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Women live more than a third of their lives without menstruation. And, although it is being talked about more and more, to the point that it seems like a fad, both menopause and climacteric are great unknowns and a taboo surrounded by mythology for them.

Many girls know how their mother or grandmother went through menopause but, in most cases, not because there was an open conversation. And this happens because this vital stage is associated with shame and the end of femininity.

From left to right: Ana Lombardía, Beatriz Larrea, Marta Marcè and Tania Martínez, together with the moderator of the talk, from Freshly Cosmetics.EM

A group of four expert women, who in their day-to-day work against this idea with contrasted information both in their professions and in their social profiles, have come together so that any girl from the age of 40 can live a free, happy and full of self-care menopause.

The sexologist and psychologist Ana Lombardía, the nutritionists Beatriz Larrea and Marta Marcè, who suffered from early menocausia, and Tania Martínez, founder and CEO of The Mennopause Feel, have offered their testimonies and experience about this physiological state, such as pregnancy or adolescence, which is not a disease. "Girls go to the doctor, supplement and control their weight when they are going to have a child. It should be the same," they concluded. A meeting moderated by the firm Freshly, which for the first time has introduced specific products for this stage on the market with the word menopause written on the packaging.

The Natural Menopause line by Freshly Cosmetics, which includes a vaginal moisturizer. "It's not a lubricant," they clarified.

SEXUALITY

We don't have to lose our sex drive

Ana Lombardía, psychologist and sexologist

Some studies talk about the perception of sexuality during menopause, pointing to the decrease in desire, lack of arousal and pain in intercourse due to vaginal dryness and worse lubrication. The drop in steroid hormones that takes place during the menopausal transition plays an important role in this response but, according to psychologist and sexologist Ana Lombardia, many women feel even more attractive and want to enjoy sex life in a more pleasurable rebirth. "Neither the vagina nor the body atrophyes. We don't have to lose our sex drive." Both getting to know yourself better and getting rid of complexes helps, this specialist has clarified. "It is true that with the drop in estrogen and progesterone we can notice some dryness in the area of the vulva and vagina, for example."

This hormonal decline is indisputable, but it is not the only element that comes into play in sexuality. There is also more freedom to experiment, which is why he encouraged people to "avoid coitocentrism" or to stop thinking that the goal is "to give pleasure only to man". It is wrong that by stopping menstruation "our sex life is over". The psychologist and sexologist has advised receiving the natural process of aging as a gratitude that we have the opportunity to live "from love and acceptance".

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EARLY MENOPAUSE

I've been enjoying my menopause since I was 26 years old

Marta Marcè, nutritionist

In 2011, from one day to the next, Marta Marcè said, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. "I took a sabbatical after chemo and started deep personal work with Argia, my coach." After the operation, a hysterectomy (the uterus and cervix are removed), she woke up with hot flashes. "I thought I would lose my youth and I couldn't take hormone replacement therapy," she recalled. But she didn't want to live on medication. "I started researching and testing a lot of things on myself."

Finally, after becoming aware of the importance of good habits, she decided to study Human Nutrition and Dietetics. Everything that had helped her, she wanted to share with other women. "Early menopause is a big taboo, but you can live very well if you have a basic diet. It has to be a very nutritious diet, friendly with fats, well chosen, always healthy, such as avocado, nuts, olive oil or olives," he explained. Foods that are scary because they are "fattening", he clarified, are important at this stage to reduce inflammation in the brain, through the Omega-3 contained in oily fish, and to hydrate the mucous membranes. "I've been enjoying my menopause since I was 26 years old. I'm 38 now."

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PERIMENOPAUSE

The goal is to ensure proper progesterone production and modulate estrogen

Beatriz Larrea, nutritionist

"No one tells you that at the age of 38 you enter perimenopause, that by not ovulating every cycle you don't produce progesterone. Sadly, no one teaches you how to be a woman," said nutritionist Beatriz Larrea, who said that yelling at everyone, feeling misunderstood, bleeding brown, shorter cycles or suffering from insomnia is absolutely normal even before you stop menstruating completely but, she insisted again, "no one tells you what to do to feel better."

The worst thing we can do, in the words of this dietitian, is to live systemically inflamed. "The goal is to ensure proper progesterone production and modulate estrogen. Inflammation is not abdominal distension, but an activation of the immune system due to stress, being overweight or reacting to different foods that trigger the activation of our army. That's why it's important to know that your metabolic health is going to determine your insulin resistance and even how much weight you'll have at menopause."

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He advised taking anti-inflammatory and antioxidant foods to regulate stress, such as cocoa, cinnamon, turmeric, ginger, berries, turkey, beans, salmon, pumpkin seeds, avocado, nuts and flavonoid-rich matcha tea. On many foods on this list, he agreed with Marcè.

Stress management techniques, such as yoga and mindfulness, are very helpful in lowering cortisol levels, the hormone that puts us on alert when fleeing a predator, she explained. "It's also very helpful to have an ikigai, the purpose of life, to know why you get up every morning. And by this I do not mean that the world's suffering must end. It can be feeding your child or taking care of your parents. Do things that make you feel good and stop wanting to be perfect."

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AGING

We need to be more compassionate with ourselves

Tania Martinez, Founder of The Mennopause Feel

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We are a bit lost but we have a lot to say and to contribute. We change on a physical level, on a hormonal level, on an emotional level and sometimes also mentally. Menopause is a key period to take care of yourself and adapt," said Tania Martínez, CEO of The Mennopause Feel, a company that disseminates news and events on issues related to women from 45-50 years of age. He wants to put an end to the idea that if you're not fertile, society doesn't care about you anymore. "We need to be more compassionate with ourselves. The menopausal revolution is boosting our self-esteem."

When we get older we must be active, train strength, because for the loss of muscles it is key, and "know how to say no" to stop carrying so many things. "It's a stage to prioritize ourselves. To accept, like a girl who becomes a woman and knows that she is not going to get her body back as a girl." Our hair falls out, our skin dries out more... And many more situations that are going to occur in our body, without us having to feel that we have to count calories or that we are no longer valid. "Take charge of your life."

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