Natural Ways to Delay your Menopause

Menopause is a natural process in women that cannot be delayed. Many women feel that if they could only put off menopause, they could delay the aging process altogether. This idea stems from our preconceptions about menopause — that once we go through “the change” and become postmenopausal that we are officially old. Yet we at Women to Women don’t believe this is true at all.

Symptoms of Menopause

• Menstrual irregularities: Your period may become more or less frequent. You may also experience between period spotting or skip periods altogether, or your periods may begin to last longer than the normal five to seven days.
• Hot flashes: You may experience these as night sweats, when you wake up with your sheets soaked with perspiration, or during the day. The hot flashes may become more frequent as you draw nearer to menopause and can be very intense and uncomfortable.
• Insomnia: This may occur due to night sweats, or it may be an independent symptom.
• Irregular ovulation: While ovulation was once regular, it now occurs at less regular intervals. While changes in ovulation decrease fertility, it also can increase your risk of unexpected pregnancy if you rely on an ovulation calendar as your main form of birth control.
• Irritability: Moodiness may be due to lack of sleep or to hormonal fluctuations. Depression may also occur. 
• Changed libido: This may occur for many reasons, including hormonal fluctuations and vaginal dryness, which can cause discomfort during intercourse.

Postpone Menopause with Nutrition

When it comes to nutrition, the best thing to do is to enjoy a balanced diet. Be sure to eat a varied diet that will expose you to the vitamins and minerals your body needs to maintain its healthy status. While this will not delay the onset of menopause per set, it will ensure a healthy and timely occurrence of this natural event in a woman’s life. Aside from seeking to maintain a balanced diet, there are a few items to focus on that will help to ensure a healthy delay for menopause onset.

Vitamin D keeps grabbing more headlines these days, and it’s also important for maintaining a woman’s reproductive-related health. Vitamin D is actually made naturally by the human body through prolonged exposure to sunlight. Its absorption is aided chemically by the presence of calcium, and in that sense, the two go hand in hand. If enough natural sunlight exposure is not possible to obtain, look no further than the readily available vitamin D fortified milk. Soy milk is also an excellent option.

Magnesium is also important to keep in mind. This is found readily in nuts such as cashews, peanuts and almonds. Keep these nuts around as a snack, and you’ll be sure to have your fill of magnesium. Not only does magnesium help with menopause symptoms, it may even help to delay menopause.

Menopause is more or less inevitable, baring new developments in modern science. It’s a natural event that every woman will evolve into. But, keeping your body healthy by eating well will ensure a timely onset.