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With some questionable health advice being posted by your friends on Facebook, politicians arguing about the state of the American healthcare system and a new medical study being summarized in just a sentence or two on TV---that seems to contradict the study you heard summarized yesterday---it can be overwhelming to navigate the ever-changing landscape of health news.

To Your Health: Menopause

I can remember as a child I would hear people talk about “that time of the month,” “being in a family way,” and “going through the change.” As I got older, I found people talked a little more openly about periods and pregnancy, but menopause was still shrouded in mystery. "Let’s Talk Menopause" is on a mission to spark conversation about menopause so people understand it and talk openly about it.

Menopause is the term for when a woman has not had her period for 12 consecutive months, but it has multiple phases. The first phase is perimenopause, which is triggered when estrogen and progesterone levels begin to fluctuate in one's 40s and can last 4-10 years. During this time, women experience varying physical, cognitive, mood, and sexual symptoms. Women can also experience instant menopause due to surgery or medical treatment, which typically makes the symptoms more severe. Hormonal intrauterine devices, or IUDs, like Mirena, can cause some women to stop having periods while using them, which makes it difficult to tell if you have been through menopause. Due to this, Dr. Robert Casper, a professor of reproductive sciences states you should leave it in until you are at least 51, the average age for menopause.

Low levels of estrogen and progesterone raise your risk for certain health problems, such as heart disease and osteoporosis, in the postmenopausal stage. Talk to your doctor about the best ways to manage symptoms and stay healthy in menopause.

Resources:
https://www.letstalkmenopause.org/

https://www.womenshealth.gov/menopause/menopause-and-your-health

https://www.uptodate.com/contents/menopause-beyond-the-basics/print#:~:text=If%20you%20are%20over%2045,for%20menopause%20(51%20years).

Dr. Brooke Hildebrand Clubbs is an assistant professor in the Department of Leadership, Middle & Secondary Education. She writes for special publications of The Southeast Missourian and is a certified Community Health Worker.