Healthy Me 123 » Menopause

The Basics of Menopause

admin — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 16:31:23 +0000

Menopause is the cessation of menstruation due to decline in ovarian function that every woman experiences in their late 40s or early 50s. Menopause signals the end of the fertile phase in women’s life. This major hormonal change does not occur abruptly and suddenly and in most women this change takes place without the requirement of any medical intervention.

Terminology

Menopause is used to define the day after the final menstrual flow occurs. However, menopause refers to the whole menopausal transition period. Perimenopause refers to the years before and after the final episode of menopausal period. In medical terms, Perimenopause is defined as the period when the menses starts becoming irregular and the levels of FSH get increased. The effects and signs of this perimenopause period might start at the early age of 35.

Premenopause refers to the years that lead to the last menstrual period. In this phase, the reproductive hormones become lower and effect of hormonal withdrawal starts. Postmenopause refers to the period when the menopause bleed does not occur for at least 12 months. A woman without a uterus might have high FSH level during this period.

Signs and Symptoms

The hormonal levels fluctuate and drop during the menopausal transition period. The range of effects or symptoms varies from one person to another. The symptoms or effects improve or disappear once the transition completes. Some of the common symptoms are hot flashes, migraine, increased risk of atherosclerosis, rapid heartbeat, watery discharge, urinary urgency, changes in libido, itching, bleeding, dryness, increases susceptibility to infection, back pain, osteopenia, muscle pain, joint pain, formication, skin problems, fatigue, anxiety, mood disturbance, memory loss, and sleep disturbances.

Causes

The two important hormones in a woman’s body are progesterone and estrogen. These hormones are produced in the ovaries and their main function is to control the menstrual cycle. As a woman ages, the production of estrogen and progesterone reduces greatly. During menopause, the ovulation stops and thus it reduces the production of progesterone and halts it to zero. This happen because ovulation is the process that trigger the progesterone production. This hormonal imbalance leads to the signs and symptoms of menopause

Management

Perimenopause is not a disorder and this is the natural cycle for all women. Therefore, this does not require any medical treatment. However, there are treatments and therapies available for emotional, mental and physical effects of menopause that disrupts everyday life. Some of the treatments are Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), conjugated equine estrogen (type of HRT), blood pressure medicines, antidepressants, and alternative medicines like Amberen.

HRT is a therapy in which one or group of medications are used to increase the hormone levels, and this treatment provides short term relief. Traditionally, this therapy was given in the form of tablets and now it is available in the form of sprays, gels, patches, and subcutaneous implants. SERMs are the drugs that are produced from the botanical source. The two common SERMs used are tamoxifen and raloxifene. There are also other treatments available that might reduce the risks and effects of menopause.

Signs of Early Menopause

admin — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 19:09:56 +0000

As women age, their bodies go through a number of changes. One of these is menopause. Although most women begin to feel the effects of this change in their late forties and early fifties, early menopause is something which is also a possibility. Here is a look at the signs and symptoms of early menopause as well as some reasons why it can occur.

There is very little difference between early menopause and menopause which occurs at a more normal age. By definition, anyone who is younger than forty-five years of age and who has begun to experience the symptoms is defined as experiencing early menopause. Before the age of forty, the same symptoms are defined as being premature. There is very little difference between premature, early and natural menopause in terms of the actual signs and symptoms.

At its most basic, this period marks the end of a woman’s menstrual cycle. She stops producing eggs and will, at the end, cease having a monthly period. For some women, this is a hard thing to deal with. They may mourn the loss of their ability to have children and may be devastated when this begins to happen at an early age. Other women welcome the changes and freedom from a monthly menstrual cycle.

With some women, the symptoms may begin gradually and build until they are bothersome. Other women may get hit hard and fast and be struggling to cope with the physical and mental changes that this condition will bring. The symptoms can generally be divided into categories including physical changes, mental changes and emotional changes. A woman may experience some or all of these symptoms to varying degrees.

Some of the physical symptoms are very well known. They include hot flashes and night sweats. Women may worry that if they sweat a little during the night that they are experiencing this symptom but they are likely not. With night sweats, the bed will be drenched and may require you to strip the sheets and change the clothing you are wearing. There are also other symptoms such as headaches and more generalized body and joint pains as well. Sometimes a woman will also experience insomnia as well. There can be side effects such as vaginal dryness that can affect a woman’s sexual appetite and comfort. Osteoporosis, or brittle bones, can also occur because a decrease in estrogen may mean that they begin to lose calcium from their bones.

Mental and emotional changes can also impact quality of life as well. Women may become forgetful, experience severe mood swings and need to cope with depression and anxiety. Many of these are similar to premenstrual symptoms that may have been present when women are menstruating. These problems can be worse if women feel that they are going through the process at a much earlier age than they want to.

If you are young and you are going through this process it is important to speak with a medical professional that you trust. They can test your blood for hormonal levels and determine whether you are menopausal. There can be other medical conditions that may have similar symptoms so you need to get checked out. They may also be able to find the cause for this and even halt the process in very young individuals so that more reproductive time may be available. This is not a guarantee however and may not be possible.

A medical professional will also be able to help prescribe treatments that can address the symptoms you are having. You may want to consider hormone replacement therapy or Amberen and may want to take medications that will preserve the strength and integrity of your bones. You should always research any treatment in order to make sure it is right for you and that you are aware of any potentially harmful side effects. With the proper care you may find that getting through this period can be less traumatic than you might think.

The Signs of Menopause

admin — Thu, 27 May 2010 19:32:40 +0000

Menopause is something every woman goes through. Normally, this change in the body happens when they are over the age of forty. Some women love this time. Others dread it. What should you know about this time? There is quite a bit to know actually and here it is. Let’s take a closer look at some of the things that one needs to understand.

For starters, again, this only affects women. This is like the midlife crisis for women. Men and kids tend to think that they are going crazy, when in all reality, they are just going through their time to mature. When women go through this, they find that their biological clock has run out. Meaning that they cannot get pregnant. One of the biggest indicators that a woman is going through her change is that her periods will be going away and she will be in her later years.

Now, how you go through menopause differs from woman to woman. Some start in their mid thirties. Some go through this in their forties. Others don’t start until they are fifty. However, your doctor can tell you if you are premenopausal. There are a number of things to look for to see if you are going through your change. What are some of those?

There are quite a few symptoms. One of them might be a hormone imbalance. It is quite common that when women experience this, they have to take hormone supplements. When the hormones are out of whack, one might feel out of control when it comes to their emotions. They might cry all the time and so depression is really seen during this time.

Some of the things that women might experience when going through this would be hot flashes and mood swings. These are the most common. The vaginal area goes through some major things as well as the vagina walls grow thin and so forth. This is due to the fact that women won’t have a need for this anymore as they won’t be able to bear children at this point. They might even experience back and joint pain as well.

During this time, a woman’s sexual drive could be changed as well. Some women crave the need for sex. Others find that they are no longer in the mood. It can play both ways. One might never know what way they are going to be. Intercourse might be painful due to the changes in the vaginal area. As well as, they might face some issues with reaching an orgasm. There is a natural product called Amberen that can help with symptoms.

There are a bunch of psychological things going on as well. Some women view this as the best thing that one could ever do. Others might find that this is a very lonely place to be. They might even go through a bit of depression. That is something that you really have to watch for. During this time, relationships might be strained due to the fact of the mood swings. They might even feel sorry for themselves as during this time kids have normally left home and so forth.

So, one can see how this could really hinder a person. It isn’t the best thing to go through, but every woman goes through it. That is something that no one really looks forward to. Some might like the fact that there isn’t a menstrual cycle, but it can still do some damage to a woman to know that this is it.