Menopause is a new beginning, not a disease or a decline; nor is it merely ageing. It is a transition and a powerful new start—a time of confidence where a woman can finally do what she wants, and knows that she can.
So, when society supports women through men, of course, we improve their menopausal symptoms. These thoughts were shared by Dr Duru Shah, a renowned gynaecologist and reproductive health specialist, while addressing the Mpowering Minds Summit in Bengaluru.
“Women will have the time to pursue hobbies they wanted to pursue. What they once wanted to do in life, they can do now. During menopause, women still have the energy to do it, and it can mark the beginning of a more authentic and self-directed life,” remarked Shah.
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She said that there were various myths related to menopause, such as that menopause is just low estrogen. It is not only low estrogen, but it's a hormonal volatility. “Menopause is when you don't have a period for a year. This is the time when you have your maximum symptoms. There is a myth that hormone therapy during menopause causes cancer, which is totally wrong. If you are giving hormone therapy to women at the right time and not ruling out any other problem for the first 10 years after menopause, it helps a woman brilliantly. In fact, menopause is an identity-renewing,” added Shah.
Shah observed that women deal with maximum depression during the pre menopause stage because women feel low and unwanted.
"Their children have become teenagers and have gone to university. They are in their own lives. Their husbands are busy with their careers. The woman doesn't know what to do with herself. Because all her life she has spent just looking after the family and not really attending to herself," said Shah.
“A woman feels that she has an emptiness syndrome, and she doesn't know what to do, and therefore, there is depression. It is very important to take note of these symptoms when we talk about the emotional shifts which occur in Menopause and ensure that women do not go into that depressive phase,” said Shah.