Menopause is All About Compensation

What does the word “compensation” mean to you?

As with most things, it probably depends on context.

If you’re talking about money, the definition of “compensation” is as follows:

     Compensation – something that constitutes an equivalent value or result as something else.

If it’s a legal matter, the definition is a bit different:

Compensation – something that constitutes serves to make a person who has been harmed whole again.

And if the discussion is in the context of medicine, the definition would change a little:

Compensation – correction of a defect or loss in the body by increased functioning of another part of the body.

What if the topic is menopause? What does the word “compensation” mean in the context of menopause?

Obviously, if we’re using the word “compensation,” something must be absent. So, for what do we need to compensate when it comes to menopause?

Estrogen!

Menopause is a loss of estrogen. And menopause management is all about compensating for the absence of estrogen.

You might be thinking, “Bah humbug!” Maybe you think estrogen is bad. Perhaps you’ve heard that it causes cancer.

So let’s review what estrogen is and what it does. And then you can decide if it’s worthy of compensation.

Estrogen is your female hormone. Ever since you went through puberty, every cell in your body has been bathed in estrogen. Your brain has used it to think clearly and logically. Your bones have harnessed it to prevent shrinkage. Your heart vessels have depended on it to stay soft and supple. Your vagina has secreted it for lubrication. Your skin has basked in it for its smooth, unwrinkled tone. There’s not a single part of your body that has functioned normally without estrogen.

But when menopause arrives, bam! Your estrogen disappears. And all your body parts go into shock.

You become forgetful and your brain begins to deteriorate. With time, Alzheimer’s Disease looms.

You begin to lose bone, and height, and face the risk of osteoporosis. If you lose enough bone, you break your hip or your spine.

You heart arteries start hardening. They become so hard that you face the real risk of suffering a heart attack.

Your vagina gets dry and itchy. It even starts to shrink. Intercourse becomes painful, maybe even impossible.

Your skin take on that thin, drawn, wrinkled look. No lotion works to prevent it.

And on, and on. In essence, all the things that make you “whole,” and “fully functional” seem to slip away. Without estrogen, you hardly even feel feminine anymore.

So, the big question is, “How do you compensate for the loss of estrogen at menopause?”

Well, one of the good things about compensation for estrogen loss is that there are many different ways to accomplish it.

Obviously, taking estrogen replacement is the most certain and direct way. But not every woman can take estrogen. And not every woman wants to take estrogen.

Fortunately, there are options in many different categories for providing your body with the benefits that estrogen once provided. There are dietary options, exercise options, and even non-hormonal medication options.

Unlike the case with actual estrogen replacement, you might have to do many different things to fully compensate for estrogen loss. But, there’s always a way, regardless of your situation or preferences.

The goal is to replace the benefits of estrogen, regardless of whether or not you do that with actual estrogen or something else.

No matter how you look at it, menopause is all about compensation.