Are you in
perimenopause? menopause? With women taking charge of themselves
nowadays, they can ease into the life change feeling empowered. Both
phases have similar symptoms due to hormone fluctuations.
Menopause is
a normal stage of life—just like puberty and the start of menses, every
woman also goes through the end of menses, known as menopause. The word
menopause is derived from Greek roots; ‘meno’ meaning month and ‘pause’
meaning to stop. Menopause is when the ovaries stop producing estrogen
which causes the female reproductive system to shut down and stop
producing eggs and eventually, ceasing menses completely. Menopause
usually occurs around the age of 50 and usually lasts one year, but can
be as short as six months or more than 5 years. This gradual process of
menopause is called climacteric.
The symptoms
of menopause are of a wide variety and are created by the lack of
estrogen a woman’s body is creating during menopause. These symptoms
include:
Hot flashes
Disturbance
of sleep
Frequent or
urgent urination
Itchiness,
dryness or bleeding of the vagina
Back, joint
and muscle pain
Osteoporosis
Thinner skin,
less elasticity in the skin
Atrophy of
the breast
General
moodiness
Memory loss
Decrease in
libido and sex drive
Fatigue
Peri-menopause
is the time before menopause which typically begins between the ages of
35-48 and usually has some symptoms of menopause, most commonly,
occasional hot flashes. The estrogen and progesterone levels begin to
show a decrease and become irregular making it the more difficult stage
as the body feels changes as during puberty . During peri-menopause,
fertility is weakened and women become aware of some symptoms and signs
of menopause. Peri-menopause can last for a few months or several years,
and the duration can not be predicted.
Menopause is
clearly defined as the cessation of menses for one full year (12
months). At this time, the ovaries have stopped producing and dropping
eggs into the uterus and have also ceased producing estrogen. The lack
of estrogen leads to post-menopausal hot flashes, osteoporosis, insomnia
and depression, as well as the other symptoms listed above.
Menopause can
be surgically induced as well at any age. The procedure is typically a
hysterectomy—removal of the uterus and/or cervix during surgery and an
oophorectomy, when they remove the ovaries. Having a hysterectomy
(removal of the uterus) ceases menses, but does not accommodate
menopause. Menopause and its side effects will still happen at the
approximate age of 50 when the ovaries begin to cease their functioning
and production of estrogen. However, when the ovaries are removed, full
surgical menopause occurs, and often includes the symptoms of regular
menopause.
Premature
menopause, menopause that occurs before the age of 40, happens in
approximately one per cent of women. Premature menopause is usually
caused by premature ovarian failure but can also be caused by autoimmune
disorders, diabetes mellitus and thyroid disease. Premature menopause is
diagnosed by testing the follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and
luteinizing hormone (LH)—menopause has occurred if these levels are
higher than average.
Smoking
cigarettes has been found to decrease the age of menopause by
approximately one year. Premature menopause does not seem to be affected
by cigarette smoking.
In your 30s,
your ovaries begin to change—primarily in how much estrogen and
progesterone they make. Estrogen is pertinent to bone health, which is
why menopausal and post-menopausal women are at such high risk for
osteoporosis. Estrogen may also be linked to your cholesterol levels and
helps to keep your skin and arteries more elastic and potentially helps
memory.
Menopause is
a simple fact of life for women, just as the start of their menses and
puberty is. It is a stage that women will go through. Post-menopause is
the time from your last period and continues for the rest of your life.
The symptoms of menopause such as hot flashes and irritability usually
only last for a few years before they slowly dissipate. After menopause,
you no longer have to worry about menses or getting pregnant, however,
you are at risk for other health problems, such as osteoporosis.
as hormones
played a key role while in our younger years in maintaining your body in
optimum health; this is the time when you need to boost your body with a
heart healthy diet and supplements
Talk to your
health professional if you are peri-menopausal, menopausal or
post-menopausal about a regime to keep you healthy and at lower risk for
health problems.
Staying
informed and taking charge of not only your physical but also your
emotional and spiritual well being, can make this time of your life one
of rediscovering yourself!
