Menopause and Osteoporosis

Menopause and Osteoporosis

Women start to lose calcium from their bones from the age of about 35.
During the five years just after the menopause, women lose bone mass at the highest rate in their lives.
This can lead to osteoporosis, a serious condition that results in bones breaking very easily.

To prevent bone loss during the menopause:

• Don't smoke.
• Exercise regularly. Weight-bearing exercise is best, such as running, tennis, weight-training, or even a brisk walk.
• Get plenty of calcium.

The National Osteoporosis Society suggests women over 40 and nearing the menopause, should get 1500mg of calcium each day.

Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium, and sunlight on the skin stimulates the body's own production of vitamin D. It is also in some sardines, oily fish, cereals, cheddar cheese and margarine.

Calcium in some popular food
half-pint semi-skimmed milk = 365mg
Cheddar cheese (5 slices) = 360mg
Cup of almonds = 300mg
Cup of low fat yogurt = 190mg
Prawns (100g boiled) = 150mg
Spinach (100g boiled) = 150mg

Phytoestrogens for Menopause

Phytoestogens are often used with success to help control the symptoms of menopause.
They are found in plants and activate estrogen receptors by mimicking estrogen weakly.

There are 3 types of natural estrogen found in plants, one of which is useful during the menopause:

• resorcyclic acid lactones found in rice, corn, barley and wheat which contain beta estradiol
• steroidal estrogen found in rice, date palms and licorice which are identical to the estrone and estradiol produced in the body
• phenolics which come in different classes and include isoflavones.

In menopause, isoflavones can buffer symptoms of estrogen loss.

The highest sources of isoflavones are found in red clover, flaxseed, and soybeans. Other sources include beans, lentils, black-eyed peas and phytoestrogen herbs.

Menopause is a time of Wisdom

Menopause is a woman's time of wisdom, power and knowledge.

Cultural background, diet, lifestyle, genetics and knowledge of the menopausal process play key roles in how a woman will experience menopause.
This year over 60 million women in the United States will reach menopause. The average age for a woman to cease having her menstrual cycle and stop reproduction is 51.3 years of age, however, peri-menopause can begin in the late thirties.
An individualized process, no woman experiences menopause in exactly the same way. Menopause symptoms can range from none to many and last for varying lengths of time up to a period of five-years.

Menopause Questions 4

I had a friend who had a nervous breakdown when she reached the menopause. Is this common?

No. The menopause can sometimes trigger off problems, such as depression, particularly if physical symptoms are making you tired and anxious, but serious mental illness is not a direct result of the menopause.

Menopause Questions 3

I have always suffered from bad premenstrual tension. Does this mean I'm in for a miserable time at the menopause?

Not necessarily.
Although premenstrual tension and menopause symptoms are both due to changes in hormone balance, the monthly cycles at the menopause involves smaller levels of hormones, and progesterone disappears completely.
So the hormone changes may affect you quite differently.

On the other hand, pre-menstrual tension and the menopause can both be influenced by stressful situations and by your own feelings.