What Is Considered a High-Risk Pregnancy?
Being pregnant means a lot of changes in your body over a nine month period. It always comes with some level of risk but when does a pregnancy become high risk, and what can be done about it?
7 Common Myths About Menopause Symptoms, Debunked
By next year, it’s estimated that globally, 1.1 billion women will be postmenopausal, and with it comes a slew of changes, concerns, and fears. During this process your body has greatly reduced production of estrogen and progesterone, leading to common symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, frequent urination, mood changes, and weight changes.
If you live in the Las Vegas, Nevada area and you’re trying to cope with the changes menopause brings, Dr. Staci McHale and her staff at WHASN Sunset Valley can help you separate fact from fiction when it comes to these common menopause myths.
Menopause basics
Your reproductive years end with menopause, defined as one year since your last menstrual cycle. While the average age of menopause is 51, the whole process happens in stages leading up to years before:
- Perimenopause: the stage where the changes start which can happen years before menopause
- Menopause: the time in which where you haven’t had a menstrual cycle for a year
- Postmenopause: your life when the year is done and the symptoms lessen
What people get wrong about it
Here are just some of the things people get wrong about going through menopause and the related symptoms:
1. Myth: Everyone experiences menopause the same way
It’s easy to assume that because it’s something every woman goes through the process is going to be the same across the board. But, no two women are exactly alike, and there are a lot of differences between the specific symptoms you go through and how long the process lasts.
2. Myth: you’re miserable the whole time
While some symptoms can be highly uncomfortable, they are manageable. There is a wide range of treatments we can offer you to help you live as comfortably as possible through the transition out of your reproductive years.
3. Myth: the symptoms only last for a short while
As we’ve established, the time dealing with symptoms varies widely from woman to woman, so there’s no fixed timeframe. Menopause itself is diagnosed after a year of not having periods, but perimenopause can last seven years or more.
4. Myth: everyone starts getting symptoms at the same age
Menopause is typically diagnosed at 51, but that doesn’t mean everyone started at the same age, or that it can’t be diagnosed sooner or later. A smaller percentage of women experience menopause in their early to mid-40s, and even fewer experience it under 40, while studies show that globally, women get to menopause around age 48.
5. Myth: your sex life is over
The hormone reduction can certainly affect your urge to have sex, but losing your libido completely is not a certainty as hormones only play a part in sexual interest. Moreover, if you do experience less interest, there are ways to manage these changes so you can resume this part of your personal life.
6. Myth: weight gain is inevitable
Changes in your weight are certainly a common thing during menopause, but the changes related to gaining fat and losing muscle are as much related to age as anything else. It can certainly make maintaining weight a problem, but not impossible. Exercise and dietary changes can help you navigate any issues with unwanted pounds.
7. Myth: Menopause means old age
This is as much a reflection of how you see yourself as it is what others think of you as you go through this stage in your life. Menopause simply means the end of periods and childbirth, the rest is entirely up to you.
If you have other questions or concerns about menopause and how it will affect your life, make an appointment with Dr. McHale and her team at WHASN Sunset Valley today.
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