Ways to Deal with the Symptoms of Menopause

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You could argue that the physical and mental changes that occur during menopause aren’t really “symptoms.” The term is usually associated with a disease, which menopause is not. Also, it is often hard to say which changes are a direct result of a drop in hormone levels and which are natural consequences of aging.

Hot flashes and vaginal dryness are the two symptoms most frequently linked with menopause. Other symptoms associated with menopause include sleep disturbances, urinary complaints, sexual dysfunction, mood changes, and quality of life.

HOT FLASHES

Hot flashes can be extremely troubling for the 15% of women who have the most severe form. Women who have had surgical menopause or those who are taking tamoxifen to prevent breast cancer are often in this unfortunate group.

Some women say they feel agitated or unsettled right before a hot flash occurs. Women experience hot flashes differently. Some feel warm; others complain of burning up. A lot of women feel chills afterward. Hot flashes that occur during sleep, called night sweats, may disrupt sleep, causing fatigue and mood changes.

TREATING HOT FLASHES

Some possible triggers of hot flashes are hot beverages, spicy food, warm air temperatures, stressful situations, alcohol, caffeine, and some medications. If you can identify your own triggers, you may be able to avoid some hot flashes.

Go to bed with a frozen cold pack under your pillow, and turn the pillow over when you wake up. Keep a change of nightclothes next to your bed so that you can change easily if you wake up soaked.

VAGINAL CHANGES

Decreased estrogen causes the vaginal lining to thin and vaginal secretions to diminish. The vagina also becomes shorter and narrower. The result often is dryness and irritation, which can make sexual intercourse unpleasant.

TREATING VAGINAL CHANGES

A simple vaginal lubricant such as Astroglide or Silk-E may help treat vaginal dryness. A vaginal moisturizer such as Replens may also be helpful. Estrogen treatments applied directly to the vagina in the form of creams, rings, and tablets are quite effective. Also, experts say regular sexual stimulation can help keep the vagina healthy by maintaining its elasticity.

One concern for perimenopausal and postmenopausal women is knowing whether irregular uterine bleeding is normal. Most women notice normal changes in their cycle as they approach menopause.

Consult your physician if any of the following situations occur:

You have a few periods that last three days longer than usual.
You have a few menstrual cycles that are shorter than 21 days.
You bleed after intercourse.
You have heavy monthly bleeding (soaking a sanitary product every hour for more than a day).
You have spotting (bleeding between periods).
You have bleeding that occurs outside the normal pattern associated with hormone use.

Some other symptoms that you may experience:

Dry Skin and Hair
Urinary inconsistency
Weight loss or gain
Low Sexual Drive
Mood swings

Highlights

Sobhan Mukherjee is hailed as the ‘Padman’ of Kolkata after the work he has been doing for menstruation by setting up sanitary pad dispensers in public toilets.

In a year, Sobhan had built sanitary pad dispensers across 70 public toilets in Kolkata under the name Bandhan and was awarded Rs. 25,000 cash by the CM, Mamata Banerjee.

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Imagine a world without social activists. It is better not to. For these people with their selfless nature bring quiet changes in the world we live in. And many times, we are not aware of the work they do or the lives they have affected. 24-year-old Sobhan Mukherjee is one such person who chose to make a difference in the world with his service.

Hailing from Kolkata, Sobhan’s act of creating stickers that read Tridhara, (the third gender) and putting it outside public toilets for separate sections for the third gender, in certain districts of West Bengal had already touched hearts 3 years back. After Padman Arunachalam Muruganantham, Sobhan is now also hailed as the ‘Padman’ of Kolkata after the work he has been doing for menstruation by setting up sanitary pad dispensers in public toilets.

Menstrual pads — Sobhan Mukherjee, Padman of Kolkata

“After a colleague’s absence at a meeting, when I called to check up on her, she told me that she had got her period on the bus and didn’t have a pad so she had to return home. That got me thinking how thousands of women must be deprived of attending work, school, sports because of this”, says Sobhan. “A basic availability of sanitary pads in public toilets could solve this issue for many”, he thought.

So Sobhan bought 20 packets of sanitary pads and kept it on a table in a public toilet. His parents were so supportive of his act that his mom hugged him and his dad even funded him for more. “I have been brought up with the ideology that you must help the people around you”.

“After posting about my initiative on social media strangers came forward with financial support. But people started hoarding the free napkins. That’s when I replaced the table with a dispenser machine made out of ice-cream cup box and when that didn’t work either, I started charging Rs. 2 for each pad.”

Soon Sobhan was conducting menstrual education campaigns in villages for creating menstrual hygiene awareness and break taboos surrounding it. After a lot of hesitation, the villagers got comfortable sharing their problems with a man.

“I also make a documentary on menstrual hygiene to create awareness. Also with the help of local authorities, I set up medical camps for women who complained about a lack of lady doctors to treat their lady problems.”

In a year, Sobhan built sanitary pad dispensers across 70 public toilets in Kolkata under the name Bandhan and was awarded Rs. 25,000 cash by the CM, Mamata Banerjee.

“With that money, I bought vending machines. I have now developed an app where you can track the nearest washroom with a sanitary pad dispenser. I want these sanitary pad dispensers and apps to be available in all the metros of India so that more women across the country can have easy access to sanitary napkins when they need them”.

Sobhan has come up with a concept of Self Help Group in villages where with just a loan of Rs. 10000, a group of women can set up a manufacturing unit of sanitary napkins which can be sold at a very affordable rate. “They can break even at 5 months and return the loan at 0% interest and with the profit, they can use it to rotate the recurring expense. This model helps to not only to generate employment to this SHG but also empowers the women of that area by giving them access to low-cost sanitary napkins and helps break the taboo surrounding menstruation”.

This concept has already been successfully implemented by him in 2 units of Sunderbans. Lack of funds is what is preventing him to expand this concept to other villages.

“If corporate and organizations can come forward and support us in this initiative, very soon access to sanitary napkins to most women in rural areas will be possible”, says Padman Sobhan.

Sobhan’s work has got him recognition from various sectors but what he requires is financial assistance. With the salary he earns from an NGO, he puts in most of his earnings for his cause, as he has been doing since he was 20 years old.

If you think that the fabulous work of this young man needs to be supported then like and share this article to make sure it can reach the right channels and he can receive the support he needs.