This article disputes the myth of Low Estrogen Disease and provides information about how menopause is a part of normal growth and development. Men-o-pause has nothing to do with men and pausing from being around them. In fact, we can lay back or relax on top (whatever) and enjoy them because we don't have to fear becoming pregnant any more. Sex can be even more enjoyable now that that anxiety is gone.
What menopause has to do with is the "pause" or more aptly, the "end of menses or menstruation." Yeah!
(Raise your hand if you miss, or think you're going to miss, having that period every month.)
A generation ago we women were ashamed to talk about or admit they were undergoing menstrual periods or pregnancy. Only recently, the topic of menopause is being openly discussed. Hurrah for that! Before that, much of what we "knew" or thought we knew was mostly folklore, not fact. These myths have often been perpetuated by using a medical viewpoint where every discomfort is a "symptom" that needs either drugs or surgery. Life is full of discomforts. In fact, the average person has a "discomfort" every day or two. The body is built to overcome these if we eat right, exercise and reduce our stress.
As described in medical texts, menopause is a deficiency disease. The deficient item is estrogen. This "low estrogen disease" view overlooks the fact that there is a time for everything and once a woman has delivered children or is past the point of wanting to be pregnant, estrogen isn't needed, at least not in the quantities it was available before.
The fact is, our ovaries still function after menopause, they just downshift and make lower levels of hormones. There is no ovarian dysfunction, higher levels just aren't needed any more. Our bodies are wondrous systems that have been set to proceed through all the natural phases of life. That includes menopause. As long as we don't get in the way and try to "fix" things that don't need fixing. As long as we don't get talked into thinking there's something wrong with us when there's not. Nothing fails, menopause is just a genetically programmed and normal part of a woman's life cycle.
So, forget about thinking about menopause as a low estrogen deficiency or disease. You are in the right place and the right time with the right body and body functioning. It's all part of the Plan, so to speak, so stay calm about it. (Getting excited or upset is known to increase discomfort. For that, buy a relaxation tape and be sure to listen to it at least twice a day. When you get up and when you go to sleep are two good times, but experiment and see what works best for you.)
In the meantime, enjoy this period in your life because it can bring you freedom and the opportunity to express yourself!
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