When you reach menopause, your menstrual cycles come to an end. It is detected after 12 months without menstruation. Menopause usually kicks in in your 40s or 50s. KD Blossom is a hospital in Ahmedabad for preventive healthcare.
Menopause is a normal biological occurrence. However, the mental and physical side effects of menopause, such as hot flashes, might impair your emotional well-being, cause sleep disturbances, or sap your energy. Hormone therapy is one of the many efficient treatments available, along with lifestyle modifications.
What Are The Symptoms?
The perimenopause, which is the period before menopause, is characterized by the following symptoms and signs:
- Irregular Periods
- Dryness in the vagina
- Warm flashes
- Feeling cold
- Sweats at night
- Issues with sleep
- Mood swings
- Gained weight and slowed down metabolism
- Dry skin and thinning hair
- Reduction in breast fullness
Each woman may experience different signs and symptoms, including variations in menstruation. Before your periods cease, you'll probably notice some abnormality in them.
Period skipping is normal during the perimenopause. Menstrual cycles frequently skip a month before returning, or they may skip several months before beginning again for a few months. Additionally, periods typically occur on shorter cycles, meaning they are closer together. Periods can be irregular, yet pregnancy is possible. Take a pregnancy test if you haven't had your period but aren't sure if you've entered the menopausal transition.
What Are The Causes?
Menopause may be brought on by:
- Naturally Declining Reproductive Hormones: Your ovaries begin producing less progesterone and estrogen, the hormones that control menstruation, as you get closer to your late 30s, which causes a decrease in fertility. During your forties, you may experience variations in the length, weight, and frequency of your monthly cycles. Eventually, your ovaries cease producing eggs, which usually occurs by the time you reach age 51.
- Ovary Removal Surgery (Oophorectomy): The hormones that control the menstrual cycle, such as progesterone and estrogen, are produced by your ovaries. Menopause begins right away if your ovaries are removed during surgery. In addition to experiencing hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms, your periods stop. Hormonal changes happen suddenly rather than gradually over several years, which might cause significant signs and symptoms. A hysterectomy, which involves removing your uterus but leaving your ovaries intact, typically delays the onset of menopause. Your ovaries continue to release eggs and produce progesterone and estrogen even when you are no longer menstruating.
- Chemotherapy & Radiation Therapy: Hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms may be brought on by certain cancer treatments during or soon after the course of treatment. Birth control methods may still be sought because the cessation of menstruation (and fertility) during chemotherapy is not usually permanent. Only when radiation is targeted at the ovaries does radiation therapy have an impact on ovarian function. Menopause will not be impacted by radiation therapy administered to other body areas, such as breast tissue or the head and neck.
- Primary Ovarian Inefficiency: Premature menopause, or the menopause before age 40, affects about 1% of women. Primary ovarian insufficiency, which can be caused by autoimmune diseases or hereditary causes, is the inability of your ovaries to produce normal levels of reproductive hormones, which can cause premature menopause. However, there is frequently no known cause of premature menopause. Hormone therapy is generally advised for these women until they reach menopause naturally to save their hearts, brain, and bones.
What Are The Complications?
Your chance of developing certain illnesses rises after menopause. For example, consider:
- Heart & Blood Vessel (Cardiovascular Disease): You run a higher risk of cardiovascular disease when your estrogen levels drop. Thus, maintaining a healthy weight, eating a balanced diet, and exercising frequently are crucial. Consult your physician for recommendations on heart-healthy practices, such as lowering excessively high blood pressure or cholesterol. Heart diseases are a leading cause of fatalities.
- Osteoporosis: Fractures are more likely as a result of this condition, which weakens and brittles bones. You may experience a rapid loss of bone density in the years following menopause, which raises your risk of osteoporosis. Osteoporosis in postmenopausal women increases their risk of hip, wrist, and vertebral fractures.
- Weight Gain: Due to a slowed metabolism, many women gain weight during and after the menopausal transition. It can take more exercise and less eating for you to stay at your present weight.
Conclusion
Continue seeing your doctor regularly for any medical problems and preventive care. Maintain scheduling of these consultations both during and after menopause.
As you get older, prescribed health screening tests including mammograms, colonoscopies, and triglyceride screenings may be part of preventive healthcare. In addition, if your medical history suggests it, your doctor may offer additional tests and examinations, such as a thyroid test and a pelvic and breast check.
If, after menopause, you are experiencing vaginal bleeding, you should always consult a doctor.
