Menopause (also known as climacteric) is considered a part of a natural aging process; the doctors call it the ‘change of life.’ It is the time when ovaries no longer release an egg every 30 days, and menstrual cycles permanently cease. The reduction in estrogen leads to mood swings, hot flushes, decreased sex drive, vaginal dryness, sleep problems, weight gain, and loss of breast fullness. Also, it raises the risk for specific health problems such as heart disease, stroke, osteoporosis, and urinary incontinence.

The average woman has menopause after 50. However, some women also experience premature menopause before the age of 40; it happens because of unhealthy lifestyle choices, genetic factors, and surgeries. Even though menopause is unavoidable in every woman’s life, there is something you can do to delay it. For instance, you can change your diet, break bad habits, keep your mind sharp and exercise regularly. Learn how and why you should do it.

Improve your diet

The School of Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom conducted a study to prove the link between menopause onset and nutrition. The researches found out that certain food items can help delay menopause. To slow the process, you should eat oily fish (it can also boost your metabolism), skimmed milk products, and fresh fruit and vegetables.

The researchers also compared vegetarians to meat eaters, and it appeared that women who eat meat are more likely to delay climacteric.

It is essential to mention that eating a lot of carbohydrates, such as rice, pasta, or bread, can trigger premature menopause.

You can also regulate brain chemicals that affect mood and sexual desire by taking pills. Make an appointment with your doctor to learn more about diet supplements or check an addyi review online.

Break bad habits

Smoking can lead to different health problems. According to the latest research, it can also trigger early menopause since smoking damages the ovaries, affects the reproductive organs by prematurely aging eggs, and restricts blood flow. Also, nicotine dependence can make some climacteric symptoms even worse.

As you know, metabolism is slowing down after menopause, and many women start gaining weight. However, smokers have less muscle tone and are more likely to gain even more weight than non-smokers. Also, it is more difficult for them to control diabetes.

If you are a smoker, your estrogen levels will be lower than usual after menopause. The list of low estrogen symptoms includes memory problems, thinning hair, and urinary tract infections.

To delay menopause symptoms, you should also consider decreasing the consumption of alcohol. Let’s not forget that regular drinking can lead to type 2 diabetes, stroke, dementia, and obesity. To minimize health risks, make sure to drink less than three drinks per week, or stop drinking alcohol completely.

Keep your mind active

According to research, keeping your mind sharp after turning 40 can ward off the onset of menopause. That’s why you need to keep learning new things. For instance, you can start learning a new language, discover new technologies, and read books.

Our brain is lazy; sometimes, it even ignores new information. So, keep doing everything that is ‘uncomfortable’ for your brain – talking to strangers, choosing new roads and solving all problems on your own (instead of asking someone else to do it for you).

To keep your brain young, you can also take a course, do yoga, play new board games, do a crossword, or engage in debate.

Myths about menopause

It’s time to debunk some myths related to menopause. For instance, a lot of people mistakenly believe that women can’t have sex after climacteric. Although women experience vaginal dryness after turning 50, they still can have a high sex drive. According to the sexologist, Dr. Ricciotti, a healthy diet, and physical exercise can help increase libido. The experts add that women need to work harder for an orgasm after climacteric, but it doesn’t mean it’s impossible.

There are a few factors that don’t influence menopause age. Taking birth control pills is one of them. The doctors say that the birth control method doesn’t stop the loss of follicles, so it can’t slow down or speed up menopause. Also, pregnancy and breastfeeding can’t impact the climacteric.

The last but not least – the menopause isn’t a disease; it’s just a phase of life that you need to accept. All you need to do is to apply strategies to easy climacteric symptoms and keep yourself healthy.