Table of contents for Life After Menopause in Life After Menopause

If you’re reaching the end of your menopause journey or feeling curious about what the future might have in store for you postmenopause, you’ve come to the right place. It’s natural to feel somewhat apprehensive about this next phase, particularly when we’re exposed to such negative images of postmenopausal women. However, the biggest menopause myth of them all is that life is over once you’ve reached this stage – you’ve entered old age and it’s a downward spiral of aches and pains, poor health, and mental decline. This is simply not true! Life after menopause has so much to offer. Once you have a better understanding of your body and what you need to be doing to get the best out of it, it becomes much easier to adapt your…

You might never have sat down and thought about how you feel approaching menopause. Most of us just take each day as it comes and deal with everything when it happens. But it can be a rewarding task to give it a little consideration, as it can help you to craft a positive mindset. Grab yourself a notebook, find somewhere quiet and comfortable, then try this exercise: 1 Write down your fears about life after menopause. What do you think it will be like and what worries you the most? 2 Next, want to achieve? write down your hopes for life after menopause. What do you It can just be a few bullet points or lengthier paragraphs, but it can really help you to hone in on the way you feel…

While it’s not uncommon to gain a little weight during menopause and in the years beyond, you should not rule out other causes. If you notice that you’ve gained weight and you haven’t changed your diet or exercise, then it might be worth checking with your doctor. An underactive thyroid, for example, can cause tiredness, weight gain and a low mood – all of which can also be symptoms of menopause. It’s easy to assume that as your periods have stopped or are slowing down, these kinds of symptoms are just part of menopausal life, but getting a thyroid function test can rule out any underlying issues. If you have a family history of thyroid problems, then you can be more likely to develop a problem yourself. Other things that…

If you want to live your best life in the years following menopause, then focusing on optimum health and wellbeing is a good start. The healthier you are, the more able you’ll be to do everything that you want to do for as long as you want to do it. This is true for your physical health, your mental health, your relationships and your own self-confidence. We often take our health for granted, only usually paying attention when something goes wrong. You might have already had a health scare, which can make you look at your lifestyle in a different way. Or maybe you have health conditions that run in the family, which can leave you feeling more aware of looking after your body and watching out for the early…

Skin can become more prone to breakouts of spots and acne during menopause, and you may find that it doesn’t immediately go back to normal after your periods stop. It’s mainly caused by hormonal imbalance, as your oestrogen levels drop while your testosterone levels remain steadier. It can be frustrating to deal with, and can contribute to lower self-esteem. As you’re also likely to have drier, thinner skin, you may not be able to use the harsher treatments you used in your younger years, as these can dry the skin out further. It’s best to seek help and advice from a professional, as they can give you solutions that take into account your postmenopausal skin. You should find that acne and spots naturally start to reduce as you get further…

Menopause symptoms can range from annoying to debilitating, and everything in between, so how you manage your symptoms will depend on what they are, how severe they are, and how much they’re impacting on your quality of life. It also depends on how you would prefer to treat your symptoms, whether that’s through HRT, other medical solutions, natural remedies or making lifestyle changes. For most women, it’s a mixture of solutions, personalised to suit their own needs. Over this feature, we’ll look at some of the most common options for treating menopause symptoms that can be employed even once you’ve gone past the point of your last period. HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY (HRT) When it comes to treating menopause symptoms, HRT is one of the most talked-about solutions. The decision to…

If you’re looking to try a holistic approach to your menopause symptoms, then why not give acupuncture a go? There is some evidence to show it can be effective, particularly around balancing hormones, reducing hot flushes, easing sleep issues and relieving anxiety. A therapist inserts thin needles through the skin at specific points, and then keeps them there for around 20 minutes to stimulate energy in those areas. Another option is reflexology. This is a massage technique where pressure is applied to specific points on the feet, hands and ears. Each point is believed to be connected to different organs or systems in the body, and stimulating these points can bring about health benefits in the connected areas. There has been some research that shows reflexology can help to improve sleep…

Many women will find that they gain a little weight when going through menopause, but this brings with it its own risks. This excess weight tends to gather around the stomach, even if this isn’t where you usually gain fat and, unfortunately, this is not good for your health. Extra weight around the abdomen increases your risk of type 2 diabetes, as well as heart disease. Being overweight can also lead to breathing problems and some cancers. It can also be harder to lose the weight after menopause due to changes to your metabolism, but there are things you can do to try to lessen your risk. You may need to eat around 200 fewer calories than you did before menopause, but don’t go on an extreme diet as this…

If you’re in a relationship and have been for a while, then changes in your sex life will impact both of you. It’s important to be upfront and honest about the way you’re feeling and what you’re going through. This helps your partner understand, and also means that they’re not feeling rejected without being aware of the reason. You might explain what physical changes you’re undergoing and how you need to adapt sex to be more comfortable. Or you might say that you’re not feeling as excited or feeling much desire around sex, and it’s not a reflection on your partner, but rather the impact of menopause on libido. This way you can work together to find other ways to stay connected and intimate, even if sex takes a back…

As a significant time of change in your life, menopause can affect your mental health and wellbeing as much as your physical body. You may have noticed this from the very beginning; for some women, changes in mood is one of the first signs of perimenopause. As you go through the transition, you may find that you have mood swings, anxiety and difficulty concentrating, which can all be attributed, at least in part, to your fluctuating hormone levels. As you move beyond menopause, these symptoms may linger as you adjust to your lower hormone levels, however there are many other factors that can contribute to low mental health in the years after your last period. This time of life can present you with other stressors, externally and internally. You may…

SWIMMING Swimming is a low-impact, full-body exercise that is good for your heart health. There are so many different ways to get into swimming, making it very accessible. It can also be relatively cheap to get started and is suitable even if you don’t currently do any form of exercise. You can opt to swim in your local indoor pool, building up the number of lengths that you do each week so that you see a progressive improvement in your fitness levels. You can vary the speed at which you swim, as well as add in props, like floats, to help you improve your strokes or support your body. You may also like to attend aqua-based group fitness classes. This includes classes that help you improve your swimming strokes to…

Everyone gets tired sometimes, especially if you’ve had a lot on that day, done a lot of physical activity or had a bad night. This is quite normal and is usually cured with a few good nights’ rest. Fatigue, however, is a more severe tiredness that doesn’t go away, even if you do manage to sleep, and can impact you both mentally and physically. Fatigue can cause symptoms such as low mood, joint pain, dizziness, breathlessness and difficulty concentrating. It can also make it harder to get to sleep or stay asleep, meaning that it’s hard to get on top of. Fatigue can be caused by an underlying health condition, poor mental health, certain treatments and some medications. You can try the same strategies as for poor sleep to see…

With so many people now sharing their menopause experiences online, it can be hard not to see the way they live their lives and compare it to your own. It’s great that menopause is being talked about so much more openly, but it also means that we now have ideas of how life ‘should’ look. There is no regulation over what people can show you and say on social media, so you’re often given just clips and highlights of a life, which can make it seem a certain way. What you don’t see are the days when the hot flushes get too much, it’s hard to exercise as joints ache, or fatigue takes over. It can make you feel like you’re not doing enough when you see women in their…

Do you feel like you waste your weekends, but you also spend all week catering to the needs of your family and juggling work? It’s time to rethink your weekends and help restore your work/life balance. You could use your weekends to plan microadventures – mini adventures that make you feel restored and refreshed, and fulfil a need for excitement. This doesn’t have to be anything big, expensive or exhausting. The definition of an adventure is up to you, but it’s a good way to push your comfort zone and give you something to look forward to. It might be that you go on a bike ride somewhere new, take a picnic to a beach, climb a mountain, hike a different location, take a mini break to a city you’ve…

CALM Calm is an app designed to help you manage stress and sleep better, with guided sleep meditations, which can help you get a good night’s rest. There are also meditations to help with stressful situations during the day. HEADSPACE Headspace offers guided meditations and mindfulness skills from a range of world-class experts, with courses to help you manage sleep, focus and mind-body health. INSIGHT TIMER This app is a meditation timer and extensive library of free guided meditations that you can follow. There is also a social element, enabling connections between app users around the world. PORTAL If guided meditations aren’t for you, but you still need a way to unwind, this app offers a whole host of nature sounds to help you relax or focus. SIMPLE HABIT This…

For women who’ve been through menopause young, particularly if it’s been thrust upon them due to treatment, it can be difficult to think of what the future holds. Your life after menopause is starting much earlier than you could have expected, and this can throw in additional complications and worries. It can also depend on whether you can take treatments like HRT, which can help you with some of the symptoms and side effects of an early menopause, or whether this is not a possibility for you. You may need some additional support, such as therapy or counselling, to help you to work through your feelings and emotions, and start to look towards the future. It’s really important to set new goals and hopes for the future to remind you…

When you think about life after menopause, what comes into your mind? Are you worried that it’s the beginning of the end? Do you think it’s too late to start having adventures or try new things? Have you simply accepted that there are experiences you’ll never get to have? Well, we’re here to tell you that you’re wrong! Life after menopause can be whatever you want it to be. You’ll live a third of your life, on average, after going through menopause, so you have plenty of time to take those trips, try those hobbies and meet new friends along the way. It’s all about having the right mindset. Our perceptions of ourselves are very powerful. If you think that you can’t do something, then chances are you’ll never try.…

If you’re finding the transition to life after menopause hard, then it’s worth seeking out some additional support. It might be that you need some form of counselling to help you come to terms with this next stage of your life if it’s impacting on your mental health. Or it might be that you need to share your experience with others who understand what you’re going through. This can be especially true if you’re going through a less-typical menopause, such as postsurgery or at a young age. Finding people who understand can help you to work through your emotions and begin the process of acceptance. There are often local support groups aimed at women at all stages of menopause, and there are also online services, forums and communities that can…

1 FOLLOW A HEALTHY DIET This doesn’t mean restricting foods, but rather ensuring that you’re eating a balanced diet with plenty of protein, complex carbohydrates and good fats. 2 MOVE MORE Movement is good for our mental and physical wellbeing, so make sure you’re moving, exercising and training your body in a way that you enjoy. 3 BUILD STRENGTH Introduce strength training into your weekly schedule, which will help to build and retain muscle mass, and also help you to burn calories and improve your body composition. 4 LIMIT ALCOHOL Alcohol introduces extra calories into your diet, but it can also encourage you to eat more. What’s more, it can impact on your sleep and mental health. 5 GET ENOUGH SLEEP Sleep can be a huge factor when it comes…

We’re surrounded by social media showing us healthy, fit and strong women in their postmenopause years, which can make us feel a bit like we’re ‘failing’ in comparison. But these accounts don’t reflect the reality for most people. They can be aspirational and give you ideas, but your journey through menopause is yours alone. No matter what age you start the menopause transition, and where you are with your health and wellbeing right now, there are always improvements you can make. These don’t have to be big changes – if you try to change everything in one go, you’ll find it hard to stick to and less likely to keep at it. Think of one aspect of your health and wellbeing that you’d like to change, and focus on that…

1 THINK MOISTURE If you’re suffering from vaginal dryness, then you will need to add lubrication to make sex more comfortable. You may need to experiment with a few types to find the best one for you. 2 WORK YOUR PELVIC FLOOR If your muscles have weakened during menopause, you might not have the same level of sensation. Make sure you’re doing your Kegel exercises to help tighten your muscles, which can make sex more enjoyable. 3 MORE FOREPLAY It can take longer to get aroused after menopause, so dedicate a little more time to stimulation so that you’re ready for sex. 4 TRY NEW THINGS There’s a lot more to sex than penetration, so you might find it fun to experiment with different ways to be intimate, such as oral…

No matter how you’re feeling right now or where you’re starting from, you can make changes in your life to encourage a positive, happy and optimistic lifestyle in your post-menopause years. Focusing on your lifestyle has a huge number of different benefits. The way you live your life influences everything from your mental health and wellbeing, to how you handle stress, to how well you cope with the symptoms of menopause. It can help with weight management, your energy and vitality, and your strength, as well as your confidence, self-esteem and mindset. There are some key areas that contribute to a positive lifestyle. These include your diet and how to eat in an optimal way to support your body after menopause. It’s also about the power of exercise, doing what…

1 DARK, LEAFY GREENS All vegetables are great, but if we have to call out any one type, then these are the ones! There is some evidence that they may reduce menopause symptoms, but they’re also a good source of lots of different vitamins and minerals to support our body. Spinach is a great source of magnesium, for example, which can help to support your nerve function and muscle growth. Kale and chard are good options too, but aim for a wide variety. 2 FISH If you eat fish, then make sure you include it in your diet a couple of times a week, ideally with at least one portion being an oily fish. It helps with protecting your heart, which is especially useful with the higher risk of cardiovascular…

You don’t have to go through menopause and beyond alone; having good relationships with those around you can make all the difference. Whether that’s the people you live with, close friends, social clubs or support groups, it’s important to have connections that make you feel good. If you feel lonely or isolated, with no one to talk to, this will impact on your mental health. It can also make your menopause symptoms and related feelings seem much worse. It helps if you have someone you can talk to about your experience who understands, which might mean a friend who is postmenopause as well, or via a support group of like-minded women. The latter can be particularly useful if you’re having a less-usual menopause experience, such as early menopause, when it…

Most women have to work during menopause and beyond. In the UK, for example, the employment rate for older adults (aged 50 to 64) is consistently above 70%, and the average age of exit from employment for women in 2023 was 64 (according to the Department for Work & Pensions). So, chances are that you’ve been at work throughout your menopause transition and you’re unlikely to stop working until retirement age. Work can present all manner of different challenges for women who are going through menopause, and these don’t tend to stop when you’ve had your last period. What might change, however, is your attitude towards work. Menopause can bring with it a sense of perspective, as well as make you think about what you want to do with the…

Looking after your mind is just as important as looking after your body, and yet we’re less likely to spend time focusing on those things that are designed to build a positive mindset, encourage acceptance in our lives and begin planning the future we want. It can often feel like everything in our lives is happening to us, outside of our control, and we simply have to weather the storm and learn to cope with whatever is thrown in our direction. By learning to be mindful, however, we can take back some control. We can learn to understand ourselves better and develop self-awareness around how we respond to situations. Practising mindfulness in our lives enables us to live in the present, no longer dwelling on the past and no longer…

What kind of mindset do you have? Do you have quite fixed thoughts and find it difficult to see things differently? Or are you more open to change and finding new ways to approach things? Do you tend to focus on the negatives or the positives? Your mindset shapes the way you see the world and your experiences in it. It can influence a great deal, from how you approach difficult situations, to whether you’re willing to make changes in your life and try new things. When it comes to postmenopause life, having a positive mindset can make it much easier to cope with the challenges you might face, as well as create more possibility with where your future could take you. Your mindset can also directly impact how you…

When you’re holding on to a lot of negative thoughts and feelings about the way you feel, your body and your mindset, it can be hard to envisage or plan for the future. If you want to live your best life in the years after menopause, you do need to accept that you won’t be the same as you were before the transition – and that’s okay. Holding on to an old version of yourself will only keep you from moving forwards. You don’t know yet what the future will hold, but it could be the best time of your life if you give yourself the opportunity to let that happen. Once you come to peace with having been through menopause, and begin thinking about how you want the rest…

SPECIFIC Try to be as specific as possible, rather than setting a broad goal. It’s much easier to stick to a goal that’s very clear. MEASURABLE A goal should be measurable. This means that there is some way of knowing whether you’ve achieved it in a really tangible way. ACHIEVABLE A goal should be challenging, but something that you think you can do. It might be hard to achieve, but it’s doable if you put the effort in. REALISTIC OR RELEVANT The ‘R’ can refer to a goal being either realistic, as in something that you can achieve, or relevant, where it’s a goal that is going to make an improvement to your life (as opposed to setting goals without any specific reason to do so). TIMELY OR TIME-BOUND Putting…

As we get older, we often hear that we ‘shouldn’t wear this’ or we ‘shouldn’t do that’… but why? These limitations imposed on our life are usually societal, and we adhere to them because we’re worried about what other people might think. All we’re doing is restricting our own path to happiness. As you move into life after menopause, don’t let anything stand in the way of living the way you want to. Wear clothes that make you feel happy and confident, and take part in activities that you want to try. It’s not too late to change career, enrol in a class, try a new hobby, run around in a playground or jump in the sea! One of the great things about getting older is that you may find…

For women, our bodies adapt and change throughout our lives, as we move in and out of our reproductive years. Just as we went through a massive transformation at the point of puberty and the beginning of our periods, we then get to face another significant transition at the end of our periods. For most women, with the exception of those having an induced or sudden menopause, there will be signs that menopause is getting closer. The late perimenopause stage is characterised by changes to periods, with the gap between cycles lengthening from a month, to two months, to becoming very infrequent. Symptoms may also change during late perimenopause, with some, like erratic mood changes and headaches, starting to decrease, and others, like hot flushes and vaginal dryness, getting a…

Once you’ve been through menopause, you might hope that it will herald the end of your symptoms once and for all. For some women it does; however for many of us, symptoms will linger beyond the end of our periods. This can last anything from a few months to a decade, much like the perimenopause stage that came before. Due to the low levels of oestrogen, you may continue to feel symptoms until your hormone levels stabilise and your body settles into its new normal. Here we’ll run through the most commonly reported symptoms that can persist beyond menopause. HOT FLUSHES AND NIGHT SWEATS The most common and widely reported of all menopause symptoms are hot flushes (or hot flashes) and night sweats (hot flushes at night). These vasomotor symptoms,…

It’s much easier to treat health conditions if they’re found early enough, so it’s essential that you have regular screenings. Here are the key ones you should ensure you have: BOWEL CANCER SCREENING In the UK, everyone aged 60 to 74 will be sent a home test kit for bowel cancer every two years, and you can request them after the age of 75 as well. CERVICAL SCREENING All women who have a cervix (so not if you’ve had a total hysterectomy) should attend screenings every three years until the age of 49. From age 50, it’s recommended every five years until you turn 65, at which point the risk is very low. You should only need a screening at this point if your previous test contained any abnormalities. BREAST…

One concern that many women have about life after menopause is how it might impact on their intimate relationships. Whether you’re struggling with dryness and soreness, have lost your libido or are lacking self-confidence, know that you’re not alone and it’s a really common worry among women going through perimenopause, menopause and beyond. There’s a lot happening with both your mind and body at this time, which can impact on sex, intimacy and relationships. And it’s not something that we tend to talk about much with our friends, or even with our partners. It might be that you feel embarrassed discussing sex, and in particular the changes to your body and what you might need to do to be more comfortable. However, talking about any issues can help you to…

Dating at any time of life can be a bit intimidating, but you may be feeling particularly anxious about it after menopause. If you’re not feeling quite yourself, it’s bound to have a knock-on effect on your self-confidence. This can be hard if you are coming out of a long-term relationship or newly divorced, as you might not have been on the dating scene for a long time. There can be a lot of thoughts around connection, sex and body image, which can feed in to why you’re feeling nervous about starting to date. Start slowly and stick within your boundaries – the more you are in control of the situation, the easier you will find it. Try not to put any pressure on dates and have fun, getting to…

For each lifestyle factor, circle the number that best represents how you feel about your current approach to this area of your life right now, then use the space underneath each to make any specific notes about what you are happy or unhappy with, and what you’d like to change. This can help you to figure out the best areas to start working on. KEY 1 = I’m really unhappy with this area of my life and need to make significant changes 5 = I’m neutral about this area of my life but could improve or make small changes 10 = I am really happy with this area of my life and don’t need to make any changes U-CURVE OF HAPPINESS Research* shows that we reach peak unhappiness at 44…

When you can’t get on top of your sleep issues yourself, you should speak to a professional, as there are options. In the first instance, a pharmacist may be able to help. There are various nonprescription sleeping remedies available, which may help you relax a little to get to sleep. They are designed to be a shortterm solution – for example, if your sleeping issue is linked to a specific life event or stressful situation. If you’re having long-term issues with sleep and you’ve already tried lifestyle changes and improving your sleep hygiene, then you should see your doctor. You may be offered a form of therapy, either in person or online, to help work through any problems that could be contributing to your sleep problems. If there is an…

If you’re trying to make changes to the way you live your life post-menopause, you can encourage your family to take part too, benefitting everyone. For example, if you’re trying to be more active, why not ask your family to go for a walk with you or on a bike ride? This gives you time with the people you love, while also getting everyone outside. It’s so easy to build activities around lesshealthy habits, such as eating out and munching on snacks in front of the television. And while there should be space for these things too, you can try to build positive changes into your family time. You could plan a nice walk to a country pub for lunch, bringing together both movement and the chance to share a…

Depending on where you work, your right to flexible working is going to be different. In the USA, there is no legal protection for either menopause at work or a right to request flexible working patterns. That doesn’t mean that an employer won’t be open to that conversation though. In the UK, however, there has been a fairly big change in recent times with the passing of the Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Act 2023. This gives UK employees the right to make a formal flexible working request from day one (rather than having to have had 26 weeks’ continuous service, as it was before). Employees can also make two flexible working requests every 12 months, as opposed to one, and employers have to respond to requests within two months, unless…

If you’ve never kept a journal before, it might seem like an extra effort that you don’t have time for. But a journal can give you an outlet that you might not otherwise have. A journal lets you express anything you’re feeling without having to filter it, and without any judgement. This can often help you to identify emotions you might not have recognised or allowed yourself to acknowledge. A journal should be a place for your positive thoughts, as well as for exploring negative ones. Journalling can have benefits including lower stress levels, better mental health and improved self-awareness. You don’t have to be writing essays either; you can keep simple notes as and when it suits you, or when you feel you need to clear your mind. Some…

Once you reach the point of menopause, it can feel a bit ‘what next?’ – especially if it’s taken a long time to work through the transition, from the early days of perimenopause to the waiting game to see if your last period was really your last period! For some, this can be the end of seven to ten years of change and turbulence. Even if there are still more changes to come and your symptoms are lingering, reaching this point feels like the end of one phase and the start of the next. In the early days of being postmenopause, it’s not uncommon to feel uncertain and unsure, but we hope this book has addressed some of the issues you may face and the complicated feelings that surround this…