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Almost a quarter of mature women cannot tell if they are undergoing menopause. Hormone therapy is considered the best-known form of fighting the symptoms of this period, but only 17% of respondents use it.
Fear of the side effects of these drugs is a barrier. Paradoxically, the most trusted are dietary supplements that are neither tested for efficacy, safety, nor controlled. These data come from the latest research "Polish women and menopause 2016", conducted by ARC Rynek i Opinia.
Rating problems
The study was attended by women aged 45-55, i.e. in the period when the woman's body is experiencing changes related to menopause. They are given a definition of menopause and a list of symptoms that often persist several years before and after their last period. Only 49% of women admitted that they were after or in the perimenopausal period, 29% denied menopause, and 24% said they did not know. For example, 35% of the women could not tell if they had changes in their menstrual cycle, 47% could not tell if they had hot flashes and palpitations. On the one hand, the results of the survey confirm the poor knowledge of Polish women about menopause and the methods to mitigate its effects. On the other hand, they suggest that many women at the age of menopause displace the natural changes that accompany it from their consciousness. According to experts, the attitude of Polish women towards menopause is to a large extent related to insufficient sexual and he alth education in our country. Ladies usually think that menopause is the end of femininity. And that's not true - it only starts the next stage of life, which has many advantages.
Acceptance instead of rebellion
Menopause comes at a difficult moment in life for a woman. Children begin to become independent and do not require such loving care anymore. The first summaries appear, the fear of becoming a grandmother. The conviction that I've already had the best of everything can be painful. This is what makes Polish women afraid of menopause. Women in other cultures do not attach so much importance to it. According to research conducted at the University of Stockholm, Swedish women have even better self-esteem during this period than before. Is the fact that you are losing the ability to procreate really the end of the meaning of life? The secret to well-being is accepting your age andunderstanding the changes it brings. Women who go through menopause with a smile on their faces endure it better than those who rebel against it. Accepting the menopause does not mean accepting troublesome symptoms that can disrupt your private and professional life. With the right treatment, you feel better and you can function normally. Hormone replacement therapy is best started a few years before the menopause or when the first symptoms of entering the menopause appear. Then it is most effective because it prevents the appearance of often irreversible changes caused by estrogen deficiency. After the cessation of menstruation, hormones are offered to women whose symptoms interfere with normal functioning, and those who, due to hormonal changes, complain of recurrent infections of the genital tract, bladder, kidneys, vaginal dryness, pain during intercourse. Before that, however, the doctor must order several tests to rule out contraindications. Only on the basis of the results, he selects the drugs according to the patient's needs.
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