
menstruating; literally, a woman’s final menstrual period. Menopause, sometimes called the change of life, generally occurs between ages 40 and 55 with the average age being 51. Menopause may occur as early as age 39 or as late as 58 and is considered premature when it occurs before age 40. Women will go through menopause early if they have had their ovaries removed or if they have received radiation therapy to the ovaries. Smokers and underweight women tend to have an earlier menopause, while overweight women may have a later menopause. As a general rule, a woman will tend to go through menopause at about the same age as her mother. The process is a lengthy one that tends to be gradual, beginning during perimenopause, when the ovaries production of estrogen and other hormones slows down. Perimenopause can last for several years. Menopause has ended when a woman has not had a menstrual period for a minimum of 6 months. The most important hormonal change during menopause is a 75 percent reduction in the production of estrogen. Changes in estrogen levels are responsible for the common physical complaints associated with menopause, such as hot flashes, vaginal dryness, night sweats, and urinary problems. What Physical Changes Can Be Expected?
over time. Different women experience menopause in different ways. Most women experience some symptoms during perimenopause, whether mild or severe, with some of them lasting months or years. The earliest signs of approaching menopause occur in the menstrual cycle. The ovaries produce less estrogen, which may result in an occasional skipped period, lighter or heavier menstrual flow, or a period that is shorter or longer than usual. The menstrual periods become less and less regular, until eventually the ovaries stop making enough estrogen to thicken the lining of the uterus, and the menstrual periods stop.
3 out of every 4 menopausal women in the United States. Another common symptom is interrupted sleep; especially important is the fact that rapid eye movement sleep (REM) is lost. Loss of sleep during menopause is most often caused by hot flashes, which can wake a woman from a deep sleep. Loss of estrogen causes the lining of the vagina to become thinner and dryer, which makes the vagina more vulnerable to irritation and many cause pain during sexual intercourse. Loss of estrogen also causes the cells lining the urinary tract to deteriorate and the tissue around the urethra to weaken, which can result in some loss of bladder control. Some women experience stress incontinence, a sudden leaking of urine when they cough, sneeze, or strain physically. Glandular tissue in the breasts is replaced by fat tissue, which causes them to sag. The risk of breast cancer increases with age, particularly after menopause. The hair and skin can also reflect changes in hormone production. Facial and body hair may darken and thicken, while hair on the scalp and in the pubic area may thin. Skin may also become thinner and less elastic, which can cause wrinkling and sagging. Emotional Roller Coaster During menopause women may experience sudden mood changes or depression. Many women feel nervous, irritable, or very tired beginning in perimenopause, either because of lack of sleep or because of the change in their hormone levels. While hormonal changes may explain some of the emotionalism associated with menopause, it can also be a response to aging or changing circumstances. Menopausal women may be mothers, grandmothers, widows, or caretakers of older parents – all circumstances that may contribute to their changing emotions. Longer Term Concerns
in the long term risk of two life threatening disorders, heart disease and osteoporosis. More American women die of heart disease than of any other cause, including all cancers combined. For most of a woman’s life, her estrogen levels place her at a lower risk than a man for heart disease, but by age 65, her risk equals that of a man. High blood pressure also occurs more frequently in women after menopause. Some women going through menopause may consider hormone replacement therapy, which may reduce the risk of osteoporosis but increases the risk of heart disease an breast cancer.
menopause suggest during menopause, women should eat a low fat, high fiber diet; stop smoking; exercise religiously; maintain a healthy weight; and reduce stress to manageable levels.
Menopause occurs generally between the ages of 40 and 55, although a number of women stop having periods in their late thirties, while others stop in their late fifties. The number of menopause cases is on the rise and this trend will continue as the baby boomer generation starts turning 50. Perimenopause occurs up to ten years before menopause, and is a time of irregular cycles and sometimes heavy bleeding. PMS and fibroid tumors are not out of the ordinary during perimenopause. Once entering menopause fibroid tumors with shrink, bleeding will stop, PMS will disappear. Artificial menopause occurs when the ovaries are surgically removed. This condition can present with a hysterectomy, even if the ovaries are not removed. Doctors lean towards the idea that irregularities in blood supply to the ovaries is the cause in those cases. Other reasons for artificial menopause are chemotherapy or radiation to the pelvis area and a procedure known as tubal ligation. Artificial menopause can produce severe symptoms unless hormone levels are adjusted.
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