Why is menopause considered an “invisible revolution”?
Outside of gynecology, menopause is something that doesn't get talked about enough. Menstrual taboos have gradually disappeared – girls talk about menstrual cups, for example – but with menopause these taboos persist. My book “The Invisible Revolution” starts from the need to know what is happening to us. When we don't know it, we talk about it less and fear more when that moment will come. Little is said about the positive effects of menopause, and much is said about the negative effects.
Does it have positive effects?
In the evolution of life, this hormonal shift is considered evolution. The climax phase, apart from the symptoms that every woman experiences – we can see more wrinkles – also increases the levels of consciousness due to the decrease in estradiol produced by estrogen.
Is menopause the same as menopause?
no. That's why I prefer to use the word menopause. Menopause is the year after the last menstrual period. It only lasts for 12 months. But the changes that precede this last menstrual cycle occur years before – and even years after – this last period, which is why we talk about menopause, because it refers to the entire phase. The peak phase can last for up to a decade starting at age 40, during which time we ideally prepare ourselves with food, self-care and physical exercise.
What happens during peak period?
When we approach menopause, just as things happen on a physical level – which we don't always like -, there are also changes in states of consciousness due to hormonal changes. Women want to spend more time with themselves, they have a greater need for self-care. Because we have less energy than we did in our 20s, the body becomes more selective in choosing what to invest its energy in and what not. A woman in the climax stage turns her gaze inward. Sometimes this means changes. For example, statistics show that at this moment in life there are women starting entrepreneurship. Others regain hobbies they may have given up because of motherhood.
I sexual life?
It requires starting to find other ways to have fun. Our own pleasure is no longer negotiable. There are women who need more foreplay or a different kind of rhythm, but sexual desire does not necessarily diminish. Although it is true that there is a change in texture and rhythms.
Is menopause synonymous with aging?
In the past yes, because life was much shorter. But while we continue to associate it with aging, it actually is not. First, on the issue of life expectancy: women live to be 85 or 87 years old. If we reach menopause around age 50, we will have approximately half of our lives left. But it still has this reputation because the beauty industry, for example, still associates it with aging and sells you products to combat it. In fact, this is a very old point of view, an outdated idea that is still being fed, I don't know if it is economic interests or not.
More and more women are getting pregnant at older ages. What happens when pregnancy and menopause follow?
This has always happened, and the novelty is that the mother's virgin pregnancy is now merging with menopause. In the past, women used to give birth to 5 or 6 children, the last of whom was born during the last menstrual period. But giving birth for the fifth time is not like the first time. In addition, the body takes a little longer to recover at older ages, and from the age of 45, it joins us in approaching the peak phase. For example, the body begins to change and the production of breast milk is activated at a time when we also need to maintain the health of our bones: It is very important here that the woman pays great attention to her diet so as not to lack calcium or vitamin C.
Is pregnancy possible with menopause?
Yes. In the last years of the menstrual cycle, due to irregularities in the cycle, it is difficult for us to detect the moment of ovulation, but it does happen. If we do not want to have children, it is important to ensure that estradiol levels are very low or to take precautions. If we want to have one, the possibility is always there, but it is more complicated.
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