Bust the Myth About Menopause- All You Need to Know

During menopause, a woman ceases to be fertile and does no longer menstruate. It is no disease and is completely natural. In fact, every woman has to go through once in her lifetime. Despite being a natural process, menopause can cause drastic changes triggering severe symptoms. A dreaded change, most women want to know "what happens during menopause" and often form misconceptions about the same.

What Happens During Menopause- Myths Busted

Menopause is confirmed after a woman has missed 12 consecutive menstrual periods. As natural as the process is, there are a number of myths associated with it that most women believe. Some of the most common myths about menopause are-

Myth 1: Menopause leads to weight gain

One of the most common myths among women is that one gains weight during menopause. Due to this prenotion, women stop caring about their health and gain excess weight. While most women do gain weight during menopause, it is not solely because of that. Weight gain may be caused due to a number of other lifestyle changes like slowing metabolism, stress eating, and reduced activity levels.

Myth 2: Periods suddenly stop one day

While some women do experience this sudden change, most ladies have to go through years and months before they attain menopause. In most cases, the cycle becomes irregular, spotting occurs and a number of other changes occur. Depending on ovary fluctuation, it may be sooner or later in most women.

Myth 3: Menopause will spoil the sex life

It is a common myth among women that menopause would spoil the sex life of a woman. Anywhere from the age of 20 to the age of 90, women can enjoy the most fulfilling sex life. A decreased sex drive is one of the signs of hormonal imbalance. The various factors affecting libido are irritability, fatigue and vaginal dryness. Example- When women experience fatigue, sex becomes uncomfortable and irritating. And, if intercourse becomes irritating, the libido goes down automatically. However, not all women experience these symptoms and have a controlled sex life. On the contrary, for some women, it is the complete opposite as they don't have to worry about getting pregnant anymore. This gives them a sense of freedom.

Myth 4: The woman's body stops producing hormones after menopause

A woman's body hormone production rate only decreases after menopause. During the menopausal phase, a woman's body undergoes multiple alterations. Changes may be mental or physical and are almost always due to estrogen and progesterone fluctuation. Even though the hormone production rates go down significantly, they never stop entirely.

Myth 5: Hormone Therapy is mandatory during menopause

A few women do take hormones during menopause, but the percentage is relatively lower. Hormone pills are good for relieving night sweats, hot flashes, mood, concentration issues and vaginal dryness. In the case of excessive symptoms, the doctor may suggest a small dose for a minimum period of time. Some women also believe that hormone therapy can be dangerous, however, there are only minimal risks that also exist with other forms of medicines like ibuprofen.

Myth 6: Menopause will be the worst experience ever'

Menopause is not a disease and one of the biggest mistakes women make is treating it like one. It is just a phase of life similar to puberty and one doesn't need to be sad about it. It is just another phase of life, just like puberty and it does come with its set of beliefs. Women who have excessive bleeding or other abnormalities are, in fact, happy to experience menopause.

Myth 7: Menopause is associated with weak bones

Contrary to popular belief, menopause and excessive bone loss do not go together. While an average woman loses about 10% of her bone mass, it is a usual part of bone breakdown and buildup. Moreover, once women reach the age of 30, experiencing a breakdown is absolutely normal. The body can easily adapt to the minimal bone loss, however, when it accentuates due to factors like family history, poor diet, and the lifestyle, it may be stressful. With proper nutrients, doing a bone-strengthening routine and reducing stress can help to keep it under control. getting enough of the proper nutrients, managing extreme hormonal fluctuations, developing a bone-strengthening exercise program and reducing stress.

Myth 8: Menopause symptoms start when periods stop occurring

The symptoms of menopause can be experienced long before it actually happens. This happens because the body starts changing from within long before the periods stop. The most predictive factor of your menopause age is not your puberty age, but the age at which your mother hit menopause. "All symptoms of menopause are as unique as the women who experience them." While menopause is a stressful situation, it is also a phase of life where one enjoys the most. Take it as it comes and it becomes the easiest and smoothest thing in the world. Bibliography:

1. https://www.prevention.com/health/10-menopause-myths/slide/11
2. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155651.php
3. https://www.webmd.boots.com/menopause/features/menopause-myths-facts?page=3
4. https://www.everydayhealth.com/womens-health/menopause/myths-about-menopausal-symptoms-treatments/
5. https://www.34-menopause-symptoms.com/articles/myths-and-facts-about-menopause-symptoms.htm
6. https://www.avogel.co.uk/health/menopause/the-8-menopause-myths-you-need-to-know-the-truth-about/
7. http://www.pennlive.com/bodyandmind/index.ssf/2012/05/myths_about_menopause.html