for in 2022 by Abbott Laboratories, Novartis, Pfizer, Inc., Mylan Laboratories - Digital... - June 22nd, 2022
- University of Medicine and Health Sciences to Host "LGBTQ+ Medicine & Theory: Providing Compassionate Care" - Yahoo Finance - June 22nd, 2022
- International Yoga Day: Womens health & yoga - Times of India - June 22nd, 2022
- Exelixis Announces Initiation of the STELLAR-303 Phase 3 Pivotal Trial Evaluating XL092 in Patients with Metastatic Colorectal Cancer - Yahoo Finance - June 22nd, 2022
- 7 Strong Buy Dividend Aristocrats Are Safe-Haven Stocks to Own During a Recession - 24/7 Wall St. - June 22nd, 2022
- Hormone-Replacement Therapy Is Life-Changing: What to Consider Before Getting Started - POPSUGAR - June 13th, 2022
- High Doses of Widely-Used Cancer Drug in Hormonal Therapy Can Increase Risk of Brain Tumour in Women by Seven Times | The Weather Channel - Articles... - June 13th, 2022
- Latest study reveals that two male contraceptive pills could expand options for birth control - Interesting Engineering - June 13th, 2022
- Pride Week: Beginning Hormone Replacement Therapy : Short Wave - NPR - June 13th, 2022
- The heartbreak, hope and courage of a Maine transgender child - The Maine Monitor - June 13th, 2022
- Trans conversion therapy: What to expect when MPs debate ban - Open Democracy - June 13th, 2022
- If the menopause movement is to be truly revolutionary, it needs to include women with cancer - iNews - June 4th, 2022
- The Very Peri Summit Resource Centre: Hormone Replacement Therapy with Dr Yasmin Tan. - Mamamia - June 4th, 2022
- Finding the "Sweet Spot": Thyroid Hormone Treatment and Cardiovascular Disease - Endocrinology Network - June 4th, 2022
- Rethinking Identity and Testosterone in Imagine a Body - The New Yorker - June 4th, 2022
- Postmenopausal Years Are Creative and Satisfying for Women - Oprah Mag - June 4th, 2022
- Medroxyprogesterone Acetate Market by Type (Oral, Parenteral), Application (Contraceptive, Hormone Replacement Therapy, Treatment of Endometriosis,... - May 15th, 2022