Symptoms of Surgically Induced Menopause

Menopause is a major life change for a woman, and may result in emotional and physical symptoms. Surgically induced menopause also may cause physical, mental, and sexual changes. However, a woman can receive treatment for many of the symptoms, using both medical and natural remedies.

What is surgically induced menopause?

• Surgically induced menopause is the same as regular menopause, but is induced artificially rather than naturally. Menopause may result as a natural part of the aging process during a woman's life, and it can result from the use of drugs or hormones, damage from radiation, or as a result of surgery. The latter is known as surgically induced menopause.

  In most cases, the specific cause is when a woman has both ovaries surgically removed.

Physical Symptoms

• Menopause typically means the end of a woman's menstrual periods, and it typically is a gradual process. This cessation begins immediately, however, when a woman undergoes induced menopause. Additional hormonal changes may cause physical symptoms, including hot flashes, headaches, and sleep problems. However, not every woman suffers all of these symptoms.

  Some women may experience hot flashes, which typically stem from changes in the hypothalamus. Hot flashes may make a woman flush, turning red in the face and neck. A woman also may feel hot and perspire, and then experience the chills. Hot flashes also can cause a rapid pulse and what may feel like a rapid heartbeat.

  Menopause also may cause insomnia and sleep problems, including night sweats. The can result in extreme fatigue. Additionally, hormonal changes may sometimes cause or contribute to headaches.

  Menopause also may increase a woman's risk of contracting serious health conditions, such as heart disease and osteoporosis.

Sexual Function

• Menopause may affect a woman's sexual function, as it may cause or contribute to vaginal dryness and a decreased sex drive. However, some women have found that their sexual desire increases during menopause.

  In both of these cases, the symptoms may occur during menopause, but not necessarily as a result of it. A woman who experiences either of these symptoms should see her physician to rule out other possible problems or causes, and also might consult a mental-health professional to explore issues in her emotional life that may be the culprit.

  Additionally, there are over-the-counter lubricants that can solve vaginal dryness quickly and easily.

Mental Effects

• Because menopause is a huge life event for most women, it can be difficult to determine if any mental-health changes are the cause of hormonal shifts or an emotional response to change.

  The hormonal changes of menopause may contribute to depression or anxiety. However, it is unlikely that menopause alone can cause severe mental problems. A woman may find that the stress of a life change or the unpleasantness of menopause's physical symptoms also can cause emotional and life problems that become better with treatment.

  A woman is less likely to experience a full-scale depressive episode, rather than more moderate symptoms such as mood swings, tearfulness, or very mild depression.

Treatment and Coping Options

• Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is the most common treatment for all forms of menopause. However, there is some debate in the medical community about the necessity and appropriateness of HRT. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, based on a study by the Women's Health Initiative (sponsored by the National Institutes of Health) has warned that long-term HRT may increase a woman's risk of heart attacks, strokes, blood clots, and breast cancer.

  Hormone therapy involves either a course of estrogen, a course of progesterone, or a combination of estrogen and progesterone. There are many different regimens available, based on doses, schedules, and mixtures of hormones.

  There also is a difference between "bioidentical" hormones and synthetic hormones. Bioidentical hormones are chemical compounds manufactured to be exactly the same as those that a woman's body produces. Manufacturers cannot patent these products, however, which is why there also are many synthetic hormones available.

  Synthetic hormones are chemically different from those in a woman's body, though their effects are similar enough that they can treat menopause. A woman considering HRT should investigate all of her options.

  Some women choose to forgo HRT completely, and use herbal remedies or simply try to maximize their diet, exercise, and sleep habits. These healthy habits are a good idea for all women at all stages of life. There also are some medications available that can prevent bone loss without the use of estrogen.