Menopause and Its Symptoms

A transition period in the life of every woman, Menopause refers to a stage when the ovaries stop producing eggs and the hormonal levels change. This transition can begun as early as the 30's and as late as the 60s and usually involves a lot of symptoms. The extent and the level of symptoms witnessed by a woman may vary from only mild issues to a wide range of changes in the body that can affect their daily routines. According to wwww.mamashealth.com, after menopause as a women's body supply of the hormone estrogen declines, the likelihood of developing heart disease increases. Menopause is not a problem but a natural phenomenon. Several treatments are available to deal with the symptoms of menopause and work by rectifying the hormonal imbalances in our body.

Types of Menopause and the Outcome

Menopause can occur at different times and in different ways for individual women. The normal decline in the ovarian function of a woman due to ageing is called physiologic menopause. This occurs between the age of 45 and 55. However, in some cases women experience a gradual or abrupt cessation of menstruation before the age of 40. This type of menopause is premature and called pathologic menopause. The early onset of menopause is also witnessed in women who are malnourished. According to available statistics nearly 5% of the women in the US face pathologic menopause. Whatever type of menopause a woman may have she is bound to experience certain symptoms resulting from the changing hormonal levels.

A woman can be said to have reached full menopause when no menstrual periods have occurred for twelve consecutive months. It is no longer possible for the woman to become pregnant now.

Symptoms of Menopause

While some women may not face any or little problem during menopause, a majority are bound to experience certain symptoms whose extent may vary according to one's individual health and living style. Here are some of the commonly witnessed symptoms amongst menopausal women.

Hot flashes - These are caused by the rapid decrease in estrogen levels and cannot be prevented. However, several treatments are available to make them less uncomfortable. Hot flashes lead to sweating and a flushed appearance in women. They can last for as little as 30 seconds and continue for several minutes with the possibility of their occurrence as often as once in an hour.

Irregular or no periods - The irregularity may be apparent with the change in the frequency of the periods or the amount of flow during the periods.

Mood Swings

Irritability

Sleep disturbances due to hot flashes and in some cases excessive flow

Anxiety

Weight Gain around the waist and abdomen

Breast tenderness

Urinary tract infection generally occurs due to thinning of the lining of the vagina and the urethra. This often leads to burning and itching.

Leakage of the urine

Vaginal dryness

Discomfort with sex

Loss of Libido

Apart from these symptoms, menopause and the resultant decrease in hormones an also lead to serious complications like osteoporosis, fractures and heart diseases.

Woman need to introduce certain changes in their lifestyle to combat the outcome of menopause. They should quit smoking, ensure that their blood pressure remains in check, exercise regularly, eat a healthy die that is low in saturated fats. Changes in hormonal levels also decrease the bone density of a woman and often lead to osteoporosis. This means your bones are weak and can break easily, especially those in the hip, wrist and the spine regions. This can be prevented by consumption of adequate amounts of calcium and vitamin D.

Diagnosis of Menopause

Generally a woman can identify the signs of menopause as they appear. But one can confirm the results by getting some blood tests done. These blood tests check the levels of follicle-stimulating hormone and estrogen. While the FSH increases, the estrogen decreases at the onset of menopause. Some of the above mentioned symptoms may occur due to hypothyroidism.