Post Menopause

Post menopause literally refers to the period after menopause occurs. As a rule of thumb, if a woman has not had vaginal bleeding for a year in a trot, she is assumed to have reached menopause and now stands in the post menopausal phase of her life. Well, even though people in different countries tend to follow this simple observational fact as a handle to explaining the post menopausal phenomenon, how relevant or precise really is this assumption in gauging menopause or post menopause? The answer to this query is that it is not a reliable method. Why?



What is Menopause?

This one year of no menses theory as a possible hint to menopause or post menopausal phase is not reliable enough owing to the fact that the same phenomenon can happen due to a variety of reasons. For example, a woman who is undergoing chemotherapy may not experience menstruation at all during that time. If the treatment extends to over 12 months and the woman did not menstruate during that period, still it does not amount to menopause or considered as post menopausal phase. Similar is the case when a woman is undergoing hormone replacement therapy (HRT). She might not experience any vaginal bleeding during this period, but technically, that is not considered something post menopausal. Hence, generally, the final call at times of uncertainty is made by testing the FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) levels clinically. A positive result could very well be taken as a conclusive sign that the concerned woman has entered her post menopausal phase.

For those who do not know what FSH is - it is the hormone secreted by the pituitary glands in response to the low estrogen levels in the blood stream. In fact, this is exactly the relation between menopause and FSH; a high FSH level is a possible indicator of perimenopause or menopausal stage.
In Post Menopause
Post menopausal phase - on a positive note - gives some amount of relief to the woman from her peri-menopausal hot flashes, sweating, other hormone related discomfort and yes, the monthly vaginal bleeding. For some, it may be a tad difficult to come in terms with the new phase in life, but as doctors point out, it must be dealt in a smooth manner as possible. If to look at it in this way, then the post menopausal phase gives a woman the much needed time she craved for in her prime of her life for doing things she liked the most, such as following a worthy avocation, studying, or spend time simply on themselves than having to worry about family responsibilities and issues such as raising children. Now, at this age, the children will be grownup and matured enough to look after themselves that the ladies can easily focus on the activities they always wanted to do badly. In short, it is just about reinventing one's own life and posing it for the next phase in a woman’s life.

After all, you have only one life. Why not live it to the fullest? Come menses or menopause!