A woman is said to have reached menopause when she’s not had a menstrual cycle for the previous 12 months. When a woman in the premenopausal stage her hormones are fluctuating between highs and lows quite frequently. The estrogen and progesterone are declining and her body is going through many changes both physically and emotionally. When she’s on this wild roller coaster ride called perimenopause, she may be thinking that as soon as she reaches menopause the symptoms will subside and life will settle down to a new normal. To some extent that is true but she will still have to deal with some post menopause symptoms. They won’t be as “earth shattering” as the premenopause symptoms she’s dealt with in the past, but they still may be noticeable for her.

One of the most uncomfortable post menopause symptoms women have to deal with is vaginal dryness. The dryness can be uncomfortable during sexual relations but the dryness can also make the vagina more susceptible to infection. An estrogen cream is available from most physicians to help counteract the dryness many women suffer from.

Another post menopause symptoms that annoys many women is urinary incontinence or leaking. Sometimes they leak a bit of urine when they laugh or when they try to lift something a bit heavy and strain themselves a slight bit. It can be embarrassing to most women and though it’s not really noticeable to anyone else, to the woman it can be a huge problem. One way to help this problem is to do Kegel exercises. Kegel exercises help to tone the pelvic floor muscles. When the pelvic floor muscles are toned and tightened, urine is controlled more and the women is less apt to have leakage. To do the Kegel exercises, you’ll need to contract the muscles in your pelvis that would stop you from urinating. When you contract these muscles properly, you should feel your pelvis muscles tighten. It’s important to do these exercises at least 3 times a day so that your muscles will tighten back up and firm up. This will help stop the urinary dripping.

There is no denying that post menopause symptoms are not fun to deal with but there are many advantages to this time of your life also. This is a new beginning, a time to become free. A time to rediscover yourself – maybe take an art or cooking class, go back to school or do some travelling. It’s time time to discover a new you.