When a woman misses 12 consecutive periods, she has reached menopause. Menopause means different things to different women. For some women, it marks the end of their childbearing years and the ‘official’ beginning of old age.


For others, menopause means that they no longer have to deal with their monthly periods or worry about contraception or an unwanted pregnancy. For these women, menopause means a new freedom in their lives and the changes are embraced positively. It is important to realize that while menopause marks the end of your periods, it is not the miserable and unpleasant experience it is often made out to be.


Following are the truths behind ten common menopause myths:

Myth 1 – Menopause starts around the age of 50.
The average age when menopause occurs can vary from 48 to 55. However, in some cases, it can happen as early as 40 or as late as 60.

Myth 2 – The perimenopausal period prior to menopause provides a gentle transition to the change.
Perimenopause can set in a few years before you finally stop having your periods. For some women, perimenopausal symptoms include aches and pains in the body, mood swings, anxiety attacks and irritability. For these women, perimenopause can hit them almost as hard as menopause itself.

Myth 3 – Depression is inevitable with menopause.
While there has been research to show the link between hormonal changes and depression, there is still no conclusive evidence. Hormone changes during menopause could give rise to feelings of anxiety or irritability as well as mood swings but these are different from true psychological depression.

Myth 4 – All women have problems with menopause.
While most women do experience the unpleasant symptoms of menopause such as night sweats, mood swings, and hot flashes for some women, the symptoms are mild and can be easily ignored. For these women, the only sign of menopause is the prolonged absence of their monthly periods.

Myth 5 – All women need Hormone Replacement Therapy during menopause.
During the 1960s, HRT or Hormone Replacement Therapy was the go-to cure for all symptoms of menopause. Since then, studies show that HRT can increase the risk of developing stroke, heart problems, blood clots and breast cancer in some women. Today, doctors are not that keen to prescribe HRT due to these harmful side effects. The FDA recommends that if HRT is needed, it should be taken in the smallest doses possible and for the least amount of time.

Myth 6 – Women gain weight after menopause.
While it is true that the composition of body fat increases and the percentage of lean body mass decreases in a woman’s body after menopause, it does not always mean a drastic increase in weight. As long as you follow a healthy diet and a regime of regular exercise, you can prevent unwanted weight gain with menopause.

Myth 7 – Menopause does not mean the end of pregnancy
During the early perimenopausal phase, you may still have an occasional if infrequent period. During this time, you can get pregnant so care has to be taken to use contraception during this time. However, post menopause (when you have missed 12 periods in a row), pregnancy is not at all possible.

Myth 8 – Women lose their sex drive after menopause.
This is as far away from the truth as possible. Sex can become more fulfilling after menopause as it is no longer associated with worries about getting pregnancy. In case, you do lose interest in sex at the time of menopause, speak to your doctor to check if any other illness or medication is causing this. If vaginal dryness is an issue, there are several intimate lubricants available that can make sex more comfortable. The loss of a woman’s sex drive during and after menopause is also attributed to the decrease in testosterone levels. It is wrongly believed that taking testosterone supplements during menopause can solve the problem of a flagging libido. Speak to your doctor and get your hormonal levels tested before opting for this sort of hormonal treatment.

Myth 9 – Hot flashes are synonymous with menopause.
Hot flashes are definitely a common symptom of menopause but all women do not necessarily experience hot flashes and the discomfort that comes along with them. It should also be noted that the frequency and severity of hot flashes tends to increase when you are under stress or exceptionally tense.

Myth 10 – Menopause is a disease.
Menopause is anything but a disease. It should be treated as an opportunity and a new lease of life for women rather than a time of unpleasantness and discomfort. Symptoms of menopause may be different for different women but the truth is that the condition is universal to all. No woman can escape it so it’s best to make the most of the experience and approach menopause with a healthy positive attitude. Talk to friends, speak to your doctor, and enlist the support of your family to help you get through this time of change.