Changes in your Body during Midlife Transition
I often hear women express concern about changes that begin occurring in their body and they are unsure what all of that means. Perhaps you have started to notice some changes in your own body? Do you wonder why these changes are happening? Have you thought about the long term impact these changes have on your body?
Common complaints include insomnia, cognitive impairment, decreased muscle mass, drynness, decreased libido, hot flashes, decreased bone mass, incontinence, and pelvic pain.
To help clear up some of your questions, I’m going to explain why this happens and what the impact is for you long term.
The average age of menopause is between 48-55 years old but can occur as early as 40 years old. The technical definition of menopause is the absence of a menstrual cycle for at least 12 months.
Leading up to menopause, there is a stage where women are beginning to experience symptoms but still have a menstrual cycle (although it is often irregular). This stage is called perimenopause, or premenopause, or “transition”. It can last for 10 years, which is a long time!
During this transitional time, estrogen (the major female hormone) levels drastically decrease which leads to many of the common symptoms women deal with. Estrogen has an impact on most of the major organs and systems in your body which is why symptoms can be so widespread.
One of the major symptoms of the menopause transition is a loss of bone and muscle mass. Estrogen plays a protective role for your bone health and muscle health so as levels decrease, you also lose bone and muscle mass. This is partially why older women are at risk for osteoporosis. It also contributes to weight gain that most women complain about in this stage.
Another big change that women complain about is incontinence and painful intercourse. These issues are more complex than changing hormone levels and could be an article in itself. But i want you to know a few things:
These issues aren’t just for women that have had kids. It can affect anyone, at any point so don’t think it is all in your head
Peeing your pants is also not something that you need to accept! It is considered NOT NORMAL at any point. Don’t accept all the common excuses for this.
There are alot of changes within the muscles and anatomy that occur due to changing hormones that lead to these issues. It is best to address it early otherwise it most likely will continue to worsen as time goes on.
