Menopause

Menopause is the point in a woman's life when menstruation stops for good. It marks the end of fertility and childbearing years. Menopause is a natural biological process, not a medical problem. Although it's associated with hormonal, physical and psychosocial changes in your life, menopause isn't the end of your youth or your sexuality. The change of life, The end of fertility whatever people call it, menopause is a unique and personal experience for every woman.
Menopause occurs between the ages of 35 and 58, most women undergo this change between the ages of 48 and 52. Early menopause is defined as occurring at any age younger than age 40 or 45. Early menopause can occur naturally, but may also signal an underlying condition, so it is important to discuss any symptoms with your health care professional. However, there is no correlation between the time of a woman's first period and her age at menopause. In addition, age at menopause is not influenced by race, height, the number of children a woman has had or whether she took oral contraceptives for birth control.
The process leading up to menopause begins with a slow-down in the function of the ovaries, generally about five years before the last menstrual period, and additional physical and emotional changes continue for several years after the last period.



What Happens During Menopause

Every woman experiences menopause differently and are also likely to be very individual. 15 to 20 percent of women experience no physical symptoms at all, others will have mild symptoms or even severe symptoms. The symptoms may occur for a few weeks, a few months, or even several years.
The menopause women may experience a number of physical and emotional changes, including:
• Irregular menstruation. The cycle may stop suddenly, or gradually get lighter or heavier and then stop. The unpredictability of menstruation may be the first clue that menopause is approaching.
• Decreased fertility. When ovulation begins to fluctuate, less likely to become pregnant. Until a period for a year, however, pregnancy is still possible.
• Vaginal changes. The vagina and urethra lining tissues become drier, thinner and less elastic and decreased lubrication. Menopause women may experience burning or itching, along with increased infections of the urinary tract or vagina. These changes may make sexual intercourse uncomfortable or even painful.
• Hot flashes. As the estrogen level drops, blood vessels may expand rapidly, causing skin temperature to rise. The face might look flushed, and red blotches may appear on your chest, neck and arms. Hot flashes can last from 30 seconds to as long as 30 minutes, but most subside in 2 to 3 minutes. The frequency of hot flashes varies. You may have one an hour, or have them only occasionally.
• Sleep disturbances and night sweats. Night sweats are often a consequence of hot flashes. You may awaken from a sound sleep with soaking night sweats followed by chills and difficulty falling back to sleep or achieving a deep, restful sleep. About one in four midlife women experience insomnia.
• Changes in appearance. After menopause, the fat that once was concentrated in the hips and thighs may settle above waist and abdomen. Loss of fullness in your breasts, thinning hair and wrinkles in your skin, acne may become worse. Coarse hair on chin, upper lip, chest and abdomen may develop.
• Emotional changes. Mood swings, be more irritable or be more prone to emotional upset. In the past these symptoms were attributed to hormonal fluctuations. Yet other factors may contribute to these changes in mood, including stress, insomnia and life events that can occur in this stage of adulthood — such as the illness or death of a parent, grown children leaving home or retirement.

Complication of Menopause

Several chronic medical conditions tend to appear after menopause. By becoming aware of the following conditions, we can take steps to help reduce the risk:

• Cardiovascular disease. At the same time estrogen levels decline, the risk of cardiovascular disease increases. Yet you can do a great deal to reduce your risk of heart disease. This includes stopping smoking, reducing high blood pressure, getting regular aerobic exercise and eating a heart-healthy diet.
• Osteoporosis. During the first few years after menopause, calcium from the bones lose at a much faster rate, which increases the risk of osteoporosis. Osteoporosis causes bones to become brittle and weak, leading to an increased risk of fractures. That's why it's particularly important during this time to get adequate calcium — 1,200 to 1,500 milligrams (mg) daily — and vitamin D — 400 to 800 international units (IU) daily. It's also important to engage in regular, weight-bearing exercise to keep the bones strong.
• Stress urinary incontinence. As the tissues of vagina and urethra lose their elasticity, stress urinary continence may happened — a condition that may cause to leak urine during coughing, laughing or lifting — for the first time, or it may worsen.
• Weight gain. As the body's metabolism slows and estrogen levels decline, body weight and shape will likely change. Eat less and exercise more just to maintain your current weight.

Self-care

Fortunately, many of the symptoms associated
with menopause are temporary, take steps now
to help reduce or prevent their effects:

• If you're experiencing hot flashes, get regular exercise, dress in layers and try to pinpoint what triggers your hot flashes. For many women, triggers may include hot beverages, spicy foods, alcohol, hot weather or a warm room.
• Use vaginal lubricants (K-Y jelly) or moisturizers (Replens, Vagisil) for vaginal dryness or discomfort with intercourse. Staying sexually active also helps these problems.
• If you have trouble sleeping, avoid caffeinated beverages and exercise right before bedtime.
• If you experience night sweats, wear cool cotton clothing to bed and keep an extra set handy.
• Exercise pelvic floor. Pelvic floor muscle exercises, called Kegel exercises, can improve some forms of urinary incontinence.
• Eat a balanced diet that includes a variety of fruits, vegetables and grains and that limits fats, oils and sugars. In particular, make sure your intake of calcium is at least 1,200 to 1,500 mg.
• Don't smoke. Smoking increases your risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer and a range of other health problems. It may also increase hot flashes and bring on earlier menopause.
• Exercise regularly. Thirty minutes most days is a good goal to protect against cardiovascular disease, diabetes and osteoporosis. It also can help reduce stress. Try a combination of weight-bearing aerobic activities, such as walking, jogging and dancing, and strength-training exercises.
• Regular check ups.

It's important to see the doctor during menopause for preventive health care as well as care of medical conditions that may occur with aging. Although some problems attributed to aging are unavoidable, others can be helped with lifestyle changes and medical treatments.

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