Shazi Shaikh - Menopause: A Womans Manual to Understanding and Managing the Menopause

Im sure youve heard the phrase Life begins at 40. The Swiss psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung once said Life really does begin at 40. Up until then youre just doing research. Well, the research has been done so now its time to start living.

If youve picked up this book, youre most likely in the most wonderful phase life has to offer! Unfortunately, as a woman approaching the end of your childbearing years, it might seem like your body is just not allowing you to live your best life. Look no further, this book will serve as a guide and teach you everything you need to know about the changes your body and mind will go through during this period in your life. Youll learn some healthy coping mechanisms as well as exactly what your body needs to help you feel healthy and happy again!

This book outlines all the possible changes you can expect through the phase of menopause. In addition, it will provide you with scientifically sound solutions to difficult experiences and information on lifestyle changes that will help you attain a positive sense of well-being. This will provide the foundation on which you will begin to build your best life in your 40s or 50s!

Menopause is a time in a womans life that is nothing short of inspiring. Although the transition may come with a few unwelcome experiences, its usually nothing a woman cant manage with the help of a book, an open mind, and a nice cup of tea.

This book will teach you how to get the best out of menopause by managing the symptoms and difficult experiences that may leave you feeling down and unmotivated. The topics covered aim to answer questions you might have about menopause as well as provide suggestions and solutions to negative experiences. Since many women are uncomfortable discussing their sexual experiences, concerns, and changes at this stage, this book includes a whole section on intimacy during menopause including ways to increase sexual desire and pleasure and solutions to problems such as vaginal dryness or pain during intercourse.

You are not the first to experience any of these discomforts. There is a whole community of women who have shared their own experiences so that scientists were able to provide scientifically sound and evidence-based approaches to menopause. So, remember, you are not alone.

Without any further delay, lets start managing menopause!

And remember...

You can be gorgeous at thirty, charming at forty, and irresistible for the rest of your life Coco Chanel

The female body, although beautifully complex, can experience uncomfortable physical changes in response to changes in concentrations of hormones. If being a female was that easy, then men would do it too.

Its important to know how it feels when your body is functioning optimally, in order to identify any changes so that they may be addressed.

Hormones are substances produced in our bodies by our endocrine glands to regulate metabolism, growth, and reproduction (New Websters Dictionary, 2004). These substances are released into our bloodstream and travel throughout our body to control the way our bodies function on a micro and macro level.

The female sex hormones are responsible for sexual maturation and female characteristics, as well as the functioning of the female reproductive system. This means that they control when you come of age, your feminine look, how frequently and regularly you get your period, the ability to fall pregnant and have children, and even sexual drive and pleasure.While growing hair on the legs, pubic area, armpits and face can make women feel uncomfortable, it is a normal part of female development and is initiated by the change in hormone levels in the body. In the same way, as a woman enters her postmenopausal years, hair growth on her face is likely to increase. Dont pretend like youve never been tickled by some sort of whiskers when your great aunt leans in for a kiss.

Oestrogen and Progesterone and the main two female sex hormones and the different physiological phases of a womans life are usually dependant on their fluctuating levels.

The regulation of these hormones is controlled by a three-tier system. First the hypothalamus of the brain releases a hormone called gonadotropin-releasing hormone (Gn-RH) which travels to another part of the brain called the anterior pituitary gland. This part of the brain then releases two hormones called follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) which are released into the blood and travel to the ovaries where they stimulate the release of oestrogen and progesterone (Guyton and Hall textbook of medical physiology, 13th Edition). The normal menstrual cycle is characterized by monthly rhythmic changes in the levels of female sex hormones in preparation for pregnancy and motherhood. If youve ever wondered what makes women better than men, its the innate ability to constantly bleed for one week straight and still survive nay, thrive!

At the beginning of the menstrual cycle, the endometrium, the innermost lining of the uterus, is thin. Since its too thin to house a baby, and the body is preparing for pregnancy (whether you want it to or not) the ovaries release large amounts of oestrogen to thicken the endometrium. New blood vessels and glands grow into the endometrium and secrete a mucus, especially close to the cervix. Within the ovaries, there are tiny dust-sized follicles that will grow into a capsule to house an egg. When the time is right, the egg will be released from the follicle capsule (this is known as ovulation) so that it may be fertilized and then implanted into the endometrium. Once implanted, it will grow into a baby.

On about day 14 of a normal 28-day menstrual cycle, ovulation occurs.