If you're thinking you're alone in dealing with the symptoms of menopause think again. Menopause support groups are within easy reach, in fact right now, at your fingertips as you read this article.

Yes you can talk to your doctor about your symptoms and more importantly, you should and you can ask for support and help from your mother and even your grandmother.

The information you'll get will more than likely assist you in some way. How about letting your fingers do the walking and looking for menopause support online. Yes, the resources available to peri and post menopause sufferers online in the way of solid support is excellent.

Getting Your Questions Answered

The beauty of the online community today is it's so vast and encompasses people from all over the world. Some menopause support forums have been operating for more than a decade yet many women are just simply unaware that support resources such as forums exist.

Many women will be suffering the symptoms of menopause in silence and don't need to. Do you know there are quite literally millions of women around the world ready to help you with advice and information.

Better still, this information will come from those who have been through the menopause process or are currently experiencing symptoms themselves.

And better still, they are willing and prepared to share their success stories and while not every woman going through the menopause process will experience the exact same level of symptoms, you can bet someone will have gone through what you are experiencing and can pass on some useful information to you.

If it's not help you want then many forums and chat rooms will allow you to vent any frustrations you have within reason. Sometimes it's a relief just to get something off your chest!

Don't suffer your symptoms in silence. Join a menopause support group and realize you don't need to deal with your symptoms alone.

What Is Menopause?

Like all major turning points in women’s lives, reaching menopause can be challenging and even a little frightening. Like puberty, menstruation, pregnancy and childbirth, menopause carries with it a whole host of natural, but nonetheless challenging and sometimes uncomfortable, physical changes. Moreover, it also carries with it a plethora of normal emotional and spiritual reactions, ranging from denial, confusion and even grief. After all, menopause marks a completely new phase in a woman’s life. It heralds the end of our childbearing bearing years and ushers in a different phase of deep female maturity. And, since unfortunately we still live in a culture that equates femininity with sexual fertility, it’s no wonder that many women regard menopause as a negative thing. Sadly some regard it as a nullification of their worth as women, something that couldn’t be further from the truth. Menopause also reminds us we are getting older and our are bodies are naturally aging. That fact in itself can be a difficult to accept.

But what is menopause exactly? Menopause is an intermediary stage that takes place when a woman’s reproductive organs fail to produce eggs, causing her menstrual cycle to stop. Typically menopause begins after or around the age of 50, however there are exceptions with some women commencing menopause earlier or later in life. And, more often than not the symptoms of menopause begin some time before onset.

There are a whole host of symptoms that can accompany menopause. Some of the more common signs are hot or cold flushes; weight gain; mood swings and irritability; emotionality; decrease in libido; muscle and joint soreness; depression; rapid or irregular heart rate; disordered sleeping patterns and irregular periods as well as lighter or heavier menstrual bleeding. In fact, the symptoms of menopause are so many and so individual that it is almost a case of “expect the unexpected”. Some women even say they feel as if their skin is crawling!

The truth is that menopause should not be feared. Instead we should embrace and celebrate it as a normal stage in our cycle of health and wellness. That said, the symptoms and signs of menopause can be difficult to live with, and women should not face it alone. Think about it this way. If men had to go through menopause, just imagine the level of support, public awareness and caring workplace practices that would be established to help them through it! As it is, women have to muddle through menopause as best they can, dealing with it day-by-day, with their friends and sense of humor as their best allies.

Like all health matters, being well-informed about the sorts of symptoms you might experience allows you to physically and mentally prepare. Indeed, some women do not even realize they are going through menopause because they simply lack the information to explain what they are feeling! It’s not until they research and explore the signs that they make the connection. And it’s no wonder, given that the list of potential symptoms is so long and diverse.

Kathryn Whittaker also writes a Free Combating Menopause Newsletter. You can grab your Free copy here: Free Combating Menopause Newsletter. For further information on Menopause please visit these Menopause Resources or check out our Menopause Blog.

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