Women must see the menopause as an opportunity to make crucial lifestyle changes that could prevent ill health, according to senior doctors.
It should be a time to cut back on the calories, do more exercise and even think of taking up bridge or another mentally challenging activity.
Such changes could help prevent the numerous illnesses that commonly develop ten years later, namely diabetes, osteoporosis, heart disease and dementia.
A report by the International Menopause Society also urges women to consider taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT), despite a long-running debate over its safety.
In 2002 a major US study linked the drugs to breast cancer, prompting the number of prescriptions to plummet around the world.
But this report stresses that evidence has since shown that the benefits of HRT by far outweigh the risks as well as alleviating debilitating symptoms, it may also prevent heart disease.
Doctors also urge women to consider taking up mentally stimulating activities such as reading, crosswords or bridge which may help ward of dementia.
Their verdict comes a day after a Nuffield Health survey found that 28 per cent of women struggle to cope with everyday life due to the menopause, and one in five have had to take time off work while one in 50 are on long-term sick leave.
Common symptoms of the menopause include exhaustion, aching muscles, night sweats, hot flushes and memory loss.
Once women reach the menopause they produce far less of the hormone oestrogen which makes them more prone to osteoporosis and heart disease.
In addition, as they near their sixties they are at higher risk of illnesses of old age including cancer, diabetes and dementia.
Experts say that given a third of a womans life is spent after the menopause, it is crucial that as much of this time as possible is spent in good health.
Dr Roger Lobo from Columbia University, New York, lead author of the International Menopause Society report, said: At the menopause, women have a chance to take steps which will help determine whether they go on to live a healthy and active life.
There are some conditions, for example osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease, which are clearly directly associated with the menopause, whereas others are more associated with increasing age.
Menopause provides women with an opportunity to review their health and lifestyle. Many measures are simple, but effective. Do a little more exercise, eat a little less, if you consume alcohol, do so in moderation.
Coping with the menopause
Source Mail ONline
