What does menopause cause you?
Menopause is a natural stage that marks the end of menstruation and of the reproductive stage. It is not a disease nor a problem to be solved — but it does come with real changes, physical and emotional, that are worth understanding in order to go through them better.
Here we explain what menopause causes, what its symptoms are, why they happen and what you can do about it.
Why does menopause arrive?
It is officially defined as the moment when you have gone 12 consecutive months without menstruating, and it usually occurs between the ages of 45 and 55.
The cause is a gradual decrease in female hormones, mainly estrogen and progesterone. That decline is what explains practically all the symptoms.
The process has three stages:
- Perimenopause — the preceding years, when hormones start to fluctuate and cycles become irregular. The first symptoms usually appear here.
- Menopause — the exact point of 12 months without a period.
- Postmenopause — everything that comes afterwards.
What symptoms does menopause cause?
- Hot flashes and night sweats — sudden rises in body temperature, the most characteristic symptom
- Insomnia and sleep disorders — often caused by the hot flashes themselves
- Mood changes, irritability and anxiety
- Loss of bone density — estrogen protects bone, and as it drops fragility increases
- Metabolic changes and weight gain, especially abdominal
- Vaginal dryness and changes in libido
- Difficulty concentrating and memory problems — the famous “brain fog”
- Changes in skin and hair — drier, less firm
The most common pains
Not everyone has them, but they are frequent: joint and muscle pain, headache, breast tenderness, pelvic discomfort, back pain and, in some cases, tingling or burning sensations.
What almost nobody explains to you: collagen
Here is the connection that usually stays out of the conversation.
Estrogen also sustains collagen production. When it falls, collagen falls with it — and quite abruptly: research suggests that up to 30% can be lost in the first five years after menopause.
That explains at once several things that seemed unconnected: the skin that suddenly loses firmness, the joints that start to bother you, thinner hair and vaginal dryness — because the intimate mucosa is also collagen-dependent tissue.
How long does menopause last?
It is one of the most frequent questions, and the answer is a little uncomfortable: it is not a one-day event, but a process that stretches over several years. Perimenopause —the transition stage, when the first symptoms appear— usually lasts between 4 and 8 years. Menopause as such is a point in time (the 12 months without a period), and from there postmenopause begins, which lasts the rest of your life.
The symptoms do not all follow the same calendar. Hot flashes, for example, go on for about 7 years on average, and in some women considerably longer. Others, such as vaginal dryness or loss of bone density, tend to be progressive: they do not go away on their own, because they respond to an estrogen level that is not going to rise again. That is why the approach is not “put up with it until it passes”, but to take care of the body in a sustained way.
What can you do?
Several things help, and none of them excludes the others:
- Talk to your gynecologist. There are very effective hormonal and non-hormonal treatments that are underused precisely because the subject is not talked about. If your symptoms affect your daily life, you deserve it.
- Protein and vitamin C in the diet — they are the raw material and the cofactor your body needs to produce collagen.
- Strength exercise — it protects bone and muscle mass, which is exactly what is most lost.
- Daily sunscreen — with less collagen, the skin is left more exposed to damage.
- Taking care of sleep — even if it is hard, it is when tissue is repaired.
- Supplementing collagen with a format that really is absorbed.
Collagen in menopause: how to support yourself
- The Liquid Collagen Boost provides 150 mg of hydrolyzed collagen per 1.5 mL serving (30 drops) by the sublingual route —hydrolyzed so that the peptides are small and sublingual so that they pass into the blood without crossing digestion, the combination behind its up to 80% absorption—, for skin, hair, nails and joints from the inside.
- The Ultimate Collagen Boost is a vaginally applied gel with up to 99% local absorption, designed specifically for the firmness, elasticity and hydration of the intimate area. It is a non-hormonal option.
- The Collagen Bundle combines the two.
To understand this part properly, read what is vaginal collagen?
An important note
Collagen supports the structure of the tissue. It is not a hormone replacement and it does not treat a medical condition. If you have intense symptoms, bleeding, significant pain or discomfort that interferes with your life, that is a matter for your doctor, not for a supplement.
In short
Menopause is a natural process, not a failure of the body. The symptoms come from the hormonal drop, and with the right approach — medical support, good habits and nutritional support — it is perfectly possible to go through it with a good quality of life.
Keep reading: Collagen and vaginal dryness in menopause · At what age do you start to lose collagen? · Vaginal collagen and intimate health: what science says
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This content is informational and does not replace medical consultation. Consult your gynecologist about your menopause symptoms — they are common, they are treatable and good options exist.