Many people will say, "This is the onset of menopausal syndrome" when themselves/their mother/wife often have mood swings. It seems that any problem in women aged 40-60 is the cause of menopause, and menopause may be used as an excuse for small mistakes/loss of control, or it can be used as a reason for advice/words not to be taken seriously.
But what exactly is menopausal syndrome? How to deal with it, but few people talk about it? Women who go through menopause don't understand what's going on, and their families don't understand it.
Ignorance of the problem often strains family members, and in some cases it even turns into a powder factory, where a single trigger can ignite a family war.
In this issue, I will talk to you about menopause.
What is menopause?
Menopause is a physiological phenomenon that is normal in life, and it is also the path that nearly half of the world's human beings must go through in their lives. The point in time when there is no menstruation for 12 consecutive months in nature (without oophorectomy surgery) occurs when the ovaries stop producing hormones (estrogen and progesterone).
Menopause involves three stages:
Perimenopause or "menopausal transition": Perimenopause usually begins in your 40s, when the ovaries produce a gradual decrease in estrogen.
Menopause: There is no longer menstruation during menopause. Therefore, some people have some irregularities before complete amenorrhea or stop for a few months and then start again, which does not fall under the category of menopause.
Menopause: This is the time after menopause. With the extension of modern lifespan, menopause has become the longest period of life for most women.
The age of menopause in the world's oldest women is between 45 and 55 years old, and menopause at this age is a phenomenon that conforms to the laws of natural survival, and the menopause that occurs before the age of 45 is called early menopause. Menopause that occurs at the age of 40 or younger is considered premature menopause. Premature menopause is associated with ovarian insufficiency (premature decline of the ovaries). Studies have shown that the early or delayed occurrence of these events is also related to commensal microorganisms within the female gut and reproductive tract.
比如卵巢的功能状态与肠道菌群密切相关。 将年轻雌鼠的粪便菌群移植给老年雌鼠，能改善老年鼠卵巢的免疫微环境，减少了促炎症的巨噬细胞和巨噬细胞衍生的多核巨细胞；提升生育功能，卵巢中闭锁卵泡百分比减少，卵巢中的细胞增殖增加而细胞凋亡减少。 （Fecal microbiota transplantation from young donor mice improves ovarian function in aged mice - ScienceDirect）
The laboratory of Food and Heart also found in the laying hen breeding experiment that the egg-laying time of chickens who ate NS lactic acid bacteria fermented feed was extended from 500 days to more than 600 days. Young women with early amenorrhea in the workplace resumed normal menstruation after consuming NS lactic acid bacteria; A number of women who supplemented with NS lactobacillus also found that they were able to conceive a child when they thought they would not be able to conceive. These phenomena may be related to the regulation of estrogen by microbiota adjustment and the improvement of ovarian function.
What is menopausal syndrome
From an anthropological point of view, menopause is a necessary stage of human life, and it is impossible for any animal to live to old age. In medicine, some for business or to make money, a menopausal syndrome (Menopausal syndrome) has been formulated, the syndrome itself is a physiological indication, does not represent the disease of the disease, this state also refers to the fact that women before and after menopause due to ovarian function gradually begin to withdraw from life performance, accompanied by a decline in estrogen levels and women have some experiences that have never been experienced before, just like the state of menarche in teenagers, accompanied by emotional or physical performance. However, these conditions usually appear during perimenopause and disappear after menopause. How long menopause is not a fixed number, some people don't feel anything after a year or two, some people last for about 7 years, and some people can last up to 14 years. This is directly related to women's ability to adjust to their own mental capacity. The unpleasant experience of a person who lives a full and happy life can pass quickly, and a person who is already depressed and anxious may really feel like a year.
Symptoms of menopausal syndrome include:
- Hot flashes and night sweats: Hot flashes are the most common symptom, with sudden sensations of heat, redness of the skin, and sweating, which occurs in about 80% of perimenopausal women. Hot flashes that occur at night are also known as night sweats.
- Insomnia: Many women experience sleep problems due to night sweats and hormone fluctuations.
- Mood swings: such as irritability, anxiety, depression, etc.
- Genitourinary symptoms: such as vaginal dryness, dyspareunia, urinary frequency, urgency, etc.
- Thinning hair, dry skin, dry eyes, or dry mouth.
- Muscle and joint pain.
- Metabolism slows down and weight gains.
- Decreased breast fullness.
Although the above items appear to be medical symptoms, in fact, the condition of women at this particular stage is not considered to be a disease in medicine. Just like after a plant has bloomed, it is time to gradually let the flowers wither and sprout fruits.
Ways to improve menopausal syndrome
First of all, menopausal syndrome does not require treatment at all, and the vast majority of physiological manifestations can be improved by healthy diet and lifestyle interventions, and only when accompanied by severe psychological manifestations should medical remission be considered. For women who already have menopausal sensations, the following methods can be considered for improvement:
1. Dietary modifications
Increase phytoestrogens (mainly isoflavones and lignin) intake. Isoflavones are found in soybeans and soy foods such as tofu, black beans, edamame, lentils, chickpeas, and many types of pulses. Lignin is found in flaxseeds, sesame seeds, whole-grain cereals (e.g., whole-grain bread, oatmeal), legumes (e.g., soybeans and mung beans), fruits (e.g., blueberries and raspberries), and vegetables (e.g., broccoli and carrots). Early menopause focuses on foods with more vegetarian and less meat, which has a significant effect on good physical and psychological feelings.
On the wagon. During this particular period, many middle-aged women show difficulty sleeping and choose to drink some wine every day to promote sleep, but in fact, alcohol will only worsen physical and psychological performance, and accelerate the aging of the skin.
Control caffeine and spicy foods properly. For example, reduce the intake of coffee and tea, or skip coffee and chocolate in the afternoon, and cut back on spicy dishes. Studies have shown that these can help improve hot flashes, night sweats, and insomnia. (However, Food and Heart have some reservations about this: those non-spicy and non-spicy eating habits in Sichuan and Hunan also make people have to spend this age healthily!) ）
Don't eat large meals before bedtime, as this not only exacerbates insomnia, but also allows middle-aged women whose metabolic capacity begins to slow down to gain extra unwanted weight.
Drink ice water. Drinking ice water can help relieve hot flashes, some people say that you can't drink ice water, but you can eat ice cream/chilled watermelon, in fact, these people can drink ice water.
Changes in menopausal hormones may lead to calcium and VD/VE deficiencies, and supplementation is decided based on the results of the examination.
2. Lifestyle adjustments
Quit smoking. Quitting smoking not only relieves hot flashes, but also improves overall health. In addition to quitting smoking, it is also important to reduce exposure to secondhand smoke or thirdhand smoke.
Wearing loose-fitting clothing, keeping the ambient temperature comfortable (not too cold or too hot), and carrying a portable fan can all help alleviate the effects of hot flashes.
Exercise regularly. Don't replace exercise with housework, as exercise can activate most of the body's muscles in a purposeful and targeted manner, and housework will only cause constant fatigue of certain muscle groups and lead to backache. Exercise is psychologically and physically relaxing, while housework can sometimes be irritating, fatigued, aggrieved, and even angry (when the fruits of labor are trivialized, ignored, or destroyed).
Strengthens joints and pelvic floor muscles. There are great benefits for both women and men, especially to help prevent and improve urinary incontinence, improve the quality of sexual life, and support the abdominal organs. Gluteal bridges, squats and Kegel exercises can all help strengthen the pelvic floor muscles, increase the leg muscles and improve balance.
Have a regular schedule. Scientifically manage sleep and wake up times.
Maintain a healthy weight. Women who are overweight or obese may experience more frequent and severe hot flashes. Physical exercise and doing health exercises can reduce the occurrence of metabolic disorders.
Relax and unwind. Reading, writing, painting, going out for photos, walking, square dancing, singing, listening to music, bathing, yoga, meditation, reminiscence, etc. are all helpful to relax and unwind. (At least 5 of the above should be selected to actively participate)
3. Social adjustments. Talking to women of all ages can also help improve symptoms. Some specific exohormones (pheromone) can be obtained through communication between colleagues and friends, and have a supportive effect on women's physiological balance.
Considering the positive effects of estrogen on maintaining bone density, endothelial function, skin elasticity, etc., some people may try hormone replacement therapy, but this needs to be weighed against the pros and cons. Because estrogen supplementation may also increase the risk of heart attack, stroke, blood clots, breast cancer, gallbladder disease, and dementia. Going from a symptom that can be completely reassuring to a symptom that is difficult to deal with is a big deal and the gains outweigh the losses.
At the same time, it should be noted that before and after menopause, women have an increased risk of obesity, metabolic syndrome, heart disease, cardiovascular disease, depression and anxiety and other mental diseases. The above-mentioned dietary and lifestyle modifications can not only help reduce menopausal symptoms but also help prevent these diseases.
The impact of exercise on menopausal problems
Exercise may be one of the best ways to improve menopause problems, and most menopause-related health problems can be improved or even solved through exercise.
1. Increase bone density. A 2017 meta-analysis of 11 studies involving 1061 menopausal women found that exercise that integrated different physical activities significantly increased bone mineral density in the lumbar spine, femoral neck, total hip joint, and whole body. Combined exercise intervention (aerobic + strength) increases bone mineral density in the femoral neck and lumbar spine. Femoral neck fracture (thigh root) is one of the main causes of incapacity and even death (complication) in many elderly people.
2. 改善睡眠。 2023年的一项荟萃分析（涉及14项研究，2463名更年期女性）显示：运动干预可显著降低失眠严重程度，并缓解睡眠问题。 亚组分析结果表明，与没有睡眠障碍的女性相比，有睡眠障碍的女性发现运动干预的效果更明显。 （The effect of exercise intervention on improving sleep in menopausal women: a systematic review and meta-analysis - PMC (nih.gov)）
3. 改善情绪。 2014年的一项荟萃分析发现：中期运动干预（12周-4个月）和长期运动干预（6-12个月）能显著减少更年期前后女性的抑郁症状。 （The effect of exercise intervention on improving sleep in menopausal women: a systematic review and meta-analysis - PMC (nih.gov)）
4. Strengthens the heart and lungs and muscles
2023年的一项荟萃分析（涉及129项研究，7141名绝经期女性，53-90岁）发现：运动训练有效提高了心肺力量、下半身肌肉力量、上半身肌肉力量和握力，且这种效果不受年龄因素影响。 在运动类型方面，有氧训练、阻力训练（即力量训练）和联合训练（有氧+阻力）都能提高心肺力量和下半身肌肉力量；阻力训练和联合训练还增强了握力，不过只有阻力训练才能增加女性的上半身肌肉力量。 （Influence of exercise type and duration on cardiorespiratory fitness and muscular strength in post-menopausal women: a systematic review and meta-analysis - PMC (nih.gov)）
另一项系统综述也发现联合训练效果最好。 20周联合训练（每周3-5次）能改善绝经期女性的心肺健康（最大摄氧量增加4.4 ml/kg/min）和动脉僵硬（颈股动脉脉搏速度减少0.15-0.22 m/s）。 （Effects of exercise programs on cardiorespiratory fitness and arterial stiffness on postmenopausal women: A systematic review study - Maturitas）
5. Improve endothelial function
更年期后，女性的血管内皮功能（简单来说就是血管弹性）会迅速下降。 2022年的一项荟萃分析发现：三分之二的研究表明，运动能改善至少一项内皮功能指标；大多数研究内皮功能生物标志物的研究表明，运动能改善至少一项生物标志物；运动对大血管和微血管内皮功能都有中等程度改善。 （The impact of exercise training on endothelial function in postmenopausal women: a systematic review - Lew - 2022 - Experimental Physiology - Wiley Online Library）
6. Optimize body composition.
Many people only care about their weight, not their body composition. In fact, for the same weight, the health of a person with a lot of muscle and a person with a lot of fat is completely different. More muscles not only mean more strength and better looking (better body shape), but also reflects mobility and cognitive ability. And a pot-bellied person is not only not good-looking, but also affects mobility, often accompanied by three highs, memory loss, and impaired self-control. Abdominal obesity after menopause is a sign of a variety of dangerous diseases.
A 2023 meta-analysis (including 101 studies involving 5697 menopausal women) found that exercise training effectively increased muscle mass/volume, muscle and fiber cross-sectional area, and fat-free mass in menopausal women, and reduced fat mass, body fat percentage, waist circumference, and visceral fat. Subgroup analyses showed that aerobic training and combined training had a greater beneficial effect on fat mass outcomes, while resistance and combined training had a greater beneficial effect on muscle mass outcomes.
7. 预防代谢综合征。 2023年的一项荟萃分析（涉及40项研究，2132名绝经期女性）发现：运动训练（8周以上）显著改善了所有代谢综合征危险因素：腰围减小2.61厘米，甘油三酯减小-0.40 mmol/L，高密度脂蛋白（HDL）减小0.84 mmol/L，空腹血糖减小0.38 mmol/L，收缩压（SBP）减小5.95 mmHg，舒张压（DBP）减小4.14 mmHg。 亚组分析发现，除高密度脂蛋白外，中等强度和联合运动训练显著改善了上述危险因素 其中联合运动最有效。 （Effects of exercise training on metabolic syndrome risk factors in post-menopausal women – A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials - Clinical Nutrition (clinicalnutritionjournal.com)）
8. 降低基础炎症水平。 2021年的一项荟萃分析（涉及32项研究，1510名绝经期女性）项研究，发现：与对照组相比，运动训练显著降低了促炎因子IL-6 、TNF-α 和CRP水平，并增加了脂联素含量（脂联素有助于胰岛素抵抗和动脉硬化）。 亚组分析表明，有氧运动、阻力训练和联合训练均可显著降低 IL-6、TNF-α 和 CRP。 运动训练的抗炎效果在所有年龄的绝经期女性中都很显著。 （The impact of exercise training on inflammatory markers in postmenopausal women: A systemic review and meta-analysis - ScienceDirect）
Food and heart summary: With the increasing average healthy life expectancy of human beings, it will not be a rare thing to live past the age of 90, which means that many women spend almost half of their lives in menopause. Choosing a healthy lifestyle can help improve or even reverse the menopause-related manifestations and the increased risk of diseases that may occur during menopause. Reading is a good way to improve your gut microbes and health. Exercise can increase your muscles, so that the body has better volatilization and heat dissipation ability, but also can produce more brain-derived neurotrophic factors, make your brain better, and ignore the nervous and unpleasant feelings caused by changes in the physiological cycle. I also hope that the family, society and workplace will not use the vulgar and boring label of "menopause" to attach to any woman. Every woman who is lucky enough to live a long life must pass this threshold.
It is important to note that although the above studies are all studies of postmenopausal women, in fact these results apply to men as well, because men also have menopause. As testosterone levels gradually decline after the age of 50, men may experience not only decreased sexual function, but also symptoms such as mood swings, fatigue and decreased energy, osteoporosis, and decreased muscles and muscle strength. Men who lose androgen protection face an increased risk of several diseases just as much as women who lose estrogen protection. Exercise can also help men reduce these symptoms and live healthier and happier lives.
Treat menopause right
Many people have such a misconception in their hearts: menopause = aging = frailty, which means that life is about to come to an end. So after entering menopause, I feel that I am old, and I begin to care about my image at all, I give up on myself, and I dress, eat and even do things very casually, and I have become the object that my grandchildren do not want to approach at other times except for food. This is also often described in the society as some "aunts", they no longer need bras because of breast atrophy, they are not particular about dressing, and they can also rob and overeat at the buffet regardless .......of decency. These self-defeating behaviors can accelerate one's aging and the loss of all the grace that has accumulated in the previous half of one's life. Growing old is just a description of others to others, and it should never be a description of oneself. Calmly facing another period of physiological entry can also become a more perfect stage in life. Instead of tutoring children and grandchildren at home, or doing endless chores, they have more time to exercise and reserve muscles that will not break if they fall in the future; Read a book to reserve enough spiritual food for your mind.
And this stereotype of the elderly also makes people who are about to enter menopause very afraid and repulsive, unwilling to admit that they are about to enter a new stage of life, hoping to at least look young through drugs/home remedies. For example, superstitious medical aesthetics and plastic surgery, but medical aesthetics can only flatten the skin, but cannot change the overall inflammatory state and metabolic state, and this superficial improvement cannot be long-lasting and may even have side effects.
On the other hand, would a well-dressed middle-aged woman go to a mall or cafeteria to fight for food? Would a person with perfect physique dress inappropriately? In fact, successful middle-aged and elderly women should live more chic, control their weight, wear clothes that they love and make others pleasing to the eye, and have some light makeup to show that they are still young and care about their image.
In fact, menopause is just a natural process, and after menopause, women are more likely to get rid of the influence of biological (reproductive bondage) on themselves, and are more likely to achieve psychological pursuit and psychological satisfaction. Of course, this requires not only a more calm and objective mind, but also a body that moves freely and a mind that is good at learning to think.
In this regard, many people need to learn from some elderly people abroad, such as Musk's mother Mayer · Musk, or many silver-haired 70+ women or men photographed abroad. Different ages have different beauty and harvest, whether it is a woman or a man, even if we get older, we can still be beautiful and elegant.
Preserving the beauty of gender through a natural approach
After menopause, although the function of the reproductive organs declines, the ability to secrete sex hormones is lost. However, the adrenal cortex still synthesizes small amounts of androgens, and aromatases in breast and adipose tissue convert these androgens into estrogen.
Although phytoestrogens are much less active than human estrogen, regular consumption of phytoestrogen-rich foods (e.g., beans, flaxseeds, whole wheat cereals) and legumes still help maintain some of the functions of estrogen, reduce menopausal symptoms, and help regulate the gut flora.
Beneficial microorganisms in the gut convert inactive estrogen in the lumen of the intestine into active estrogen, which is then reabsorbed into the circulation. A healthy gut flora is equally beneficial for maintaining male sex hormone levels.
Through these natural methods, the body can still maintain low levels of sex hormones, so that the body does not lose the protection of sex hormones, and does not increase the risk of hormone-related diseases (such as breast cancer and prostate cancer).
Food and Heart Warm Summary: Menopause is a very natural physiological process, not a symptom that needs to be treated, through the intervention of reading, diet and exercise, almost all unpleasant feelings can be alleviated, thereby reducing the risk of diseases that may occur in menopause and later life.
Neither women nor men need to fear menopause, a process of obvious changes in the reproductive system, and the loss of fertility, like its appearance, is a natural physiological process.
After menopause, people who are free from the shackles of fertility are more likely to reach their potential and stay healthy, beautiful, and strong. Of course, this requires the blessing of diet and exercise, and the flexible body and mind can make people learn and think better. After menopause, every woman also has the opportunity to spend more freely and independently, and the three major elements of studying, healthy eating, and exercising determine whether you are a drag on your family or make more and greater contributions. Being able to manage oneself well as one grows older is the greatest contribution to the family and society, and blindly giving up on oneself will only make people more disappointed and frustrated, making people point to the old man or the bad guy getting old.