Health News / October 2007
Menopause
Menopause happens to every woman. There is no way to avoid it, but there are ways to cope with the changes. Menopause is a transition in a woman's life when the ovaries stop producing eggs and is the time when the body stops producing the hormones estrogen and progesterone.
The normal menstrual cycle in a healthy woman estrogen is the dominant hormone that is produced for the first 10-12 days following the previous menstrual flow. If ovulation occurs, ovulation then signals the female body to produce progesterone, which happens for the next 12 days or so. If pregnancy does not occur during ovulation, progesterone and estrogen levels will drop at around day 28, allowing menstruation to begin. However, if you do not ovulate, you will not produce progesterone that month. This event, called an “annovulatory” cycle, is a typical occurrence today for women even 10 to 20 years before the normal age of menopause. This leaves the woman with an excess of estrogen and a deficiency of the vital hormone progesterone, which can only be produced if ovulation occurs.
Symptoms and the onset of menopause occur differently in every woman so it is difficult to say what each woman will experience and when. The normal age at which a woman begins menopause is anywhere from 40 to 55. Studies have been done that show that woman who are malnourished tend to start menopause at an earlier age than women who are well-nourished. Also, women who began menstruation earlier tend to have menopause occur later in life.
Common symptoms include hot flashes, missed periods, sleep disruption, mood swings, vaginal dryness, and a low sex drive.
To combat symptoms of menopause, women have many options. There are two types of hormone therapy the first being hormone therapy replacement (HRT) is a combination of progesterone and estrogen and the second, estrogen replacement therapy (ERT). HRT is an excellent way to help alleviate the symptoms of menopause, but it has its downfalls. Studies have shown that HRT does slightly increase your chances of breast cancer, heart attack and stroke. If you are at high-risk for any of these consult your health care provider before using HRT.
With ERT, there are three different types of replacement therapy. The first method is by using the hormone estrogen by itself as a cream, vaginal or oral pill. The second method is similar to the way you use the birth control pill. You take estrogen pills or use the patch daily, but you also use progesterone for a set amount of days out of the month. The final one is continuous therapy, which is estrogen plus the use of progesterone pills taken a few times a day.
ERT has risk factors and side effects including premenstrual symptoms (PMS) such as bloating and tender breasts. There also is an increased risk for breast cancer, coronary artery disease, blood clots, gallstones, uterine fibroids and stroke. There is a possibility of weight gain while on treatment.
If a woman decides against hormone therapy, there are a number of different alternative practices she can use. Some alternative methods include starting an exercise routine, staying away from beverages and foods containing caffeine, avoiding alcohol and staying clear of spicy foods, all of which will help decrease hot flashes. For vaginal dryness there are several over the counter lubricants that can be used.
There are many different ways to help ease the transition of menopause. The best option is to speak with your health care provider and give them a family history of any disease or illness. This will help you make an educated decision on what treatment is best suited for you.
Information found in this newspaper is not intended to replace medical advice offered by physicians or healthcare providers. Information is provided for your general information only. A Woman’s View, under no circumstances, makes any medical recommendations. Consult your physician or healthcare practitioner regarding all aspect of health concerns.
Copyright © 2001-2009 A Woman's View. All rights reserved.
Top • Home • Subscribe • Advertise • Submit • Distribution • Contact
Support Our Advertisers • Organization Resources • Women Owned Business
Organization Resource List • Women Owned Businesses • Support Our Advertisers
Maintained by TEABROOKE
Website Design | SEO | Social Media Consulting
Related Sites | XMLSiteMap | Web Portal
Landing Zone SEO - Website | Search | Usability | Results | Goodness
Send an Email About This Article