Menopause Self-Care

Menopause Self-Care builds on our self-care to date, plus menopause symptom management and treatment, as required. Healthy lifestyle, healthy diet, healthy weight, regular exercise…

Self-Care

What is self-care?

Depending on the Source the definition of self-care may vary. In Self-Care Month: What Is Self-Care? the World Health Organization’s (WHO) definition is:

“WHO defines self-care as individuals, families and communities’ promoting and maintaining their own health, preventing disease, and coping with illness and disability, with or without the support of a health worker”.

Menopause Self-Care

How can self-care apply to menopause?

In Menopause Fact Sheet: Managing Your Menopause – General Tips To Help With Menopause Symptoms the Self Care Forum in collaboration with the NHS National Menopause Clinical Reference Group, elaborate on:

“Lifestyle changes and self care can help you during the perimenopause and menopause whether or not you are using HRT. Make sure you rest when you need to, eat a healthy diet, maintain a healthy weight, take physical exercise regularly, find time to relax, cut down on alcohol, share with other people going through the menopause and if you smoke, talk to your pharmacist or GP practice about an NHS stopping smoking programme”.

On page in the Joint Position Statement By the British Menopause Society, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and Society for Endocrinology on Best Practice Recommendations for the Care of Women Experiencing the Menopause, first published online 10 June 2022, one of the recommendations is:

“Women should be advised that implementing or maintaining a healthy lifestyle can improve menopause symptoms. A healthy diet (one low in saturated fat and salt and rich in calcium and vitamin D), stopping smoking, reducing alcohol intake and including regular exercise can be beneficial. Reducing caffeine intake may also improve symptoms.
Alternative therapies, including cognitive behavioural therapy, may also improve hot flushes, nights sweats and other menopausal symptoms and can be considered in women who do not wish to take HRT or have contraindications to taking HRT”.

In their new Menopause Wellness Hub the (British) Women’s Health Concern explain:

“However you choose to manage your menopause symptoms, your lifestyle choices are going to be the cornerstone of any treatment plan you choose.

Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and other complementary and alternative treatments can all be very helpful, but the transition to menopause is a good time to review your lifestyle. Not only can this help manage menopausal symptoms in the short term, it can lay the foundations for good health through perimenopause, menopause, and the years to come”.

Menopause Depression and Self-Care

How can self-care apply to menopause depression?

On page one in Menopause and Depression: Recognizing Depressive Symptoms and Depression the North American Menopause Society elaborate on:

“When you are transitioning into menopause, you should notify your healthcare practitioner whether you have suffered from depression in the past or whether you were particularly sensitive to hormone changes and have experienced premenstrual syndrome or postpartum depression. Be alert and notice whether these mood changes are mild and do not greatly affect your quality of life or whether they are severe and debilitating and interfere with your daily activities”.

Health Care Provider

What if I would like help with menopause self-care?

If you would like help with menopause self-care, it may be in your best interest to choose to talk to your health care provider about this.

In Menopause Fact Sheet: Managing Your Menopause – When To Seek Medical Help the Self Care Forum in collaboration with the NHS National Menopause Clinical Reference Group, explain:

“See a health professional at your GP practice if you think you have perimenopause or menopause symptoms and one of the following:

You want to know more about treatment
You want to discuss contraception
You are under 45
You are already on hormonal treatment or have had a hysterectomy
Your periods have stopped unexpectedly or have become a problem
Any of your symptoms have become a problem

See a GP at your practice if:

It is more than a year after your last period, you are not on HRT and you experience vaginal bleeding”.

Who is a GP?

Dots and/or DotC (Depending on the Country) a GP may be a registered general practitioner, a medical practitioner, a medical doctor or a doctor.

What is the NHS?

NHS can be an abbreviation for the (United Kingdom) National Health Service.

What is HRT?

HRT can be an abbreviation for the Hormone Replacement Therapy.

Health Topics A-Z

Where may I find Health Topics A-Z related to Menopause Self-Care?

In Health Topics A-Z you may find:

Health Topics A-Z

Links

Where may I find Links related to Menopause Self-Care?

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Links

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