Menopause Signs, Symptoms and Treatment

It is inevitable that one day, if you are a woman, you will be going through menopause. Whether medically induced or brought on naturally, menopause is bound to greet every woman, just like menstruation did. Since menopause has several stages, its symptoms can sometimes be mistaken for something entirely different. Unfortunately, for women it's a natural process that can't be avoided. For some, it will be a difficult time and for others, nothing to stress about at all. Below is information pertaining to menopause.

What Is Menopause?

• When you have had your last period, it is called menopause. If after 12 months a woman hasn't had a period, she is considered to have gone through menopause. When a woman stops producing eggs, menopause is brought on. Also during this time, the ovaries will cease in the production of the hormones testosterone, progesterone and oestrogen. The average age for menopause to happen is around 50 to 52, but has been know to occur as early as 40 and as late as 65.

Peri-menopause

• Peri-menopause is the stage that happens before menopause. This stage can occur anywhere in a woman's thirties to her fifties. It is during this stage that it might seem that your body is going crazy. Periods can start to become quite unpredictable. It is not uncommon for them to become lighter, or heavier, last longer, or shorten. You may notice they are no longer on a schedule, but can start and stop just about anytime they like. During this stage it is not uncommon to have a period and then go months without having one. Peri-menopause seems to take place approximately two years before menopause. It is also not uncommon to experience menopausal symptoms during this stage.

Surgical Menopause

• Menopause can be brought on by surgery that has removed your uterus and ovaries. These operations are called a hysterectomy and oophorectomy. There is usually a medical condition that warrants the removal of these female organs. When these type of surgeries are performed, menopause will happen immediately. The symptoms a women will experience are usually more extreme than a woman going through menopause naturally.

Common Symptoms of Menopause

• Most women will experience at least some of the symptoms of menopause. It is basically up to her genetic make-up on how she will cope with the experience. Once the ovaries stop working, it may take the brain some time to catch up. For a time, the brain is sending out hormone messages to the ovaries, but they are not responding. It is during this time physical and emotional reactions may become a determining factor in how a woman copes with her adjusting body and circumstances around her.

  Some of the most common symptoms of menopause are hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, restless legs, headaches, palpitations, panic attacks, mood swings and irritability, depression, difficulty in concentrating, weight gain, tiredness, reduced sex drive, dryness in the vagina, bloating and breast tenderness. A woman may also notice whiskers now growing on her chin, upper lip and chest. This is all due to the small amount of testosterone a woman is still producing.

  Reports suggest that about 20 percent of the women going through menopause will experience distressing symptoms, while 15 percent will not have a problem with the bodily changes at all. The majority of women will experience a little bit of both. It is estimated that there are 38 million women in the United States going through some stage of menopause.

Treatments

• If your mother and grandmother seemed to cope through menopause, your chances are pretty good of doing the same thing. Many things will come into play in how you will cope with these changes other than genetics. Your physical and emotional environment, attitude and support group, will also have a great role in how well you managed. Women with strong emotional support groups, are found to adjust to these hormonal changes better than women without.

  There are quite few natural remedies out there stating they will ease the symptoms of menopause. Such things as soy, flax-seed have been thought by many to work wonders on their hormonal changes taking place. As with any medication, prescription or natural, it is best to read the label carefully so as not to take something that will interfere with other medications you are taking. Also, many women have found that exercise or yoga, has seemed to ease the symptoms of menopause.

  Hormone replacement therapy has been the most common and effective method of treating menopause. Lately this therapy has come under scrutiny as studies has shown there can be health risks involved in hormone replacement therapy. Everything from breast cancer to blood clots have been linked to this type of therapy. Make sure to study the risks involved and talk to your doctor before deciding on this course of treatment. For some women, the risks outweigh the gain.