Menopause is the natural stage o life where women are no longer able to become pregnant naturally. For most women, the menopause begins between the ages of 45-55 with 51 being the average age for women to reach menopause in the UK. Some women may start the menopause earlier or later than this.

One of the first signs of the menopause is menstruation becoming less frequent. This can happen over a period of months or years or your periods may stop suddenly. In addition to more erratic periods, it is not uncommon for many women to experience several other symptoms that can impact their daily life.

Symptoms of Menopause
The duration and severity of menopausal symptoms will vary from woman to woman, but on average symptoms last for around 4 years once menstruation has stopped occurring. Some women may experience little to no symptoms while others can have intense symptoms that last for years. 1 in 10 women may even experience up to 10-12 years of symptoms.

• Hot flushes
• Night sweats
• Trouble sleeping
• Brain fog
• Weight gain
• Mood swings
• Headaches
• Frequent urinary tract infections
• Vaginal dryness
• Hair loss
• Loss of libido

Causes of Menopause
The menopause is a natural part of growing older and is the result of a woman’s childbearing years coming to an end. As the body adjusts to this phase, the balance of the body’s sex hormones shift because the ovaries stop producing as much of the female sex hormone, oestrogen. These hormonal changes and shifts are what cause the symptoms of menopause.

Stages of Menopause
Perimenopause: This is the period of time leading up to menopause when hormone levels start to fall. Periods become irregular and less frequent and some of the symptoms of menopause will begin.

Menopause: Once you have not had a period for 12 months in a row, you have reached menopause and will go into the postmenopausal stage.

Postmenopause: Postmenopause is the stage women enter after menopause and will be considered post-menopausal for the rest of their lives. Postmenopausal women are at a higher risk for diseases like osteoporosis, heart disease, and thyroid conditions.

How to Cope With Menopause
If your symptoms are mild enough, you may be able to get on with your day without much trouble. For the rest of menopausal women, taking hormone replacement therapy is the most popular treatment choice. Hormone replacement therapy, also known as HRT, provides women with synthetic versions of the hormones that start to fall during menopause.

By balancing hormone levels, the symptoms of the menopause like hot flashes and brain fog should be greatly reduced. HRT can also help prevent bone density loss that menopausal women experience, making them less susceptible to osteoporosis.

HRT can be taken as tablets, patches, implants, or as a topical gel that is rubbed into the skin. Because of their ease of use, many women opt for tablets and patches. Estradot Patches, Evorel Patches, and Femoston Tablets are available to buy online in the UK from Pharmacy Planet. One of the leading online pharmacies in the UK, Pharmacy Planet can have all of your medications conveniently shipped to your home, making getting your medicines hassle free.