Maybe a long way from your bed show or you don't want to think about it at all:the transition! A stage in a woman's life often associated with being worn out, hot flashes, not sexy, short and gray hair and a sour witch. Sandra van Leeuwen, Hormone Factor trainer and specialized in menopause, tells you how it is.
I wasn't on the transition either. Until I noticed that more and more women reported to my practice with menopausal complaints as soon as they had passed 40. I sought more depth from my knowledge about hormones and became more and more enthusiastic. What can you expect physically and mentally? But what I especially wanted to know, what positive sides are there to this phase, which can last between seven and ten years!
And then I turned 45 and the process started for me. Small changes became noticeable and that was quite confronting. Knowledge in your pocket or not, when you are in the middle of it yourself, everything feels new.
It is now two years later and I am still grateful that I got to know my own body and mind so well in this area. So that I know; I'm not going crazy, this is the transition!
These are my five personal positive insights about menopause:
Important at any age, but especially during the menopause. An excessively fluctuating blood sugar level causes dips in your energy level and can lead to mood swings.
Choose three nutritious meals a day that contain all three macronutrients (fat, carbohydrate and protein). In addition, consume a maximum of 1 snack between lunch and dinner.
The idea that in the transition you no longer count, can't make a career switch or start a study, is really nonsense. We women currently live an average of 84 years. So you are 'only' halfway through your life. Take stock and start the second part of your life with positive energy!
The age at which your mother entered the menopause is an indication of the age at which you will enter the menopause. However, the signs and symptoms associated with this are not. These also largely depend on your lifestyle, which you determine yourself!
During your puberty and possibly a pregnancy, did you suffer a lot from the fluctuating hormone balance? Then there is a good chance that you will also suffer more from this during the transition.
Once menopause knocks on your door, many women are often already overtired. Not surprising with (young) children living at home, a husband, informal care, work and all other things that come your way. Your own wishes and desires are often pushed aside and taking care of the other is number one.
In the years before the transition you can also do this fairly with impunity. Vague complaints and fatigue symptoms, we park, because we have to move on! Unfortunately, this will no longer go unpunished in the transition. Your body will 'scream louder' and all you can do now is listen and obey what it has to tell you.
Get to know all your body and your desires in life well and respond to them. This will prevent the degree of complaints during the menopause.
Contrary to popular belief, estrogen levels fluctuate during the menopausal years and only begin to drop significantly in the last year prior to the last menstrual period. Progesterone, on the other hand, drops much earlier in this process. This causes an imbalance and symptoms associated with estrogen dominance.
Progesterone is not only responsible for a healthy cycle and pregnancy, but is also involved in a good night's sleep and a functioning thyroid gland. And it is precisely these processes that often go wrong when we get older. We fall asleep less easily and wake up more often per night. This is not good for your mood and ability to concentrate, not to mention the diet.
An underactive thyroid can, among other things, encourage negative thoughts and ensure weight gain.
These symptoms can also be minimized to a large extent if you take the necessary steps in time. Seek help for sleeping problems or mood changes and get started right away!
Like I said, the female hormone estrogen fluctuates after you're 45. This means that another hormone, serotonin (the happiness hormone), also fluctuates. 90% of this hormone is produced in the gut. Reason enough to ensure optimally functioning intestines to help you move through the menopause happily.
Eat lots of vegetables, get enough sleep and maintain a healthy stress level. Also keep a food diary. This allows you to discover which foods you tolerate well and which do not. Do you regularly eat foods that don't suit you? Then this causes an overactive immune system, which leads to fatigue and a disturbed bowel function.
We store memories all over the body, but especially in parts of our brain, the amygdala and the hippocampus. The female hormones estrogen and progesterone affect these parts. It is precisely in the transition, in which these levels fluctuate, that we notice that we can sometimes be a bit confused or even forgetful. Old memories also easily surface and unfortunately this also applies to old traumas that have not been properly processed. Especially when this is related to strong emotions.
It is therefore not so much that violent tantrums (but also irritations, jealous feelings, depressive thoughts) arise due to the fluctuating hormone balance, but because the fluctuating hormone balance ensures that these traumas are remembered again. Learn to deal with these emotions, such as anger, and you'll have a powerful tool in your hands to make things better in your life. Anger is like the inner wisdom that speaks. You just have to listen. For example, it indicates that someone has crossed your line, is posing a threat, is not treating you with respect, you are not getting what you need or that the wishes of another are being put above your own.
What is your view of the transition? Are you looking forward to it or are you dreading it? What have you learned from older friends or from your mother? Did they experience many complaints or were they positive? All of this largely assesses how you feel about the transition and more importantly whether you are more sensitive to complaints.
A positive mindset has been proven to improve health. So every reason (if you don't already own it) to get started creating it!
Sandra van Leeuwen is a Hormone Factor trainer and specialized in menopause. H Its goal is to educate all women over the age of 40 about the transition and menopause. She gives workshops and retreats throughout the Netherlands. A healthy lifestyle is very important to her and that is why she would like to inspire and inform as many women as possible when it comes to a healthy lifestyle. Sandra lives in Weesp with her husband and his children and also has her own practice there. More information can be found at sandravanleeuwen.com.
