The Big M: Menopause Myths and Facts

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For women, life is never easy. Even if we had to keep the patriarchy and misogyny aside, we will still struggle with our physical selves. After puberty, menstruation, childbirth, motherhood, etc., there is another passage that we are destined to pass through in our lives; menopause. And just like the others, no one promises that this will be a bed of roses either. Menopause comes with its own set of issues. And as if this wasn’t enough, there is the perimenopause which occurs before menopause. Before I could get further let me define these terms for you.

Menopause- This is a biological process that marks the end of your menstrual cycles after 12 months have passed without a menstrual period. Menopause can happen in 40s or 50s. This is accompanied by physical symptoms, such as hot flashes, and emotional symptoms of menopause may disrupt sleep, lower energy or affect emotional health because of the decline in reproductive hormones. But it can also result from ovarian removal surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, or premature ovarian insufficiency (POI).

Perimenopause- This is the transition, begins several years before menopause when the ovaries gradually begin to make less estrogen. It lasts up until menopause and in the last 1 to 2 years of perimenopause, this drop in estrogen speeds up and women have menopause symptoms.

At these times, women need to be understood and supported more than ever because the symptoms can be depleting, overwhelming and confusing. Low mood, sweats, low energy, fatigue, irritability, stress, weight gain and many more symptoms can be felt all at the same time and many women may not be aware or understand what they are going through. Hence awareness and educating about this condition helps in managing this phase so that one may go through it smoothly and gracefully.

Here are some common myths and facts associated with menopause.

Myth: Hot flashes means you are nearing menopause

Fact: Hot flashes or excessive sweating and a flushed face are a common symptom but do not mean that it happens to everyone or signifies menopause. While some women never experience this, others may experience it for a period of a few years. This can be accompanied by night sweats, rapid heartbeats, and chills. Avoiding triggers like caffeine, tight clothes, spicy food, cigarettes, and alcohol can help.

Myth: Menopause is natural and there is no need to see a doctor

Fact: Yes as much as menopause is a natural occurrence in a woman’s life, meeting a doctor can help in keeping health parameters in check and also help in managing the symptoms better with the help of medical guidance and proper nutrition. Menopause is not a one size fits all condition. Being informed and aware helps in understanding the body. Also, due to the depleting hormones, the chances of poor bone health, hair loss, increase. Adding the right supplements to a good diet can help combat this.

Myth: You cannot have a normal sex life or enjoy orgasms after menopause

Fact: On the contrary, many women enjoy great sex because they now do not have the ability to conceive and this though can be liberating. For some libido is affected. Due to the decrease in estrogen levels, the vaginal lining can become thinner, dryer, and inflexible and this can be prevented with lubricants and vaginal creams. But using contraceptives should be encouraged because they also prevent STDs/STIs and other diseases like HIV.

Myth: Hormone therapy can help ease menopause symptoms

Fact: Hormone replacement (give them estrogen) is to help manage extreme hot flashes and night sweats but symptoms are different for everyone and should be a personal decision between the patient and her doctor. Women with a history of blood clots, breast cancer, etc. may not be a candidate for hormones. For some women who attain menopause earlier due to premature ovarian insufficiency, hormone therapy is considered by the doctor after taking other factors and health parameters into account.

Myth: weight gain and depression is inevitable

Fact: Middle-aged weight gain is more because of aging than menopause. People gain fat as they age due to decreased muscle mass, less physical activity, and poor sleep. A watchful diet with more protein, fruits, vegetables, and an active life with walking and proper exercises help keep weight gain in check.

Perimenopausal and Menopausal Depression in women without any past depression in earlier life is not common. However, if depressive feelings persist, medical intervention is needed. Depression can also be because of post-retirement for working women or empty nest syndrome and may not be entirely linked to menopause itself.

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#MondayMenstruation

Lockdown due to coronavirus all over India has made it difficult to fulfill the basic hygiene requirements! In India, the extension of lockdown had a severe impact on the accessibility to these hygiene products. Due to this reason, it is getting difficult for women to sustain their hygiene in secrecy and dignity.

How exactly is the government resolving this situation??

The government of India, consisting of both central and states, along with several NGO’s is trying their level best to create awareness about the importance of maintaining menstrual hygiene. They have also tried imparting some safe practices, especially among adolescent girls who need to let about these practices to avoid unfortunate diseases. It is important to teach these safe hygiene practices into young girls to help them for getting afflicted with disastrous diseases caused due to poor menstrual hygiene.

Owing to the efforts made by the government, many subsidies got enacted regarding free supply to sanitary napkins to the girls living in rural areas or to those who cannot afford these napkins. The government has tried to

Low-cost variants have been efficiently made available through local production
Free distribution
subsidized prices.

The government is seeing its efforts ripe as a fruit for the past few decades. Women all over India have started accepting and using more hygienic and safe practices.

But due to the lockdown and high price rise in some areas, women have been necessarily forced to adopt their old ways of dealing with menstruation. Due to unavailability and access to the hygiene maintaining products, girls are adopting various Orthodox methods:

Same menstrual napkin used for a prolonged duration.
Using old clothes and rags instead of napkins

What about using the Reusable sanitary napkins?

Due to unhygienic conditions, women develop urinary tract infections. The scarcity of water also has eliminated the usage of reusable napkins. These napkins need to be thoroughly washed and dried before second use. The scarcity of water is not the only obstruction in the usage of reusable napkins but also plays a key role in the cleaning process. This problem often doesn’t allow women to clean and sanitizer themselves as often as they should.

In normal conditions, when women have RTIs, they would avoid going to doctors in rural areas. With other health assistance halted and the health workers engaged in the ongoing pandemic response actions, RTI symptoms resulting from poor menstrual hygiene go unaddressed. Hence, some actions should take place to give these women access to hygiene essentials.

How to resolve the hygiene crisis?

Following steps can help the women suffering from such conditions:

Necessary ease can be easily laid on essential menstrual products through the public and private sectors. Large-scale producers of sanitary napkins should facilitate the supply to local shops and medical stores. They can also facilitate the supply across various states.
The manufacturers can ensure that commercial prices are well within MRP. The girls and women who are incapable of accessing the disposable sanitary pads have initiated making homemade pads at home. This, in a way, is critical if they don’t follow the correct procedure to make it! There are a number of organizations like Jatan Sansthan who give guidelines to pads at home under hygienic conditions.
Quarantine facilities should have isolated facilities, especially for women. They must provide underwear and sanitary napkins to the females.

In times of such catastrophe, often compromises with hygiene and the health of women is recklessly made. These compromises can lead to uncertain diseases leading to even her death! Thus it becomes important to take some actions for a woman’s dignity and rights.