Menopause
The Menopause is the point at which a woman has not had a period for at least 12 months.
Before that time, the Peri-menopause is the period leading up to the menopause. It may last up to 8 years. Subsequently, Post-menopause is the period immediately after menopause which for some women can last up to 30 years.
Symptoms are many and varied and each woman will have their own experience. Common symptoms include:
- Irregular cycles (may experience more PMS symptoms)
- Hot Flushes and Night Sweats
- Central adiposity (weight gain around the waist)
- Brain fog (cognitive function)
- Memory lapses and difficulty concentrating
- Irritability
- Low mood
- Anxiety
- Panic disorder
Less commonly seen symptoms include:
- Insomnia (potentially related to hot flushes)
- Joint pain
- Muscle tension and pain
- Tingling extremities
- Heart palpitations
- Fatigue
- Itchy skin
- Brittle nails
- Impact on sexual function
- Appetite changes
- Digestive changes
- Bloating
- Dizzy spells
Some women will experience many of these symptoms, others will have hardly any.
The fall in Oestrogen levels during Menopause is a major driver for health concerns, where middle aged and older women will be experiencing:
- loss of muscle mass
- loss of bone density
- increased insulin resistance
- increased risks of cardiovascular disease and declining cognitive function.
Stress can influence how many of these symptoms women experience.
Helping to cope with the Menopause
Fortunately we can make a positive difference with exercise and strength training, lifestyle interventions/changes and self-care practices that can help alleviate symptoms. Getting regular exercise is vital for weight maintenance, stress relief and mood improvement. Strength training can significantly slow the loss of muscle mass.
It is a common misconception that older or post-menopausal woman can’t add lean muscle mass. Whilst it is clear that once you are post-menopausal your ability to maintain and add lean muscle tissue decreases significantly, it is not too late to still be able to benefit.
The benefit of strength training and developing functional strength work is not only on the muscle tissue but also on the nervous system. Additionally, strength training has a significant positive influence on our functional capacity, even in the absence of any changes in muscle mass. This happens through the improvement in motor control, improved coordination and balance and these have a direct influence on a woman’s day to day well-being.
Strength Training is the most important aspect of exercise for women going through the (peri) menopause stages. That’s not to say cardio metabolic conditioning is not important but many of the menopause and age-related health issues that women face can be mitigated by appropriate strength training. Maintaining functional strength in old age benefits independent living and quality of life.
Lean muscle mass has a direct influence on maintaining a healthy metabolism, healthy metabolic rate, and positively influences our glucose and body composition.
What does Oestrogen do?
Oestrogen promotes the synthesis of muscle tissues and bone mineral density as well as connective tissues and the central nervous system.
The loss of bone density (Osteoporosis), loss of muscle mass (Sarcopenia) and issues around connective tissues are strongly associated with the fall in Oestrogen. Post-menopausal women are some 75% more likely to have low bone mineral density compared to male counter parts and pre-menopausal women.
Low oestrogen levels and insulin resistance are strongly linked. Insulin resistance is associated with body composition changes, particularly with fat accumulation around the waist area and other metabolic changes that we see during menopause. Inactivity is strongly associated with insulin resistance and even a few training sessions can enhance the uptake of glucose from the blood into the muscle cells, having a positive influence on reducing insulin resistance.
When the body is not responding so well to insulin, we start to see a cascade of issues adversely affecting our cardio metabolic system. Lifestyle modifications then become essential in terms of both exercise and nutrition.
Oestrogen is also important for:
- Brain Health where it plays a major role in cognition, memory and learning. A sudden fall in oestrogen is associated with many menopausal women experiencing brain fog and memory loss
- Depressive Symptoms and Anxiety are exacerbated by the fall in oestrogen.
There is a very strong evidence that what we do from the life style perspective including exercise and diet can have a massive effect on how healthily our brain ages. The anti-depressive effect of exercise is well known and all exercise has positive effect. There is strong evidence that resistance training and cardiovascular exercises both in terms of elevating mental health and cognitive functioning.