While we all understand what menopause is, sometimes it can be easy to pass it off as a natural process and leave it as that. Often, this leads to relationship problems, though, as your partner may not truly understand the various symptoms and effects that menopause brings with it. Chances are that they will simply think it means an end to periods, but that isn’t the case – going through menopause can be an emotional time and has numerous symptoms which can make dealing with menopause all the more difficult. Going through these symptoms with someone who understands and can be sympathetic makes life easier for you both, so here are some of the things which your partner should know.
For your partner, menopause is more confusing than the PMS symptoms they’ve no doubt become used to – menopause isn’t simply a week once a month, it is a daily offering of stress, anxiety, night sweats and mood swings. If you’re in a relationship, it isn’t just you who needs to understand the menopause. This stage in your life will change elements of your personality for a while, which impacts on your relationship, so it’s vital that your partner understands that and can prepare for the changes which will occur. There are three ways in which you can open up a conversation about this though, which will help create a dialogue from which to expand on what menopause is, the symptoms it brings and how it will affect you.
Firstly, you should state how you feel about it. While it may feel natural to take the solo approach and try to battle it out on your own, your partner can help you get through this. Be honest about your emotions towards this change in your life, as well as the physical changes you’re feeling, to help your partner understand what you’re going through. Secondly, you need to make it clear that the mood swings and emotions you’re feeling aren’t you, it’s the hormones. Your hormones will be all over the place during this stage, so you’ll no doubt be feeling more volatile and emotional than normal. This can make others around you feel slightly on edge, but explain to them why this is so that they can better understand. Lastly, your sex drive may be affected by menopause – the decrease in oestrogen levels means that your body’s natural lubrication drops, making sex painful at times. This can be a difficult time for both you and your partner, leading to worry and anxiety. But there’s no need to worry – this is perfectly natural during menopause and can be resolved with lubricant or hormone therapy, which can be sought from your GP.
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