September is National Menopause Awareness Month. But I bet women who are also a part of the baby boomer generation don’t need this reminder. I first experienced menopause symptoms almost twenty years ago. Are you a baby boomer who is embracing “the change?” Have you started menopause?
The dictionary defines menopause as “the end of monthly cycles.” A better description is a natural decline in reproductive hormones when a woman reaches her 40s or 50s. Both accounts are accurate, and no two women are alike. My mom, who is soon to be eighty, has never had a hot flash.
I won’t be telling you anything you don’t know if you are or have already experienced menopause. Once we seasoned women arrive at this stage of our lives, we do our homework to explore and understand the changes.
I never entertained the option of hormone replacement therapy to get me through the first phase of menopause called perimenopause. I do recall memories of power surges that I needed to control. Fast forward to 2016, the hot flashes still occur during bedtime. I think there is a direct correlation with temperatures and certain foods.
I’ve blogged since early 2013 and can’t believe I’ve never talked about menopause or the fabulous modeling experience for a menopause product in New York City.
To be considered for the ad campaign, I had to fill-in-the-blank for the following:
I am in menopause and I am_______________________________________.
I resorted to the all-natural Estroven, to help relieve hot flashes. My dedication to Estroven since 2003 resulted in being chosen to participate in a paid advertising campaign August 2010. Being selected was an exciting experience.
I received a free trip to New York City with all-paid accommodations at the Cooper Square Hotel now the Standard East Village Hotel; my children accompanied me. My adventure included working with stylists, make-up artists as well as professional photographers in a loft in East Village.
I mentioned that I thought I started menopause early. I since learned the onset of the change could be affected by personal traits, such as cigarette smoking, body mass index, race, or ethnicity, illnesses, chemotherapy, radiation, and procedures such as hysterectomies that catapult one into this midlife event. Not sure why I had symptoms early, but statistics say, perimenopause can start as early as 30.
Interesting Facts About Menopause from Menopauseawarenessmonth.org:
♦ Perimenopause can begin as early as your 30s.
♦ The average woman hits menopause around the age of 51.
♦ Some women experience postmenopause until around the age of 60.
♦ Smoking increases your odds of early menopause.
♦ 80% of menopausal women suffer from hot flashes.
♦ 40% of menopausal women suffer from mood swings caused by hormonal dips.
♦ By the year 2030, it is expected that there will be 1.2 billion women who are 50 years of age of older. Tha means there will be roughly 1.2 billion women suffering from menopause.
♦ Before menopause, women are 3x less likely to have a heart attack than men. After menopause, women have an equal chance of having a heart attack as our male counterparts.
♦ 1 in 4 women are affected by osteoporosis after menopause.
♦ Even though fertility decreases as one approaches menopause, one can still get pregnant with irregular periods. In fact, the second highest unintended pregnancy rate is for women between 40-44 years old.
♦ A 1998 Gallup survey states that more than half of American women between the ages of 50 and 65 who had reached menopause said they are happiest and most fulfilled now more than ever.
As a baby boomer woman, are you embracing changes in your body? Got menopause? Have you used any unusual natural products to reduce hot flashes? Please share.
Have a fabulous and stylish week!
I guess I am finally responding a bit late. I was one of the lucky ones. Menopause came and went without to much effect on my life. It happened during the first half of my fifties. At 53, I went back to get my Masters in Education so maybe my mind was occupied with other things? With my mother, it was the opposite. Looking back, I see she had every symptom you could get. But, that was in the late 60’s and no one talked about it, which is sad. I won’t do hormone replacement either and I have to admit I have never heard of Estroven.
Terri,
Hi! No need to apologize for commenting days after any of my posts! I welcome your visits to the Age of Grace. I appreciate your sharing your personal experience with menopause. It sounds like your focus on getting your Master’s Degree kept those irritable symptoms at bay. I would dare to say your mother had what most women experience.