Menopause – The Good, the Bad and the Ugly – Sewing Machines Los Angeles

Menopause … the word alone causes dread to many women. But that need not be the case. While everything about menopause is not what we would prefer, there are also many things about it that are positive.

The Good –

No more monthly periods! Woohoo! For some women, periods are no big deal … just a minor inconvenience that lasts for a few days. For others, cramps or PMS often enter into the picture making that monthly “visit” more than a minor event but not hardly life-shattering. And then there are the ladies that suffer dearly every month … from torturous cramps that a heating pad does not even phase, to heavy flowing that seems like it will never stop, to pain so severe that getting out of bed is not really an option. Whatever your periods have been like for the first part of your life, they will go away with menopause. And so will all those pads and tampons!

No worries about getting pregnant! While some women are happy to have babies until they are no longer able, most women plan how many children to have and when to have them. Everyone has their birth control method of choice, some more effective than others, but there is always a teeny, tiny chance that things don’t go as planned. Once menopause starts, no need to worry about that anymore!

The Bad –

OK, we’ve all heard about hot flashes and night sweats, mood swings and weight gain … but can it really be all that bad?! Well, yes and no. Again, every woman is different. Some will breeze right through menopause while others will suffer for years. For some it will only last a short time while others will feel like it lasts for an eternity. But have faith, it will end!

The Ugly –

There are some effects of menopause (and aging in general) that are life-changing and should be taken seriously. Osteoporosis is likely to set in at this stage of your life. And while taking hormone replacement therapy has helped many women, it has been shown to increase the chance of breast cancer and have other undesirable side effects so taking HRT is not necessarily the best answer for everyone. Eating correctly and exercising regularly can help in both these areas.

But since menopause is just a phase you go through, things do get good again after it’s all over and done with. Once you make it through the menopause phase of your life, get ready for a new experience.

The Good (After Menopause) –

No periods, no hot flashes, no night sweats, no chance of getting pregnant. Just better relationships, great sex (yep, many women report sex is better after menopause!), and the freedom to enjoy life. There really is no reason to dread menopause, but it does help to be prepared.