11/05/2016
What is Menopause?
Introduction:
Menopause refers to the time at which a woman stops having menstrual periods. It is defined as the absence of periods for 12 consecutive months. The average age of menopause is 51 years, although this can vary widely and the onset could be earlier. Menopause is a natural part of a woman's life cycle. It is important to understand the changes your body is going through during menopause.
Menopause occurs due to a complex series of hormonal changes. It is associated with a decline in the number of functioning eggs within the ovaries. Menopause itself is not a process but denotes the time point when periods have ceased for 12 months in a row. However, the process of declining hormone levels prior to menopause has been referred to as perimenopause or the menopausal transition. This process can last for up to 10 years or more in some women and is variable in length. Each woman experiences menopause differently. Some women have changes in several areas of their lives. It is not always possible to tell if these changes are related to aging, menopause or both.
Major Signs and Symptoms of Menopause:
Hot flashes: Hot flashes are the most common symptom of menopause. According to some studies, hot flashes occur in as many as 75% of perimenopausal women. Hot flash symptoms vary among women. There is a feeling of warmth in hot flashes that spreads over the body, lasting from around 30 seconds to a few minutes. The skin becomes flushed (reddened), there is increase in heart beat (palpitations) and sweating are experienced in hot flashes. Hot flashes often increase skin temperature and pulse, cause insomnia, or sleeplessness. Hot flashes usually last 2 to 3 years, but many women can experience them for up to 5 years or longer. An even smaller percentage may have them for more than 15 years. There can be urinary incontinence and burning on urination. There can be thinning of the skin.
Vaginal changes: Due to decline in the levels of oestrogen, perimenopausal women may also have pain during in*******se.
Breast changes: Menopause may cause changes in the shape of the breasts.
Bone loss: Rapid bone loss is common during the perimenopausal years. During perimenopause, bone loss accelerates without causing any pain (Osteoporosis). It increases the risk of bone fractures.
Cholesterol: Cholesterol profiles also change significantly at the
time of menopause. Total cholesterol and LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels increase. Heart disease risk increases after menopause.
Weight gain: There can be an average gain of weight may be due to hormonal changes or aging or both.
Mood changes : It appears that negative mood and anxiety are influenced more by the secondary effects of menopause symptoms than by menopausal status. This has also been referred to as the domino effect. Perhaps the physiological changes experienced by women such as hot flushes and night sweats result in increased fatigue and feelings of lethargy. It may be that some women mistake the symptoms they experience along with their hot flushes for symptoms of anxiety, or depression when the menopausal woman is feeling fatigued and lacks motivation because of disrupted sleep. Changes to the body associated with ageing, such as the physical appearance of wrinkles, may contribute to a woman’s negative body image, thus resulting in negative moods.
Those women who had a social network were found to be more positive about the menopause, and were less likely to be depressed.
Premature menopause:
Premature menopause may be caused by many factors; the most common are removal of the ovaries (bilateral oophorectomy surgery), Hysterectomy surgery (the uterus - womb - is surgically removed), some infections and also due to genetic factors.
Diagnosis:
Blood testing: Checking of the follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) level through a blood test.
Bone testing: The standard for measuring bone loss, or osteoporosis, associated with menopause is the DEXA (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry) scan. The test calculates bone mineral density and compares it to the average value for healthy young women. The DEXA scan is usually performed before a doctor prescribes medications for osteoporosis to rebuild bone mineral density. Simple bone screening can also be done using ultrasound machines that measure the bone density of the heel. This is merely a screening device. If low bone density is detected, follow-up with a complete DEXA scan may be required.
Heart risk testing: A doctor can measure cholesterol levels with a simple blood test. If cholesterol levels are high, the doctor can advise about whow to avoid or decrease the risk of heart disease.
Treatment :
Menopause does not happen in isolation from the social interpretations and psychological changes that may also occur in a woman’s life at the same time It is important that any understanding of menopause is placed within the context of a woman’s life and includes consideration of her psychological state, psychological influences, cultural and social background, and the ageing process.Women who have a negative attitude to menopause and ageing have been found to have increased reports of depression, particularly in large community studies. Women who experience low or unstable self-esteem often experience feelings of depression or anxiety, and are vulnerable to health problems.
Menopause is not a disease that has a definitive cure or treatment. Lifestyle changes (Exercise, change in food habit, adequate calcium intake), drug therapy(hormone replacement therapy- HRT,symptoms specific therapy for hypertension, anxiety etc.)and natural therapy can ease out the symptoms.
However, more recently, studies have suggested that the cardiovascular risks associated with hormone therapy may be more relevant for older postmenopausal women rather than those in the perimenopause or early postmenopausal period.
Natural therapy:
Complementary and Alternative Medicine may relieve the symptoms of menopause. These techniques include meditation, acupuncture, hypnosis, biofeedback, deep breathing exercises, and paced respiration (a technique of slow breathing using the stomach muscles).
Herbal supplements can often be taken in conjunction with hormone therapy. Food is medicine and there is incredible strength in plants and herbal remedies that have been known to prevent menopausal and perimenopausal symptoms. It is amazing that many plants and herbs can adapt to the needs of your body.
Some herbs that can help reduce menopause symptoms include black cohosh, passionflower, chasteberry, and wild yam.
Plant estrogens (phytoestrogens) such as soy protein are a popular remedy for managing the symptoms associated with menopause. Phytoestrogens are natural plant estrogens (isoflavones), which are thought to have effects similar to estrogen therapy. Soy comes from soybeans and is also called miso or tempeh. The best food sources are raw or roasted soybeans, soy flour, soy milk, and tofu.
It is observed that that when women make natural adjustments to their lifestyles, not only do they feel much better but also feel in control of their menopause symptoms.
