Herbal Remedies For Menopause » Menopause In Women

Menopause, its Effects and Treatment

admin — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 18:10:25 +0000

Menopause is the permanent shutting down of the female reproductive system, a considerable length of time before the end of the lifespan. Menopause occurs in a variety of animals, including humans. It is usually a natural process. The word consists of two Greek words meno (month) and pausis (a halt).

In adult human females who still have a uterus, and who are not pregnant or lactating, post menopause is identified by a permanent (at least one year’s) absence of monthly periods or menstruation.

In human females, menopause usually happens more or less in midlife, signaling the end of the fertile phase of a woman’s life. Menopause is perhaps most easily understood as the opposite process to menarche, the start of the monthly periods. However, menopause in women cannot satisfactorily be defined simply as the permanent “stopping of the monthly periods”, because in reality what is happening to the uterus is quite secondary to the process; it is what is happening to the ovaries that is the crucial factor.

For medical reasons, the uterus must sometimes be surgically removed (hysterectomy) in a younger woman; her periods will cease permanently, and the woman will technically be infertile, but as long as at least one of her ovaries is still functioning, the woman will not have reached menopause, because even without the uterus, ovulation and the release of the sequence of reproductive hormones will continue to cycle on until menopause is reached. But in circumstances where a woman’s ovaries are removed (oophorectomy), even if the uterus were to be left intact, the woman will immediately be in “surgical menopause”.

The menopause transition, and post-menopause itself, is a natural life change, not a disease state or a disorder. The transition itself can be challenging for a number of women, but for others it is not difficult.

Age of Women for Menopause

The average age of menopause is 45 and 55 years. In some cased the last period occur which is between the ages of 55 to 60 is called as “late menopause”. There may be an early menopause which is in the age of 40 to 45. Rarely the ovaries stop working at a very early age, anywhere from the age of puberty to age 40, and this is known as premature ovarian failure (POF), also commonly referred to as “premature menopause”. Premature menopause is diagnosed or confirmed by measuring the levels of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH); the levels of these hormones will be abnormally high if menopause has occurred.

Social and psychological significance

The stoppage of the female reproductive system in a particular age of life leads to the third part of a woman’s life, which is known as the “third age”. The menopause change is a major life change, similar to menarche in the magnitude of its social and psychological significance.

The causes of menopause

The causes of menopause can be considered from complementary proximate (mechanistic) and ultimate (adaptive evolutionary) perspectives.

Proximate perspective

It is a natural or physiological menopause which occurs as a part of a woman’s normal aging process. This is the result of the eventual atresia of almost all oocytes in the ovaries. This causes an increase in circulating follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) levels as there are a decreased number of oocytes responding to these hormones and producing estrogen. This decrease in the production of estrogen leads to the perimenopausal symptoms of hot flashes, insomnia and mood changes, as well as post-menopausal osteoporosis and vaginal atrophy.

Menopause can be surgically induced by bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (removal of both ovaries and both fallopian tubes). It is conjunction with hysterectomy. Cessation of menses as a result of removal of the ovaries is called “surgical menopause”. The sudden and complete drop in reproductive hormone levels usually produces extreme hormone-withdrawal symptoms such as hot flashes, etc.

As mentioned above, removal of the uterus, hysterectomy, does not itself cause menopause, although pelvic surgery can often precipitate a somewhat earlier menopause, perhaps because of a compromised blood supply to the ovaries. Removing the ovaries however, causes an immediate and powerful “surgical menopause”, even if the uterus is left intact.

Cigarette smoking caused the decreasing the age at menopause by as much as one year, and women who have undergone hysterectomy with ovary conservation go through menopause 3.7 years earlier than average. However, premature menopause (before the age of 40) is generally idiopathic.

Ultimate perspective

Possible effects of per menopause, the menopause transition time as the body responds to the rapidly changing levels of natural hormones, a number of effects can appear. It is however worth pointing out, that not every woman experiences bothersome levels of these effects, and even in those women who do experience strong effects, the range of effects and the degree to which they appear is very variable from person to person.

It may be due to low estrogen levels (for example vaginal atrophy and skin drying) remain present even after the menopause transition years are over Many of the effects that are caused by the extreme fluctuations in hormone levels (for example hot flashes and mood changes) usually disappear or improve significantly once the perimenopause transition time has been completed.

Menopause Effect

Lack of energy as the most frequent and distressing effect Other effects can include vasomotor symptoms such as hot flashes and palpitations Psychological effects such as depression, anxiety, irritability, mood swings, memory problems Lack of concentration Atrophic effects such as vaginal dryness and urgency of ********* Sleep disturbances, poor quality sleep, light sleep, insomnia

Treatment

Perimenopause type is a natural stage of life, its not disease or a disorder and it needs no medical treatment. In this case those cases where the physical, mental, and emotional effects of perimenopause are severe, and disrupt the everyday life of the woman, then medical treatment may sometimes be appropriate and helpful.

Hormone therapy is a process to reduce the time or increase the hormones. There are several types of hormone therapies, with various side effects. Hormone replacement therapy or HRT, known in Britain as Hormone Therapy or HT, and the SSRIs appear to provide the most reliable pharmaceutical relief.

About the Author:

I am Asif Kamboh from Pakistan, having interest to write on different topics.

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Menopause, its Effects and Treatment

How to Lose Weight During Menopause

Ricardo d Argence — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 13:39:23 +0000

by Ricardo d Argence

Even though it is something that all women know is going to take place in their life, it can be a shock when menopause finally becomes a part of their life. It can be a confusing time as some women do not know when they have actually entered into this phase of their life.

If you are between the ages of forty-two and fifty-six and have not had a period in a year, then you are safe to say that you are in menopause. Even there is a wide age range where menopause can take place the average age is fifty-two years old.

A good thing to do is to make sure that you are as educated on menopause as possible as this will help you understand the things happening with your body. Menopause is the stage where the body of the female no longer produces as much estrogen and progesterone.

You reach the point when ovaries don’t produce more eggs, thereby extiguishing the chance to get pregnant. The onset of menopause in women is not only marked by a stoppage of the monthly cycle or the loss of ability to conceive, there is also the chance of gaining weight during this phase.

Menopause causes a number of negative side affects such as: insomnia, joint pain, hot flashes and mood swings, but weight gain is probably the most hazardous of them all. Many women find that they gain twenty pounds or more during menopause. Those who chalk it up to being okay as it is just a part of a change of life, it is not okay. There are lots of risks to you health if you gain weight during menopause.

There is the risk of high blood pressure, lower back pains, diabetes, and possible heart problems. Some of these issues can be life threatening so it is important to make sure that any weight issues you have are quickly taken care of. By watching what you eat and making healthy choices, you are already one step closer to a healthy lifestyle. There is more to just eating right though as you have to also make sure that you are getting the right amount of exercise in.

If you’re not used to an active lifestyle, walking, running and swimming are great ways to get your body in motion. You’ll want to add some weight training to your routine once a little time progresses and your body gets used to the exercise. You do not have to bulk up but you will want to burn more fat and add a little lean muscle. There is nothing wrong by being guided from other sources, such as joining a local gym and benefiting from the personal trainers that they have on staff.

Proffesionals are there to help if you get a sense that you are having a bit of trouble with eating what you are suppose to be eating and having the knowledge of what you should or should not be doing. After consulting a nutrition expert you will learn on how to maintain a healthy diet.

Dieting the wrong way could be dangerous for your health. Numerous medical problems, including osteoporosis can be caused by losing weight too quickly and not getting the right nutrients in your diet.

About the Author:

Even if you are a teenager, there’s nothing like a healthy diet and exercise if you want to look great. But, after menopause, it is even more important. If you are looking for the best diet for menopause, in my website you can find a lot of articles and info that will help you to understand in a better way this period of your life. web hosting

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How to Lose Weight During Menopause

Male Menopause Remedies

admin — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 00:15:03 +0000

Although the thought of a man going through menopause seems not only unlikely, but simply impossible, more and more researchers are claiming the male menopause and its symptoms do in fact exist.

Just like in women, men can experience a drop in hormone levels, although this usually happens earlier in men than in women. In fact, it is said that the middle age crisis a man is going through may be due to male menopause symptoms. All in all it’s a good idea to know a little about the possibility of males dealing with menopause symptoms.

You may be a little more familiar with this disease when it’s called by a more popular term; andropause. This term is basically a way of describing the same thing as menopause, but it’s designed to let men keep their own identity and vice versa.

Like women’s estrogen levels decline to create the cycle of menopause, men’s testosterone levels decline to create the same condition. Men also don’t end to naturally lose testosterone, but declining levels usually are brought on by things like depression, stress, lethargy and obesity. Menopause in men isn’t necessarily the same thing as menopause in women, because men never lose fertility as women do.

The Symptoms

Many of the symptoms experienced by women during menopause are the same as what men may experience. However, male menopause symptoms tend to be a lot less dramatic than symptoms shown in women.

Hot flashes are common and tend to happen while being active. The feeling of heat quickly flushes through the body, creating sweat and redness in the face, and an overwhelming feeling of being cooked. These symptoms can be controlled by making sure big, soft ice packs are available as often as possible.

Another common male menopause symptom is night sweats. Waking up in the middle of the night to sweating and being uncomfortable and hot is something else that can be controlled by using ice packs when necessary. Taking naps during the day when possible is another good idea so that lethargy does not become a problem.

Depression and mood swings are symptoms of male menopause that people mistake for as a mid life crisis. In fact, it is a crisis to many people but being able to acknowledge these mood swings and depressed feelings is the first step in controlling these male menopause symptoms. Seeing a therapist and making sure to stay clear of alcohol are good ways of overcoming these symptoms.

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Male Menopause Remedies

Guide To Menopause In Women

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 13:15:08 +0000

Menopause is a wholly natural process, occurring to every woman in her life. It is not an illness, however various physical symptoms often quite unpleasant and a general feeling of loss often accompany menopause, sometimes causing even psychological problems. Menopause in women often makes them realize that they are nearing death, or the feeling of loss of fertility can be understood as a grievance in itself. However, after menopause, women can still live to be ninety years old, live forty or fifty more years, just as much as they lived before it. The fact they do not have to be afraid of getting pregnant after menopause can have a liberating effect, especially if no severe symptoms go with this transition.

Causes Of Menopause In Women

Menopause in women naturally occurs between the age of forty-five and fifty-five, the average being fifty-one years, when the ovaries stop working and there are no more menstrual cycles. However, there is quite a long perimenopause, the phase leading up to actual menopause, which can begin in the early forties or even in the thirties, when the ovaries start producing less estrogen and progesterone. This decrease in the production of female hormones results in physiological symptoms.

Symptoms Of Menopause In Women

As the physiological changes start long before the actual date of the menopause in women, symptoms can be felt years before it, simultaneously with the first changes. Some women may experience very few of these symptoms, while others may have severe problems, sometimes requiring medication. Most obviously, women start having irregular periods, as a result of the changes in the ovaries, not having a period for months, or having them more often. Fertility also declines, which does not mean though that a woman cannot get pregnant even around the time of her last menstrual cycle. Hormone levels rise unevenly, you may have hot flashes, sleep disturbances, or increased abdominal fat for example. Vaginal dryness can be a further unpleasant symptom, as a result of the thinning of the lining of the vagina , which can cause irritation or pain during the sexual intercourse. One may also experience urinary symptoms, the lining of the urethra becomes thinner and dryer, which can lead to the need to urinate more frequently, incontinence or urinary tract infections. Menopause in women may also result in emotional or behavioral symptoms, research has not yet fully shown which emotional symptoms are the direct results of hormonal changes, however women may experience the feeling of tiredness, fatigue, sudden mood swings, irritability or may have memory problems for example. All these symptoms however, definitely do not accompany menopause in women all the time, most women will actually experience a rather smooth transition from one life-period to another, and will not regard menopause as the ultimate sign of aging.

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Guide To Menopause In Women