Health Tips

During early menopause, a woman is experiencing both physical and emotional changes. All of these changes are greatly affected by the fluctuation in hormone levels that occurs during early menopause. Women who experience early menopause have the same concerns that women who have natural menopause at average age have. However, they do have a few additional concerns that have an effect on their emotional well-being.

For many women, sleep patterns are interrupted during early menopause. This is often caused by night sweats. This interruption in sleep patterns, along with the fluctuating hormones, can make a woman quite irritable. While this irritability has an effect on the people around you, it actually has a greater impact on your emotional health. You can feel that your emotions are out of control, and that you’re possibly ‘losing your minds.’

Fortunately, you’re not ‘losing your minds.’ For many women, a doctor’s confirmation of early menopause comes as a great relief. It’s an explanation for the emotional roller coaster you’ve been on. However, often, it brings about new concerns that affect your emotional well-being.

One of the biggest emotional problems for a woman experiencing early menopause is the fact that her childbearing years have come to an end. For a woman who has never had a child, this can be devastating. The decision to have a child, or another child, has been taken out of your control. Many of these women seek the advice of a fertility specialist, to find out what they can do to have a child. Options such as egg harvesting, in vitro fertilization, and surrogacy are looked into. These are all viable possibilities for women experiencing early menopause, or menopause at any age. Some women greatly benefit from personal counseling to help them deal with this matter.

Sexual relationships are another concern that has a great emotional impact on women who are experiencing early menopause. The vagina becomes dry, and the lining in the vagina begins to thin. This can cause sex to become slightly painful. Desire, arousal, and orgasms are also different. All of this combined, can be devastating for a woman. But there is help. Often, Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) will help with desire issues, and prescription or over-the-counter lubricants will help with vaginal dryness.

Other sexual issues that may require counseling occur as well. Sometimes women who do not have a partner fear that they can no longer find a partner due to the changes brought on by early menopause. Those who do have partners fear that they will be rejected by their partners. With early menopause, these feelings can occur during a time in a woman’s life when sexual activity is most enjoyable. Many women feel like they are missing out on this. Counseling, and couple’s counseling, can help with these issues.

Other early menopause symptoms can cause women emotional distress as well. Hot flashes, urinary issues, mood swings, and weight gain are often hard to deal with. These issues are harder to deal with for women who are in what our society considers the ‘prime’ of their lives. These issues can slow them down a bit. These women often feel like they can no longer keep up, or that they are less of a woman somehow. Again, counseling may be needed, and can greatly help.

It’s important for you to realize that all of the emotional issues concerned with early menopause can be dealt with. There are solutions, if you choose to apply them. Personal counseling and support groups are great help. When you do come out on the ‘other side’ of early menopause, you’ll find that you are a better, stronger woman, with a full life.