Menopause is a stage through which each and every woman has to pass through. It shows the end of menstruation period. It generally happened in the midlife and is a sign of the ending of the fertile period of a woman’s life. However the commencement of this stage differs from woman to woman depending upon her hormones and heredity to an extent.

It is as such not a disease but a transition between two phases of a woman’s life. Menopause is a normal, natural event—defined as the final menstrual period and usually confirmed when a woman has missed her periods for 12 consecutive months

Menopause generally occurs in ladies between 40 and 50 years of age .

If it exceeds after 55 then proper check up is required. It is advised to make a visit to the gynecologist. Apart from age other factors which determine the onset of menopause stage are the country which you live , caste ,climate , eating habits etc. The women who have regular menstrual cycle, who lead a happy married life, who breast feed their children have late menopause. Those ladies who are over weight have their menopause early.

Menopause in some women is a normal thing. They do not get much of complications and they get through it smoothly. But for others it disrupts both their lives and inter- personal relationship.

Some of the common symptoms found in most of the women with the onset of menopause stage are:

• Irregular cycle———with the onset of menopause there is irregularity in the menstruation cycle. It may start occurring too early or too late. There may be difference in the amount of flow of also.  With the onset of menopause the chances of a woman getting pregnant is minimized but not written off.
• Drier vagina—–The lining of vagina becomes dry and hence is less elastic. This may lead to a painful intercourse. It may also result in change in vaginal discharge.
• Hot Flashes—–Hot flash is the feeling of  warmth that is felt all through the body  and lasts from about a few minutes to half an hour  and  is followed by perspiration . it is the most common symptom faced by most of the women going through menopause stage. It is cause due to declining ovarian estrogen production in women.
• Breast Changes—the shape of the breast may change in many women in the menopause stage.
• Bone Loss—–Many women face the problem of bone loss during the menopause stage which even though does not result in any kind of pain but increases the chances of fracture.
• Weight Gain—–Women nearing menopause are said to increase in weight even after controlled diet and regular exercise. This is a direct cause of changes in the hormones and aging. The increased weight generally gets accumulated along the waist and abdomen.
• Hair Growth—–The onset of menopause may in many women lead to the growth of coarse hair along the upper lip and chin area.
• Low Libido——Libido in common language refers to the desire of having sex. With the onset of menopause, the desire to have sex decreases among majority of women.
• Weakness—-Many women feel weak with the onset of menopause stage. They feel drained out of their energy and incapable to do odd jobs which they were very easily capable of doing.
• Increase in heart beat(tachycardia), restlessness, backache, constipation, lack of  concentration are other common symptoms.

How to tackle the symptoms of Menopause Naturally or through Herbs?

Menopause is not a disease that has a definitive cure or treatment. How ever some of the symptoms faced by women during menopause stage are curable.

• Hot flashes can be cured by hormone therapy, complementary and alternative treatments. The herb usage of  Black Cohosh  is a popular alternative to hormone replacement therapy. Regular Aerobic exercise may also help in keeping a check over hot flashes.
• Taking a low fat diet may help in keeping the weight under control. Regular exercise will also be of great help.
• Consumption of  beet juice about 90 ml twice daily will help to avoid menopause disorder
• Taking in Alfalfa, Soya beans, sprouts, cabbage, olive oil will help in relieving from menopause.
• Licorice (mulethi) helps in maintaining the hormonal disturbances that occur during the menopause .It should not be consumed more than 5 gm in a day.

Some  tips to overcome the problems during menopause:

• Green leafy vegetables, cauliflower, sweet potato, soya bean, orange,cabbage, coconut, almond are rich in calcium and should be taken in large quantity.
• Soft drinks containing phosphoric acid weaken bones. So these should be avoided
• Taking in of a mixture of a glass of plain water , a tea spoon of lemon juice and 2 tea spoon of honey early in the morning ( empty stomach) is very beneficial.