What Men Need To Know About Menopause – Menopause can be a confusing and lonely time not only for women, but also for their partners. She’s going through a lot of physical and emotional changes that can be difficult to navigate—and you’re likely a little unsure of how best to support her.

The good news? It is the perfect time to strengthen your relationship and connection. Here’s what you need to know about menopause and all the changes it brings. Consider this your crash course in becoming a more supportive, understanding partner.

What Men Need To Know About Menopause

There are three stages of menopause: perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause. Perimenopause can begin in the late 30s or early to mid 40s and is when the body produces less estrogen over time. This is when menopause symptoms usually start – things like hot flashes, irregular periods, night sweats, and more.

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Finally, after about seven years of perimenopause, a woman stops having periods altogether. The 12-month anniversary of her last period is called menopause (and is technically just one day in a woman’s life). Since then, she is in post-menopause. Many symptoms may go away after menopause, but some (like vaginal dryness) may last or stick around after that last period.

Menopause can be a very different experience for different women. One predictable aspect of menopause is that it is, well, unpredictable! While the average onset of menopause is 51, many women can start experiencing symptoms in their early 40s. In fact, menopause symptoms can start up to seven years before the last period and last five years (or more). Understanding the unpredictability of menopause will help you support her journey. The more you know, the better suited you will be!

As mentioned earlier, every woman experiences menopause differently. There are 34 different signs (or symptoms) of menopause that can affect everything from her mood, sleep, energy levels, libido and more. While most women don’t see any anxiety, it’s a lot to understand!

Just as your partner goes through changes, so do you! Everyone experiences changes that come with aging regardless of gender, such as creaky knees, gray hair, or falling asleep while watching TV. Sharing your experience with aging – and listening to it – can be important for strengthening your bond and intimacy. Be open about how you feel while respecting her privacy. Keeping open, non-judgmental channels of communication between you and your partner is a great way to keep yourself from drifting apart.

The Secret Power Of Menopause

Vaginal dryness, low confidence, and decreased sex drive can all accompany menopause. It’s normal – but that doesn’t mean it’s not sad or uncomfortable for her. One of the common symptoms of menopause is vaginal dryness caused by low estrogen levels. Lack of natural lubrication can cause intimate tension with pain and inflammation and pain during sex that was not there before!

Let her know that you are here for her and happy to support her and talk about these changes. What used to feel good in the bedroom may not feel good anymore. Try these changes together and try new ways to increase libido when it feels right, or re-think your bed equipment to support this process. And when you’re in bed together, go slow and order the process. With patience, kindness, and potentially a lot of lube, you can both return to a fulfilling sex life.

Between possible changes in sex drive, sleep patterns, mood swings, dry skin, and weight gain, when menopause symptoms take over your body, you may feel like yourself. Give her patience and space if she doesn’t feel close but let her know the door is open for her to be ready. Many women do not talk about their menopause experience because it is considered taboo. Realize that he may be going through an episode of loneliness and sometimes just being there with a hug, some chocolate, or his favorite rom-com can make all the difference, even when things get tough.

Eighty-five percent of women report hot flashes during menopause, a sudden feeling of heat that spreads to the face, neck, and chest. Nocturnal hot flashes are simply hot flashes that occur during the night. Due to changes in estrogen levels, the complex mechanisms that control the body’s temperature regulation are affected, resulting in sudden feelings of warmth and excessive sweating that can disrupt sleep. To help her get more comfortable at night, get her a better fan for the bedroom, give her a soothing bath before bed to help her relax, and remove the iPad from the bed (even if she still did not understand the Word of the day).

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Menopause does not only cause physical changes. Some women may experience depression, anxiety, or mood swings during perimenopause. Your partner may not even know what’s going on, especially if they’ve never dealt with mental health issues before. If you notice persistent changes in your partner’s behavior — such as continued feelings of sadness or anger, or a loss of interest in her favorite things or activities — talk to her gently and encourage her to get the help she needs.

Unfortunately, there is a lot of stigma surrounding menopause. While you may be in the dark about the changes your partner is going through, chances are, they are too! That’s why we created our hormone quiz, The Menopause Quiz, to help our community of women (and their partners!) learn more about the changes they’re experiencing, find helpful resources, and give you tailored recommendations. Other great places to do both of your homework include the Menopause Society of North America, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), and the National Institute on Aging.

Menopause symptoms can be frustrating, but thankfully there are many options to help your partner find relief. Doctors often prescribe hormone therapy, for example, to help with hot flashes or vaginal dryness. These medications use estrogen (and in some cases, progesterone) to help increase her hormone levels, which can help alleviate some of the worst symptoms of menopause.

Not all women want or can take hormone treatments, but fortunately there are also many excellent, non-hormonal options to help manage menopause symptoms. That’s where Kindra comes in. For example, our sleep enhancing supplement uses Pycnogenol to promote circulation (reducing night sweats) along with calming Ashwagandha and a low dose of melatonin to help her sleep soundly. And our Daily Vaginal Lotion has been shown to reduce pain during sex in 91 percent of women – all without hormones.

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At the end of the day, despite everything she’s been through, she’s still the same lovely girlfriend as you. Patience, open communication, and a loving attitude can go a long way in keeping your relationship stronger than ever. You got this. Let’s talk about the elephant in the room… menopause. I was around my friend’s house and a girl grabbed me and casually asked how her heat was going. I immediately got a ‘silent’ look of horror, and then realized that her husband was sitting a few feet behind us.

It seems there is still a bit of a taboo about talking openly about menopause with men! Many men and women are ashamed of it, find it difficult or want to carry that secret cross. It’s time to break this taboo and talk openly about menopause to everyone, especially since it affects almost half of the population. It’s an important topic that can be stressful for the whole family. As someone who has no taboos, I think it’s time to share a simple guide to men on how they can help and what to expect.

It helps that everyone – men, women and our children – have a basic understanding of what menopause is. It is the change in a woman’s body where the ‘menstrual cycle’ begins and slows down the number of new eggs being produced. Menopause means that a woman stops reproducing. Perimenopause is when the body begins to change, but before the full transition. It is a time of change for a woman, both mentally and physically, and changing hormones can cause many different symptoms.

Like most things in life, menopause can affect women in different ways. It usually starts between 45 – 55 and can last for years. Sometimes it is caused by diseases such as cancer, smoking or hysterectomy. It is often difficult to know when it starts and there are some signs that women may not talk about right away. These symptoms can include irregular periods, hot flashes, vaginal dryness, anxiety, mood swings, irritability, weight gain, forgetfulness, fatigue, breast tenderness, weight gain, slower metabolism, headaches, loss of sex drive, forgetfulness, fogginess and muscle pain.

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It is important to understand that every woman is different, every woman’s level of discomfort is different, and the impact on her life is different – so listen to her.

Menopause

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