The menopause is such a different experience for so many women that it can be hard to pinpoint one thing to make it easier. However many women can answer the question: ‘Is collagen good for menopause?’ with a strong and enthusiastic ‘yes!’

What is menopause?

Menopause is described as the time when a woman stops having her period and is no longer able to fall pregnant, but the reality of this time of life is not quite so simple and straight-forward. 

Before menopause arrives, there is a lengthy time – anywhere from four to twelve years long – which is known as the perimenopause. 

During this time, women can suffer horrendous hormonal upheaval as her oestrogen levels drop and her body begins, reluctantly, to release its grip on fertility.

What happens with menopause?

The symptoms of menopause are broadly, widely known. Hot flushes and night sweats make working and sleeping difficult, while mood swings, tiredness and irritability can also strike. 

Along with this can come a loss of libido – which some women can find very disheartening – and vaginal dryness, which can then impact on sexual relationships. Vaginal dryness can also cause pain and bleeding, making physical intimacy painful and difficult.

There are also other, less well-known symptoms of menopause: headaches, joint pain and feelings of weakness or debility, weight gain tends to increase during this time because of hormonal fluctuations, and – as if that was not quite enough to be dealing with – the signs of ageing increase up to fifty percent faster during perimenopause and after.

When does menopause occur and how long does it take? 

Menopause is expected to strike any time between the ages of 45 and 55 in most women, but as always, there are outliers and women as young as their thirties can go into premature menopause. 

But even a ‘lucky’ woman who goes into the menopause later in life, still has to live with the stresses of menopause for that period of perimenopause — a time that can last up to ten years for many.

While some women barely notice the change, simply having their periods become infrequent and then stop altogether, others can have a very difficult and frightening time which can impact on every aspect of their life. 

Memory issues, headaches and mood swings can affect work and careers, while irregular periods, vaginal dryness and reduction of libido can be upsetting to a partner. Add hot flashes, bloating, and skin problem into the mix and it’s clear that menopause is a lot to deal with.

Why does the menopause happen?

Women are born with all the eggs they will ever produce already in their ovaries. As the woman matures, she begins to release eggs each month, preparatory to pregnancy. 

When the pregnancy does not occur, the woman has their period, which can be equated to the body doing housework, cleaning out the unwanted egg and the thick womb lining that was created in anticipation of the fertilisation that never occurred. 

Pretty quickly – within a month or two in most cases – periods become regular lasting anywhere from 3 to 7 days and occur every 21 to 35 days. 

Slowly, the store of eggs is diminished – some being released each month, some ‘dying’ naturally in a process called atresia. 

From one to three million eggs at birth, to around four hundred thousand when her periods start to about ten thousand – or less – when menopause strikes, the loss of eggs is accompanied by a slow decline in oestrogen production.

Once oestrogen production reaches a certain point of decline, fertility can no longer be maintained, and the perimenopause begins.

Can anything help this inevitable event?

Unfortunately, you cannot stop the menopause from happening. It’s a change that every woman has to go through - but there are a few things that can help make the transition easier. 

One thing you can do is keep your body in great shape, taking care of it on both the inside and out.

Supplements can help aid symptoms not only during perimenopause and beyond, but the right ones will also keep you looking and feeling like yourself. 

One of these supplements is collagen, which is something of an all-round healer within the body.

Is collagen good for menopause and how does it help?

As oestrogen levels in the body drop, so do your natural levels of collagen. 

As collagen is responsible for so much within the body — including bone growth, hair, ligaments, skin, and even heart health — it makes sense that losing vital collagen can have an almost devastating effect on the body. Let us have a look at how many ways collagen is good for menopause.

How collagen can help:

Joints and bones can be badly affected by the loss of oestrogen and collagen, becoming brittle, losing bone mass, becoming stiff and sore, and even exacerbating the early onset of arthritis. 

Replacing the lost collagen and ‘topping up’ your natural levels are a good way to help keep your joints moving easily. Combine the supplement and a good diet high in calcium, protein and iron, with a weight-bearing exercise class to keep your bone mass solid and strong, and you can ensure that your youthful posture and love of activity lasts you into an active old age.

Collagen is particularly effective at repairing and conditioning the skin, restoring the hydration barrier, moisturising the skin’s cells and firming up and thickening delicate fragile skin that might otherwise be suffering from thinning and dryness.

And yes, collagen repairs all the skin in the body, even that of the vagina, where thinning and dryness can cause pain and even tearing during sex. While you should still start using a good quality lubricant when you enjoy intercourse, the collagen supplement should help to repair your skin so that penetration is once again comfortable and enjoyable.

During ageing, and especially during menopause, wrinkles can deepen, eyelids may sag, and the skin on the face and neck can sag. Taking a collagen supplement may help. It may help plump the skin and help fine lines firm up, soften deep-set wrinkles, and even restore and tighten the skin for a more youthful appearance.

Hair thinning is also a common symptom of the change. Is collagen good for menopause and hair thinning? Yes it is. Collagen contributes to restoring silky smooth tresses, as well as may even help hair grow back that has receded. 

The menopause can be an unpleasant time, but you do not have to let it wreak havoc on your body. 

Now you know that yes is the answer to the question ‘is collagen good for menopause?’, you can begin to reclaim control, managing and alleviating the symptoms with a good quality, hydrolysed marine collagen supplement like Absolute Collagen.