What does the Menopause Feel Like?
Menopause is a natural phase of aging process for all women. This has been described as the time in a woman's life, when her periods stop for twelve months straight.
This means that the female has reached the end of her reproductive years.
Many women have entered early menopause, even before the age of forty. This is known as premature menopause.
There are a number of recognized causes of early menopause. However, the exact cause cannot be determined. Some of the reasons or factors that cause early menopause include:
- Smoking.
- Family members have a history of premature menopause
- Having certain autoimmune diseases such as: thyroid disorder or rheumatoid arthritis.
- The ovary or uterus is removed surgically.
In the United States, the age of menopause varies from 40 to 58 years, with the onset being common at 51 years. Find out more about menopause and methods that may help control your menopause symptoms.
What is Menopause?
Menopause is experienced by women after a certain age. Menopause is marked by the absence of menstrual periods for one year. A woman's age at menopause is variable, usually in her late 40s or mid-50s. (healthpartners.com)
Menopause can cause several changes in your body. Symptoms of decreased estrogen and progesterone production in your ovaries. Side effects may include weight gain, warmth or vaginal dryness.
Menopause can cause vaginal dryness, so that irritation and shrinkage of vaginal tissue can occur, thus increasing the awkwardness of intercourse.
Menopause can also increase the risk of certain conditions like osteoporosis. You may find that coping with menopause requires minimal medical attention. Or you may choose to discuss manifestations and treatment options with a doctor.
Menopause Signs and Symptoms
When a woman goes through menopause, the ovaries make special amounts of hormones called estrogen and progesterone.
You may also experience changes in your menstrual cycle, and may also begin to experience various other menopausal symptoms. These may include:
- Mood swings or irritability.
- Difficulty sleeping, such as difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep.
- Hot flashes causing a surprising feeling of warmth to the face, neck, chest, back and arms. An episode can usually last from a few seconds to 10 minutes.
A woman may also sweat to some degree during hot flashes, and shiver without blood after hot flashes.
- Vaginal problems, such as vaginal dryness which causes itching, burning and discomfort. It can also cause painful intercourse and sores in the vagina.
The effects of menopause are decreased production of the hormones estrogen and progesterone in the ovaries, giving rise to symptoms that include weight gain, hot flashes, or vaginal dryness. Keep in mind that menopause is not a disease, but part of a woman's life cycle.
Hot Flashes
During hot flashes, a woman will have a large increase in body temperature.
Hot flashes affect the upper body and skin, causing redness, or blotches.
This unexpected rise in temperature can cause excessive sweating, palpitations, and feelings of lightheadedness. After a hot flash, you might catch a cold, too.
The occurrence of hot flashes varies with each woman, for some, they may occur daily, or several times a day, hot flashes may manifest for a year, or several years.
How To Know If You Are Menopause?
A woman officially starts menopause after she hasn't had her period for a full year. The time leading up to this is known as perimenopause, which brings its own symptoms.
The size of menopause varies for each woman. While 'menopause' is described as the 'last menstrual period', the time between the onset of signs and symptoms of menopause, and the last period is called perimenopause.
Perimenopause can last for 5 or 6 years, and at long intervals, it can occur regularly or irregularly.
During perimenopause, the signs and symptoms of hot flushes, night sweats, and sleep disturbances can also be worst.
Post-menopause is the period of time to describe the part that begins the first 2 months, after the last menstrual period.
While for many women, redness and sweating will hit a 3-year low, for others, it can be much further away. Certain signs and symptoms, such as vaginal dryness, tend not to go away completely, unless treated.
Some women go through menopause with little medication, others may also experience it for 5 years, or more.
Can Hot Flashes be Prevented?
Yes, but the frequency of hot flashes can be reduced by turning the trigger off. Alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, stress, obesity, spicy food and warm climate are some triggers for hot flashes.
Speak with your doctor if your hot flashes become unbearable.
Birth control, hormone therapy, and other prescription drugs can also help limit the occurrence and depth of hot flashes. Practice deep breathing during hot flashes to minimize their intensity.
Decrease in libido
Some women may experience a decrease in libido due to menopause, vaginal dryness due to loss of estrogen also plays a role. However, their sex life has never been this high, they feel more confident than ever, the termination interval and the worry about pregnancy can be liberating.
Symptoms must last 7+ years.
You officially reach menopause after 12 months without a period, save for one period, a milestone most women reach by around age 51.
In the years before menopause, your cycles may become erratic, your duration may also become heavier, or lighter, and you may experience traditional symptoms, such as hot flashes, trouble sleeping, and mood swings. After menopause, signs and symptoms remain while your body adjusts.
Non-hormonal treatment options are great for some women.
There are many non-HRT treatments that your healthcare practitioner might suggest. Over-the-counter natural treatments, such as black cohosh, may also help some women, although long-term protection isn't known specifically for women with hormone-dependent cancers.
Talk to your doctor, before taking any medications at the same time as over-the-counter medications.
In addition, there are a variety of prescription drugs, such as certain antidepressants, anticonvulsants, and drugs commonly used, to treat blood pressure, all of which may also provide the recommended results in hot flushes.
It may also be of great benefit to women, who are judged unsuitable for HRT, or who wish to explore other options.
Hair can show up in surprising area.
Your eyebrows and physical hair are thin, but you have a mustache on your chin, which appears out of nowhere, and you discover it when you're not near tweezers. Hormonal fluctuations and changes in stability between testosterone and estrogen can also cause hair to thin on your head, as well as appear elsewhere, such as your chin or upper lip.
If you are involved in adjusting hair growth, talk to your doctor, hormone replacement therapy may also be an option.
Menopause doesn't just affect your reproductive system.
Estrogen is a sense of homeostasis and metabolic functions. So when production stops, it impacts everything from fat production and distribution, appetite hormone and thyroid characteristics, sleep, mood, inflammation, and more.
It's why up to 90% of women achieve their weight after menopause, and why you may also feel hungrier, or more tired.
Estrogen also helps regulate cholesterol levels, keeps the walls of the arteries and blood vessels healthy, which is one of the causes of heart disease risk. Heart disease soars when hormones drop. But it is very annoying, if you do nothing.
It's time to enjoy life and start taking care of yourself.
Start by eating lots of fruits and vegetables, exercising, getting healthy sleep, and reducing stress
Women can still get pregnant.
Some women get more relaxed when they start menopause in their 50s, they wonder it's impossible to get pregnant, but you're still fertile.
There's another reason to hold back on hormonal control: It can help clear your way through menopause. Consistent doses of hormones in capsules, and your body's IUD also can't fully account for the herbal drops in estrogen and progesterone.
In other words, signs and symptoms may now be erratic. Many women have extremely heavy or erratic perimenopause intervals.
Menopause Affect Bone Health
A decrease in estrogen production breaks down calcium in the bones. It reduces bone density, a condition known as osteoporosis. It's a woman's journey to accelerate bone loss in the first few years, after their last menstrual period. This makes them more prone to fractures of the hip, spine and other bones.
You need to eat foods that are rich in calcium, and take nutritional supplements. Alcohol consumption and smoking worsen the health of your bones, and should be avoided.
Regular weight training and other exercise routines can help promote the health of your bones.
Maintain your bones:
- Eat foods rich in calcium, such as dairy products or dark green vegetables.
- Take a Vitamin D supplement.
- Avoid alcoholic beverages.
- Don't smoke.
- Exercising regularly, and incorporate weight training into your business schedule.
- You may want to discuss this with your doctor, to prevent bone loss.
Will My Weight Increase When Entering Menopause?
Changes in your hormone levels can result in menopausal weight gain.
Concentrate on maintaining a good eating routine, exercising regularly, and practicing healthy living habits, to help manage your weight.
Being overweight can increase the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and other health problems.
In tournaments where you don't have side effects, a blood test can determine whether your ovaries are working or not. This review can be used to tell professionals about your estrogen levels, which may be valuable, if you are at risk for osteoporosis. That's why understanding your estrogen reputation may be important in identifying if you need a bone health evaluation.
Can Menopause Cause Other Health Problems?
Menopause is associated with decreased levels of reproductive hormones, and this can lead to various medical conditions.
During menopause, the dangers and complications of the following conditions increase:
- Weight gain
Due to metabolic changes that occur during and after menopause, a woman's metabolism may slow down, so she may also gain weight.
Exercise and diet regimens may need to be adjusted to maintain a healthy body weight.
- Cardiovascular and heart disease.
These include high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. Also, an inactive lifestyle leads to an increased risk of stroke and coronary heart attack in postmenopausal women.
-Urinary incontinence
Due to the loss of elasticity of the vagina and urethra. This can be fixed by pelvic floor exercises.
- Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis occurs when your bones weaker and easy to break. After menopause, bone density may decrease in the first few years.
Finally, it is important to consider that Menopause is a natural part of a woman's life cycle. Keep in touch and get regular check-ups with your doctor, to treat menopause-related fitness issues effectively.
