Gray Hairs, Memory Lapse, Hot Flashes.....does This Mean?

Like no other stage in our life, the female body goes through so many changes during middle age. The first appearance of wrinkles (passed off as laugh lines), the first gray hairs that you pluck out one by one until they get too numerous (had no one warned you that you'd get 7 gray hairs for each 1 you pulled out?), the memory lapses (fondly known as menopause moments), the failing eyesight (well, at least you can't now clearly see your wrinkles, uh, laugh lines, in the mirror), the first hot flash and the amazing inconsistency of your menstrual cycles as you go through "the change" (first your period is AWOL for three months, then coming on twice in a fortnight, as though it had to make up for the missing days) are only some of the changes you'll encounter as you enter menopause. It's a good thing that it's women who have go to through menopause, because men are too wussy to put up with it.

Accepting these changes can take some physical adjustment and preparation on your part - you can stock up on economy sized wrinkle creams, maximum gray coverage hair dye, designer eyeglasses that come in bifocal or trifocal prescription, gingko biloba herbal supplements and I forget what else to improve your memory, and a variety-sized package of sanitary pads and tampons. All these material things will help you with the physical changes. But the most important thing you need is a simple attitude adjustment.

So many women tend to look at menopause and all of the changes before, during and after it, as a bad thing. Such a pessimistic view of a natural process is just, well, unnatural. Evidence has shown that a poor attitude can make all of those changes seem worse than they really are. For example, studies have proven that women, who believe that they're going to have a difficult time dealing with hot flashes, actually do have a more difficult time dealing with them and they tend to be worse than hot flashes experienced by their optimistic counterpart.

You can start by making a list of what you appreciate about going through menopause; keep a little journal and jot down a thing or two every day. It could be as simple as a notation about wearing your favorite underwear without worrying about having an accident. It could be as monumental as having a weekend's worth of wild crazy spontaneous sex without worrying about birth control. Either way, menopause is cause for celebration.