Post-Menopause Fact Sheet
Post-Menopause refers to the stage of a woman's life that begins after she has experienced menopause. Post-Menopause is associated with various physical and hormonal changes in a woman's body due to decreased levels of oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone.
Through our private consultations we support you to understand your changes and where necessary create treatment plans to alleviate your symptoms.
What is Post Menopause?
- The time after menopause when a woman hasn’t experienced a period for over a year.
- Four in five women will experience menopausal symptoms at this stage.
- Around 70% of women will also experience Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause (GSM) symptoms.
- A Health check and Lifestyle Treatment are essential components of a woman’s care needs postmenopause to support good future health.
What are the symptoms of Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause (GSM)?
- Vaginal dryness, burning or itching.
- Reduced lubrication during sexual activity.
- Discomfort or pain during sex.
- Bleeding during or after sex
- Reduced sexual arousal/loss of libido.
- Increased frequency to pass urine – often results in women getting up to pass urine overnight.
- Urgency to pass urine
- Pain in passing urine.
- Urinary Incontinence
- Recurrent urinary infections.
Unlike other menopause symptoms, GSM symptoms are progressive and get worse over time. They are not normally time limited like other menopausal symptoms so women can experience these for decades from menopause.
It’s important for women to receive treatment for GSM symptoms early to stop further progression and worsening of their symptoms. Highly effective, long term safe treatment is available for GSM symptoms.
What treatments are available in Post-Menopause?
- Hormonal Replacement Therapy (HRT) including vaginal oestrogen therapy.
- Non-Hormonal Treatment including menopause cognitive behaviour therapy.
- Lifestyle Treatment – to treat physical changes often triggered by hormonal changes experienced in menopause.
- Unsure if you need advice? Email us and one of our clinicians will give you a call to discuss if our services may help you
FAQs
For more information and advice get in touch today.
Post Menopause is a term used to describe the time after someone has gone through menopause, where their periods have been stopped for 12 consecutive months. Once a woman experiences menopause she is considered to be post-menopausal.
Post-menopause 4 in every 5 women will experience menopausal symptoms. There are currently 34 recognised symptoms of menopause. These include:
- Hot flushes/Night sweats
- Mood changes – sadness/low mood/depression/mood swings/irritability/anger
- Anxiety
- Insomnia or sleep difficulties
- Fatigue
- Joint and muscle pain.
- Weight gain
- Digestive symptoms – constipation.
- Skin changes – dry or itchy skin
- Hair loss
- Heart palpitations/irregular heartbeat
- Weight gain – particularly around the stomach area.
- Brain Fog – poor concentration/poor memory
- Tingling hands and feet.
Yes. Women can experience problems with vaginal dryness, reduced lubrication, discomfort or pain during sex, reduced sex drive and reduced sexual arousal related to low oestrogen levels. These symptoms are called Genitourinary Syndrome Menopause (GSM) symptoms. Several different treatments are available to help women with these symptoms.
Post-menopause 7 in 10 women will experience Genitourinary Syndrome Menopause (GSM) symptoms. These include:
- Vaginal dryness/itching/burning
- Reduced lubrication during sexual activity
- Discomfort or pain during sex
- Bleeding after sex
- Loss/reduced sex drive and arousal
- Increased frequency to pass urine
- Pain when passing urine
- Urgency to pass urine quickly
- Urinary incontinence
- Recurrent Urine Infections.
Despite 70% of post-menopausal women experiencing GSM symptoms current data indicates that only 7% of these women will receive treatment. GSM symptoms are often undiagnosed and under-treated which leads many women to needlessly suffer with unbearable symptoms.
Unlike other menopause symptoms, GSM symptoms are progressive and get worse over time. They are not normally time-limited like other menopausal symptoms can be so women can experience these for decades from menopause.
It’s important for women to receive treatment for GSM symptoms early to stop further progression and worsening of their symptoms. Highly effective, long-term safe treatment is available for GSM symptoms
Get an annual menopause health screening check and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
The risk of osteoporosis, heart disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer all rise
after menopause. Yearly health check screening and lifestyle treatment post
menopause significantly support women to maintain good health and minimise
premature death.
High blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, high blood sugar levels, physical
inactivity, obesity, an unhealthy diet, smoking, and excessive alcohol consumption
increase the risk of heart disease, heart attack, stroke, blood clots, diabetes, and
certain cancers.
Our team helps post-menopausal women to make lifestyle changes that support their
health and reduce their risks for future ill health. These include support to:
- Reduce/stop smoking/vaping
- Control blood pressure
- Control cholesterol levels
- Control of blood sugar levels
- Prevention of diabetes
- Exercise support
- Healthy weight support
- Improved nutrition
- Reduced stress
Transform the health and wellbeing of your organisation.
Book a free 15 minute consultation to find out how we can support you to build a thriving culture for menopausal women in your workplace.