Connect. A Life Online Podcast

The Female Advantage Episode 3

In episode 3 in our female advantage discussion, in this episode we explore the four types of women we are during our cycle.

“At her first bleeding a woman meets her power.  During her bleeding years she practices it.  At menopause she becomes it” American First Nations saying

Whether we accept it or not, we ALL know that one day we will experience Menopause just like we do our monthly periods.

Yet, why is this significant life transition rarely spoken about and often viewed as taboo?

It has been generations of misleading information about our menstrual cycles carried down from mother to daughter, morphed into this shameful, negative, disruptive moment each month. The myths and beliefs that our monthly cycles make us less of a woman have damaged women’s self worth, confidence, belief and love towards themselves for years and years.

By the time we reach menopausal age, we have a lifetime of biological scars that leaves us unprepared for what may come during Menopause that go way beyond just the physical symptoms. The best part of being informed about Menopause is that you can actually proactively take control of this time and embrace it with a positive mindset of opportunity and potential.

The truth is, Menopause is a natural process and despite what most women think, it is the time of a woman’s life that breeds growth, connection to self and enlightenment. The end of your menstruating years does not need to be the end of your dreams and aspirations but rather a time of reflection, reconnection and awakening.

The sad reality is that most women do not understand or know the stages of Menopause which inhibits their ability to embrace the stages with such positivity.

Well, wonder no more because a new conversation starts here.

Below we outline the stages of each Menopause phase and the opportunity that each one can give you at work and in your life.

Perimenopause: is the umbrella term that describes the years leading into Menopause. Ovarian function and hormone levels undergo profound shifts and periods alter. It is mostly unknown or misunderstood and as such you may not realise that you are perimenopausal until the symptoms start like hot flushes, night sweat, insomnia, mood changes, coupled with anxiety and a deep uncertainty as to what is really happening. On the contrary it is the opportunity for the fullest bloom of a woman’s power, wisdom and creativity and can have you feeling more intuitive, powerful and energised.

Menopause: the time at which periods cease and the vital developmental stage of a woman’s life. Dr Christine Northrup, M.D considers this stage “the biggest opportunity for growth and empowerment since adolescence”. Through connection with the self and the energy that menopause cultivates, you will find access to all that you need to reinvent yourself as your healthiest, most energetic, resilient self.

Post Menopause:  the time after menopause where the body settles into a new normal and a woman seeks supportive measures to help cope with this next and sometimes challenging phase of life.  “What we have to lose is not nearly so valuable as what we have to gain: finding our own voices and the courage to speak our own truths.   When women do this, they are truly irresistible in their power and beauty” Christine Northrup, M.D

As the opening quote so beautifully claims, through Menopause women meet their power. As much as Menopause is stereotyped as the dreaded life stage for older women, we think you can agree that much opportunity and potential awaits all women as we transition through the three stages of Menopause.

It is no longer about losing our femininity or our menstrual cycles but rather it is an awakening to an exciting new chapter in the life as a woman.

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