Changes in your body in the years around menopause increase your chances of having certain health problems. Lower levels of estrogen and other changes related to aging (like possibly gaining weight) increase women’s risk of heart disease, stroke, and osteoporosis.

You should plan to build your health in the years around menopause by eating well. Older people need just as many nutrients but tend to need fewer calories for energy. Make sure you have a balanced diet. Women over 50 need 2.4 micrograms (mcg) of vitamin B₁₂ and 1.5 milligrams of vitamin B₆ each day. Ask your doctor if you need a vitamin supplement.  After menopause, a woman’s calcium needs go up to maintain bone health. Women 51 and older should get 1,200 milligrams (mg) of calcium each day. Vitamin D also is important to bone health. Women 51 to 70 should get 600 international units (IU) of vitamin D each day. Women ages 71 and older need 800 IU of vitamin D each day. Women past menopause who are still having vaginal bleeding because they are using menopausal hormone therapy might need extra iron.

Source: the Office on Women’s Health in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health.

Changes in sexuality at this time of life have several possible causes, including:

• Decreased hormones can make vaginal tissues drier and thinner, which can make sex uncomfortable.
• Decreased hormones may reduce sex drive.
• Night sweats can disturb a woman’s sleep and make her too tired for sex.
• Emotional changes can make a woman feel too stressed for sex.

Keep in mind that being less interested in sex as you get older is not a medical condition that needs treatment. But if you are upset about sexual changes, you can get help. Don’t be shy about talking with your doctor or nurse. They certainly have talked with many women about these issues before.

Source: The Office on Women’s Health

One women states that she was thrilled because the years of cramps and bloating have ended. How nervous you feel, you will make it through. It’s just like child birth, no classes can prepare you for the real thing. When you go through it, it might not be all that nad. Menopause is part of a woman’s life. You should celebrate and embrace it as you’re going to enter a new chapter of your life.

Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Hot flashes happen around the time of menopause. They may be related to changing estrogen levels. Hot flashes may last a few years after menopause. A hot flash is a sudden feeling of heat in the upper part or all of your body. Your face and neck become flushed. Red blotches may appear on your chest, back, and arms. Heavy sweating and cold shivering can follow.

Flashes can be very mild or strong enough to wake you from your sleep which is called night sweats. Most hot flashes last between 30 seconds and 10 minutes. You may experience it even after menopause. The good news is that eventually the symptoms do go away.

Source: National Institute on Aging

But it doesn’t have to be that way. Think about the freedom of not having periods for the rest of your life! No more birth controls. Menopause is actually the half way mark in the women’s life. Other than the fact that you no longer can bear children, you still have years ahead of you. Most of today’s women will live 25 to 30 years, a third of their lives, post menopause.

• Don’t smoke. If you do use any type of tobacco, stop—it’s never too late to benefit from quitting smoking.
• Eat a healthy diet, low in fat, high in fiber, with plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole-grain foods, as well as all the important vitamins and minerals.
• Make sure you get enough calcium and vitamin D—in your diet or with vitamin/mineral supplements.
• Learn what your healthy weight is, and try to stay there.
• Do weight-bearing exercise, such as walking, jogging, or dancing, at least 3 days each week for healthy bones. But try to be physically active in other ways for your general health.

Other things to remember:

• Take medicine if your doctor prescribes it for you, especially if it is for health problems you cannot see or feel—for example, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or osteoporosis.
• Use a water-based vaginal lubricant (not petroleum jelly) or a vaginal estrogen cream or tablet to help with vaginal discomfort.
• Get regular pelvic and breast exams, Pap tests, and mammograms. You should also be checked for colon and rectal cancer and for skin cancer. Contact your doctor right away if you notice a lump in your breast or a mole that has changed.

Menopause is not a disease that has to be treated. But you might need help if symptoms like hot flashes bother you. Here are some ideas that have helped some women:

• Try to keep track of when hot flashes happen—a diary can help. You might be able to use this information to find out what triggers your flashes and then avoid those triggers.
• When a hot flash starts, try to go somewhere cool.
• If night sweats wake you, sleep in a cool room or with a fan on.
• Dress in layers that you can take off if you get too warm.
• Use sheets and clothing that let your skin “breathe.”
• Have a cold drink (water or juice) when a flash is starting.

You could also talk to your doctor about whether there are any medicines to manage hot flashes. A few drugs that are approved for other uses, for example, certain anti-depressants, seem to be helpful to some women.

Source: National Institute on Aging