Lifestyle changes

Making changes to your diet, controlling your weight, and taking more regular exercise can help you stay fit, healthy, and happy during the menopause.

Many women gain weight after menopause because of declining oestrogen levels. Regular exercise benefits the heart and bones, helps control weight, and can improve your mood. Aerobic exercise such as running and swimming can help as can low-intensity exercise, such as yoga.

Eating a healthy, balanced diet and exercising regularly can improve menopausal symptoms. As you age, your nutritional needs change. Before menopause, you should have about 1,000 mg of calcium daily. After menopause, you should have up to1,200 mg of calcium per day. It can be hard to get enough calcium through your diet, so you may need to take a supplement. Vitamin D is also very important for calcium absorption and bone formation and can greatly cut your risk of spinal fractures.

Foods rich in calcium include dairy products, leafy green vegetables, almonds and dried beans. Some evidence suggests that eating soy-based foods, such as tofu, might help reduce certain symptoms of menopause, including hot flashes. Reducing your intake of caffeine and alcohol may also help to reduce hot flushes and night sweats.

Mind-body therapies

There are several mind-body treatments available that have been clinically proved to reduce the symptoms of menopause.

Yoga

Several studies have shown that yoga is effective and safe for reducing menopausal symptoms. Women have also reported stretching and relaxation techniques in yoga may elevate and stabilise mood and improve quality of life during menopause.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture may provide relief from menopausal symptoms and can reduce the severity, but not the frequency, of hot flashes.

10 Interesting facts about menopause

1. The menopause usually starts between the age of 45 and 55.

2. The average age for onset of menopause is 51.

3. Menopause can increase your risk for certain conditions like osteoporosis and heart disease.

4. The menopause lasts four to eight years from the first to the last symptom but every woman is different.

5. 10% of women may experience symptoms for up to 12 years after menopause.

6. About three in four women will experience symptoms during their menopause.

7. Genetics, smoking, surgery, chemotherapy and ethnicity affect the age of menopause.

8. The word 'menopause' comes from the Greek words 'menos', meaning month, and 'pause', meaning to cease.

9. Some women lose a significant amount of bone density — up to 20% — five to seven years after they go through menopause.

10. About 1 in 20 women globally experience early menopause, which can happen between the ages of 40 and 45.

For most women the menopause is a gradual process and one that encompasses a whole host of physical and physiological changes to the body.

Some women find menopause is a breeze and have only a few bothersome symptoms as they go from perimenopause to menopause to postmenopause. Others can have mild symptoms, and some struggle with severe effects.

The transition through to menopause can be an incredibly challenging time for women due to fluctuating hormone levels that result in physical and psychological symptoms. Knowing what to expect can help, and so can talking to your doctor about how you’re feeling as you progress on your menopause journey.