Better Health After Menopause

Most of us will spend more than a third of our lives after the menopause. Here’s how to make them your healthiest years yet

- Tanya Pearey

What’s happening? There are three menopause stages: PERIMENOPAUSE The time leading up to menopause, when your body starts undergoing hormonal changes. MENOPAUSE When your periods stop and you are no longer able to conceive. POSTMENOPAUSE The years following the cessation of your periods.

Some women find symptoms ease when their periods stop, but this is not the norm, according to consultant gynaecologist and menopause expert Dr Anne Henderson. ‘Studies show that a significant proportion of women will continue to experience serious problems (for on average five to seven years), although as many as 10-15% of women will still be suffering from symptoms more than a decade later.’

And, of course, many ‘menopause’ issues, such as an increased risk of brittle bones (osteoporosis), heart disease, and drier skin and hair, continue for the rest of your life.

But there are things you can do to help:

• Look after your heart by keeping your blood pressure and cholesterol low, and being physically active.

• Keep your bones strong with regular load-bearing exercise and a diet rich in bone-building foods such as dairy (calcium), nuts and seeds (magnesium, phosphorus), and leafy greens (vitamin K, calcium).

• Keep skin and hair from drying out with creams and shampoos/ conditioners that add moisture.