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Menopause for Women

Menopause indicates the permanent ending of your menstrual cycle. It is defined as having a lack of a menstrual period for one year of longer. Although, menopause has several symptoms accompanying it, it is not considered to be a medical condition. According to the Mayo Clinic, menopause is considered to be a natural biological process.

  1. Perimenopause

    • In the two-years leading up to menopause, your estrogen levels begin to decrease. This causes the functions of the ovaries to decrease as well. As this happens, your menstrual cycles may fluctuate wildly, until they completely stop. Many women may experience heavy bleeding in this time, which should be treated in order to avoid further health problems, such as iron-deficiency anemia. Treatment for this bleeding, in particular, includes the use of a medication, tranexamic Acid, which encourages blood clotting. This drug is only to be used the first three to four days of heavy bleeding. Other treatments include the use of progesterone tablets, anti-inflammatory medication and endometrial ablation.

    Symptoms of Menopause

    • The experiences of menopause are different for every women. Some hardly notice the change, and some notice changes straight away. The most common symptoms of menopause are hot flushes and sweating, difficulty falling asleep, depression, mood swings, headaches, forgetfulness and irritability. Physical changes may include decreased interest in sex, less intense orgasms and frequent urination. During menopause, estrogen is depleted, so lubrication isn't produced in the vagina anymore. This may cause stinging or slight bleeding during sexual intercourse.

    HRT Treatment

    • The most well-known treatment for menopause is hormone-replacement therapy (HRT). HRT gets rid of the symptoms of menopause by replacing hormone levels. HRT gives your body back estrogen in small doses; if you haven't had a hysterectomy, you will also be given synthetic progesterone, in a treatment called combined HRT. The side effects of HRT treatment are nausea, breast tenderness, weight gain and fluid retention. HRT is taken for a period of about six months. The health risks associated with the long-term use of HRT are an increased risk of developing breast cancer, which continues until HRT use has stopped for five years; benign breast lumps; more common in women who use HRT in perimenopause stage; heart disease; stroke; blood clots; and endometrial cancer.

    Additional Treatments

    • Tibolone is a synthetic steroid that acts as estrogen, progesterone and testosterone. It's used much in the same way as HRT, the only difference is it's taken every day. It helps to eliminate hot flushes, vaginal dryness and irritation, and unlike HRT treatments it prevents osteoporosis. Another medication is, clonidine; which was originally used to treat high blood pressure, but is also known to relieve hot flushes.

    Considerations

    • Great strides have been taken to properly categorize menopause as a natural change and not a disease or illness. There are things you can do to minimize the discomforts associated with menopause such as regular exercise, walking at least 20 to 30 minutes a day; eating nutritious foods; and cutting bad habits such as smoking or drinking. Also, with menopause there is an increased risk of osteoporosis due to the lack of estrogen, so making sure you ingest at least 1,500 mg of calcium a day is important.

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