What is menopause
Menopause is a natural part of life and not a disease. Menopause happens when your ovaries stop producing estrogen, which causes your periods to stop. It's not caused by stress or diet, and it's not a problem.
- What is the
menopause?
- Menopause a
disease?
- When menopause
happen?
- know you've
reached menopause?
- Menopause
symptoms
- Complications
- Women can get
pregnant in menopause?
- Sex in menopause
- Menopause is
gradual process?
- Deal with symptoms.
- Treatment
- Remedies
What is the menopause?
Menopause is the period in a woman's life when she stops having periods. Menopause usually happens between the ages of 45 and 55. This can be a challenging time for women, but there are things you can do to feel better during this time.
Menopause is caused by a drop in estrogen levels that affect how your body works. During menopause, your ovaries stop producing eggs. You may have heard that menopause is caused by "running out" of eggs too soon or because your ovaries become damaged from years of releasing eggs. Neither of these things causes menopause; instead, it happens because your ovaries make less estrogen as you age, which changes how your body works and feels at different times throughout your life.
During menopause, some women may experience symptoms such as hot flashes and vaginal dryness . These symptoms are often relieved by hormone therapy (HT) with estrogen or progesterone or both , which can be taken in pill form or applied to the skin.
Is the menopause a disease?
Many women have the impression that the menopause is a disease. This is not the case at all. In fact, it is merely a natural part of aging. During this period, your ovaries stop producing eggs and hormones, which can lead to symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats. However, these symptoms should not last longer than two years if you are healthy and do not smoke or drink alcohol excessively (which may increase their intensity).
When does the menopause happen?
Menopause is the time when a woman stops menstruating. It's a natural part of aging and can happen at any age, though it usually happens between ages 45-55. The average age for menopause is 51 years old, but women as young as in their 30's can start going through perimenopause—the process before menopause begins where your hormones change and you may have some of the symptoms listed below.
The average age that women experience menopause has been increasing over the last century, so it's possible that this trend will continue into the future and there will be more generations of women who are postmenopausal than those who are experiencing their midlife cycle at typical ages.
How do you know you've reached the menopause?
If you're in your 40's and haven't had a period for a year, it's possible that you are going through the menopause. Some women will have their last periods as early as their late 30s or early 40s, while others will continue to have regular periods right up until the age of 50.
The most obvious sign of reaching the menopause is stopping having periods altogether. This can be an upsetting time, but remember that it's a natural part of life and there's nothing wrong with you physically – it just means your body has stopped producing eggs. You may go through months where you don't get any periods at all before they stop completely (this is called 'cessation'). If this happens to you and lasts for more than two years, see your GP because there could be another cause for your absence of periods such as polycystic ovaries (PCOS).
Menopause symptoms
- bleeding,
which could be heavy
- swelling of
the abdomen
- lower back
pain
- pain during
sex, urination, or bowel movements
- fatigue
- swelling or
pain in your legs
- constipation
- unexpected
weight loss or gain
These symptoms may be caused by fluctuating hormone levels. As estrogen levels drop during the transition to menopause (the time when a woman's menstrual cycle stops), other hormones like progesterone and testosterone don't rise to compensate. This can cause estrogen levels to drop even further and lead to symptoms like those listed above.
Complications
- Common complications of menopause include:
- vulvovaginal atrophy
- dyspareunia, or painful intercourse
- slower metabolic function
- osteoporosis, or weaker bones with reduced mass and strength
- mood or sudden emotional changes
- cataracts
- periodontal disease
- urinary incontinence
- heart or blood vessel disease
Perimenopausal and post-menopausal women can get pregnant.
Women who are perimenopausal or post-menopausal can get pregnant. Many women assume that they will not be able to conceive once they reach menopause, but this is not true. Women in their 40's, 50's and 60's may still be fertile—and many would be surprised to learn just how "fertile" they may actually be!
The chances of getting pregnant naturally after menopause increase with age; however, there's no guarantee that pregnancy will occur even if you're over 50 years old (or even 60 years old). Most women stop ovulating before their ovaries shut down completely, which means that the number of eggs left during a woman's lifetime continues to decrease until around age 46 or 47 when her body stops producing all together. This can happen as early as 45 years old for some women while others continue menstruating until much later than this point -- anywhere between 50 and 55 years old is considered average age at which time menstruation ceases altogether.
Women still capable of becoming pregnant despite having had hysterectomies should know that tubal ligation is reversible so long as both fallopian tubes remain intact after surgery has been performed on them.
Women can continue to have sex after the menopause.
Menopause is the end of a woman's reproductive life. It happens when the ovaries stop producing eggs and making estrogen. In other words, it happens when women can no longer get pregnant or have babies.
Women can continue to have sex after their periods have stopped, but it's different from what they're used to. Most women find that the amount of lubrication decreases and the vaginal walls become thinner and less elastic during menopause—that means intercourse may be uncomfortable or even painful without extra lube or other changes in technique (like focusing on clitoral stimulation).
After the menopause has been confirmed by a doctor, you can still have sex with your partner.
The menopause isn't always a gradual process.
The menopause isn't always a gradual process. Some women may have no symptoms at all, while others can experience hot flashes and other uncomfortable symptoms.
The menopause may be a sudden or gradual process. It can also be a combination of sudden and gradual, but the most common pattern is for it to begin gradually and then end abruptly.
As your levels of estrogen drop, you may feel more tired than usual. You might also notice that your breasts are sore or tender. These changes can make it difficult to sleep well at night.
Some women also experience mood swings and difficulty concentrating or remembering things as their levels of estrogen decrease. This can lead to irritability or depression in some cases.
The menopause is a natural part of life, but it's okay to get some help to deal with the symptoms.
The menopause is a natural part of life, but it's okay to get some help to deal with the symptoms.
The menopause is not a disease. It's simply one of the stages in a woman's life which happen during her reproductive years. The average age for a woman having her last period and going through the menopause is 51, but it can start as early as 40 or later than 55.
The important thing to remember about the menopause is that it isn't something that needs treatment or cures because it's completely normal and occurs naturally in your body when you're ready for it.
Treatment
Although menopause is a natural process that cannot be prevented or reversed, there are treatments available to help with menopausal symptoms. Treatments include hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and alternative therapies such as acupuncture or herbal remedies.
Treatment for menopause includes:
-Hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
-Estrogen only HRT (EOT)
-Natural remedies such as herbs and supplements
=>Additional medications sometimes used
for menopause symptoms include:
- topical minoxidil 5 percent,
used once daily for hair thinning and loss
- antidandruff shampoos,
commonly ketoconazole 2 percent and zinc pyrithione 1 percent, used for
hair loss
- eflornithine hydrochloride
topical cream for unwanted hair growth
- selective serotonin reuptake
inhibitors (SSRIs), commonly paroxetine 7.5
milligrams for hot flashes, anxiety, and depression
- nonhormonal vaginal
moisturizers and lubricants
- low-dose estrogen-based
vaginal lubricants in the form of a cream, ring, or tablet
- ospemifene for vaginal
dryness and painful intercourse
- prophylactic antibiotics for
recurrent UTIs
- sleep medications for
insomnia
- denosumab, teriparatide,
raloxifene, or calcitonin for postmenstrual osteoporosis
Remedies
Using home remedies and lifestyle adjustments, you can lessen minor or moderate menopausal symptoms naturally.
- Here are some home remedies for menopause:
- Keeping cool and staying comfortable
- Exercising and managing your weight
- Supplementing your diet
- Managing sleep
- Quitting smoking
- limiting alcohol use
- yoga
- box breathing
- meditation
Natural supplements and nutrients that
may help limit menopause symptoms include: