Smoking women at risk of early menopause

WOMEN

If you are busy slaying at 30, you should know that you have a few eggs to waste as research has shown that by 35 you can be in menopause which means you have no opportunity of having a child.

Menopause is a period in a woman's life when menstruation ceases.

Some of the most common changes around menopause include; changes in mood, with occasional depression, altered menstrual cycle with either period coming too soon or too far apart, altered menstrual flow with heavy bleeding and light flow; a chronic feeling of tiredness or fatigue, hot flashes - where a woman feels an unusual heat sensation on her skin, loss of sleep and water retention by the body which may manifest as swelling as well as weight gain.

Speaking to New Vision, Irene Ndagire, the founder of Women's Health Foundation (WHF), said they have organised a walk for menopause to increase awareness on the challenges women go through in their post-reproductive lives, especially during the transition to and the post-menopausal period.

 "When we conducted the annual women's walk for health which brought different players together in the realization of the need to promote and improve women's health, we felt the urge to zero down to menopause because of its gross impact on women's health. During our community workshops we have realized that they are so many young women these days who enter menopause before age 50," said Dr. Irene Ndagire, the founder of Women's Health Foundation.

Ndagire noted that according to the questionnaires the women filled, women who reported being active smokers at some point in their lives were more likely to have infertility and 26 percent more likely to enter menopause early.

"Women who smoked the most reported entering menopause about two years earlier than women who didn't smoke, as a physio and cardio therapist, I have noticed many young women are coming to the hospital with failing joints, muscles and nerves and all these are symptoms of menopause," noted Ndagire.

Muscular and skeletal complications, acute back pain, are signs of menopause. During the early stages of menopause estrogen levels reduce, which leads to loss of calcium. Calcium deficiency translates into joint and muscle pains, bone and nerve complications.

As if that is not enough, premature menopause complicates a young woman's chances of conceiving.

The menopause walk will start on March 7 from City Square at 8:00 am to Katwe Grounds for the launch of the menopause society. The guest of honour will be Beti Kamya, the Lands minister.

"This is a very sensitive and yet highly impactful process in the women's health life cycle that takes up to one year to become complete without menstruating. Older women have limited awareness of programmes and interventions to address their sexual and reproductive health," said Ben Kibirige, the WHF programmes manager.

Kibirige noted that because of the depression and mood swings in the run-up to menopause, some women get long-term prescription drugs that may successfully treat the depression, but also significantly lower libido. That is why wives on antidepressants are advised to exercise even more than their counterparts taking no similar medication.

"Exercise and counselling help, in addition to lifestyle and dietary changes. Aid your metabolism by reducing your sugar and bad cholesterol levels by exercising more, eating more fibre-rich foods and fish can help," said Kibirige.