Menopause is a normal condition that all women experience as they age. The term “menopause” can describe any of the changes a woman goes through either just before or after she stops menstruating, marking the end of her reproductive period.
Consider watching this video to know more about top 10 ways to deal with menopause…..
A woman is born with a finite number of eggs, which are in the ovaries. The ovaries also make the hormones estrogen and progesterone, which control menstruation and ovulation. Menopause happens when the ovaries no longer release an egg every month, and menstruation stops.
Menopause is considered a normal part of aging when it happens after the age of 40. Some women can go through menopause early, either as a result of surgery or damage to the ovaries. Menopause that occurs before 40, regardless of the cause, is called premature menopause.
Natural menopause is not brought on by any medical or surgical treatment. The process is gradual and has three stages:
Pre-menopause typically begins several years before menopause, when the ovaries gradually make less estrogen. Pre-menopause lasts up until menopause, the point when the ovaries stop releasing eggs. In the last 1 to 2 years of pre-menopause, the drop in estrogen quickens. At this stage, many women have menopause symptoms.
Menopause is the point when it’s been a year since a woman last had her last menstrual period. At this stage, the ovaries have stopped releasing eggs and making most of their estrogen.
Post-menopause is the years after menopause. During this stage, menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes ease for most women. But health risks related to the loss of estrogen rise as the woman ages.
Premature menopause can be the result of genetics, autoimmune disorders, or medical procedures. Other conditions that may cause early menopause include:
Usually, the ovaries make both estrogen and progesterone. Changes in the levels of these two hormones happen when the ovaries, for unknown reasons, prematurely stop releasing eggs. When this occurs before the age of 40, it’s called premature ovarian failure. Unlike early menopause, premature ovarian failure is not always permanent.
Induced menopause happens when the ovaries are surgically removed for medical reasons, such as uterine cancer or endometriosis. Induced menopause can also result from damage to the ovaries caused by radiation or chemotherapy.
Most women approaching menopause will have hot flashes, a sudden feeling of warmth that spreads over the upper body, often with blushing and some sweating. The severity of hot flashes varies from mild in most women to severe in others.
Other common symptoms around the time of menopause include irregular or skipped periods, insomnia, mood swings, fatigue, depression, irritability, racing heart, headaches, joint and muscle aches and pains, changes in libido (sex drive), vaginal dryness and bladder control problems.
The loss of estrogen linked with menopause leads to several health problems that become more common as women age. After menopause, women are more likely to have osteoporosis, heart disease, a poorly working bladder and bowel, higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease, reduced skin elasticity (increased wrinkling), poor muscle power and tone, and some weakening in vision, such as from cataracts (clouding of the lens of the eye) and macular degeneration (the breakdown of the tiny spot in the center of the retina that is the center of vision).
Menopause affects every woman differently. Learn about the changes happening in your body as you go through menopausal transition.
Until Next Time,
Team Doctor ASKY!