All women, we will all go through menopause, there’s no escaping it 🙂 Let’s first understand this. Let’s approach the subject with this awareness, without fear.

Menopause is a topic that is often overlooked, not talked about, not explained, and not fully understood. It’s often described as “hot flashes, cessation of menstruation” and then dismissed. However, women spend at least a third of their lives in menopause. And entering this period doesn’t happen overnight. There’s a long process behind it, and what we experience during that time is like a cloud.

On average, women worldwide enter menopause between the ages of 52-54. Entering menopause means a year without bleeding. Before that, it’s not officially considered menopause. VERY IMPORTANT. Perimenopause usually begins 10 years earlier. This means that perimenopause starts around the age of 40-41. We just tend to think of menopause as something far away and don’t take it seriously. After the age of 40, there is a significant decrease in the number of eggs. Actually, after menstruation begins, there’s a decrease in estrogen in each cycle, and there’s no replacement. After 40, this decrease is even greater, so the amount of estrogen we produce begins to decrease.

In fact, many of the things we experience in our bodies start with this decrease in estrogen. Most healthcare professionals don’t connect the health problems we experience to this, but it’s the underlying cause for many of them. My aim is to warn everyone and draw attention to this. In modern life, poor nutrition (lots of sugar, processed foods, pastries, excessive and unsuitable nutrition for the body and metabolism), excessive stress and the inability to manage it, excessive exposure to hormone-treated dairy products, chemicals we ingest, xenoestrogens (I’ll elaborate on this), and pesticides have all contributed to this age being significantly earlier. Most women begin experiencing perimenopausal effects around age 35. They JUST DON’T KNOW IT.

What do we experience during perimenopause with decreased estrogen production?

Changes in menstrual cycles. If you’re told “Nothing will happen,” investigate because something is happening.

Sudden increase in waist circumference and weight gain. Cries of “I used to lose 5 kilos a month, now I can’t even lose 1 kilo!” 🙂

Hair loss. Don’t look for/use hair loss prevention products that will expose you to even more chemicals. Your hormones are changing. Shape your life accordingly.

Undiagnosed joint pain, especially in the shoulders and hips.

Insomnia.

Increased anxiety or depression (Dear psychologists, please take this into account. Please include age and estrogen decrease in your approaches.)

Weakness. “I haven’t done anything unusual, but I’m tired.”

Brain fog. The feeling of “My brain is numb.”

What Happens to a Woman’s Body During Menopause and Solutions

After entering menopause, that is, after reproductive hormones begin to withdraw from the body, there are 3 important risks for us.

1) We become much more susceptible to cardiovascular diseases. Globally, a woman dies from this cause every 80 seconds. This is a higher rate than the deaths caused by all cancers.

2) Joint/bone health is affected. Bones become more fragile, prone to fractures, and joints become more painful.

3) With the decrease in reproductive hormones, insulin levels rise spontaneously (even if our diet hasn’t changed), which leads to uncontrollable weight gain, increased body fat, increased blood pressure, and decreased energy levels.

So, can these be controlled? Of course they can.

Being aware of what will happen and being conscious is the first thing. Life expectancy has increased; it’s not like it was 100 years ago. Now we spend a large part of our lives in menopause and think, “I’m still so young.” This happens at the ages we mentioned. Therefore, we must prepare ourselves for this process, we must gain this awareness. If you want a quality life, we need to take these steps one by one.

We MUST regulate your diet. From now on, knowing all this, put aside excuses like “My taste buds want this, what harm will it do if I eat it?” Please honestly confront yourself. Sugar, sweets, pastries, buns, pies, cigarettes, alcohol, carbonated drinks, wafers, biscuits must be eliminated from your life. A properly implemented Low Carbohydrate High Fat diet will be your medicine. This will be a gift to your brain and metabolism. I have explained the menu examples, the logic, the recipes, what is and isn’t included many times. You can find them on my account. Slowly, step by step, try night fasting. Start with 14-hour intermittent fasting and gradually increase it by 30 minutes to 16 hours. Please, let’s stop snacking at night 🙂 I have explained the fasting hours according to the pre-menopausal hormone cycle in detail on YouTube.

Exercise for bone and joint health. NOT A LUXURY, A NECESSITY. As bone density decreases, we need muscles more than ever to keep us standing and doing our jobs. Continue walking, but add exercises to strengthen your muscles at least 3-4 days a week. Don’t say it’s “expensive,” YouTube is full of free videos. Just want to do it 🙂

You need to protect your gut health and take good care of your gut bacteria. You may experience excessive bloating and indigestion. This will resolve itself once you switch to healthy eating.

Slow down 🙂 It’s impossible to keep up with life. Keeping cortisol (stress hormone) constantly high is the last thing we want after the age of 40. Find ways to relax and manage your stress. Mindfulness, crochet, puzzles, wood painting, meditation, calm walks… Choose, pick, take 🙂

Sleep. Do EVERYTHING to get 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Headphones, sleep mask, put down screens early (tablet, phone), pleasant scents in your bedroom, and if possible, cuddle and kiss your partner before bed (oxytocin hormone)… Establish a sleep routine.

I’ve tried to share information I consider important regarding menopause above. I hope this information helps you. You don’t need to be afraid of menopause. These actions will automatically control the post-menopausal risks I listed at the beginning. Please read and share this with the women around you. This concerns every woman from the age of 30 onwards. Our goal isn’t to live to 120. It’s to live our lives with quality and enjoyment, not in pain and constriction. We may long for these days when estrogen leaves us. You may not feel the negative effects right now, but you may deeply regret it when the hormones that act as our protective shield leave us. So please don’t disregard what I’ve said.

I also shared very important information about women’s hormone cycles in my YouTube video, “Intermittent Fasting According to the Female Hormone Cycle.” Although the topic seems to be connected to intermittent fasting, please watch that video to learn what happens in your body each month. Reproductive hormones, often overlooked and unquestioned unless you’re trying to conceive, determine a woman’s entire health.

With wishes for benefit to all bodies born as women 💗

I wish us all wonderful, flower-filled, laughter-filled menopause years.

With love to everyone,

Sema