0:00 Intro: All women undergo one thing throughout their womanhood. The menstrual cycle starts from puberty and it prepares women for pregnancy. But does it continue forever? Of course not! When women reach a certain age, their cycle ends and that’s what we call “menopause”.

0:19 Menopause Intro: As a woman approaches middleage, she enters the menopause stage when she stops having monthly periods. It could also mean the end of her reproductive years. But not a lot of women are aware of detecting menopause: its symptoms and the hormonal changes.

When menopause occurs, many women find it difficult to go through the symptoms. Think of a vast ocean of Menopause. Groups of women sail on 3 boats which are the 3 stages of Menopause: Perimenopause, Menopause, and Postmenopause.

0:56 Perimenopause: Let’s talk about the first stage of menopause. Perimenopause can happen between 8-10 years before menopause. Women still have menses but at this stage, progesterone and estrogen levels decrease. The follicles get weaker and do not mature. There is still a chance for pregnancy during perimenopause.

With the fluctuating hormonal levels, symptoms of menopause can be experienced already and these include: irregular periods, hot flashes, vaginal dryness, sleep disturbances and mood swings, all because of uneven changes of estrogen levels.

1:37 Menopause: When the menstrual period stops for about 12 consecutive months, that may be a clear sign of menopause. At this stage ovaries have stopped releasing eggs, estrogen and progesterone productions have drastically decreased and stopped but testosterone production still continues and declines gradually.

1:59 Postmenopause: After the menopause stage, comes postmenopause, when there is absolutely no menstrual period occuring after a year. During this stage, symptoms may begin to die down for many women, although some women still experience menopause symptoms for longer. This is because hormone levels are low but stable in this stage. And because of the low levels of estrogen, bone loss occurs and women have higher risk of developing osteoporosis.

2:31 Remedies for Menopause Symptoms: As mentioned earlier, menopause symptoms can start as early as perimenopause. They are the hints for you to know you’re approaching your menopause soon.

These following symptoms can be alleviated by helpful remedies.

• Mood Swings – Relaxation and stress reduction techniques
• Hot Flashes and Night Sweats – Cool with a fan and dress in light clothing
• Insomnia – Cup of chamomile tea or glass of milk and establishing a sleep schedule
• And Whole Family Products’ Menopause Complex – A herbal supplement from Whole Family Products that helps in the relief of pre and post menopause symptoms

At postmenopause, most symptoms have decreased, but vaginal dryness may still occur and so can osteoporosis.

• Vaginal Dryness – vaginal lubricants or moisturizers
• Osteoporosis – Vitamin D supplements

3:27 Ending: Women have to sail across an entire ocean-facing difficulties as they experience menopause. But being “in the same boat”, there are hundreds of blogs and communities online dedicated to giving information and showing support to women undergoing the same stage in life.

Visit us at our menopause and health blogs.