Menopause is a very natural part of a woman’s life cycle. While it marks the end of a woman’s reproductive cycle, it can be the beginning of an exciting and rewarding time of life. Our culture has come a long way from viewing menopause with dread and associating it with a perceived decrease in a woman’s value. Understanding the natural progression of age in a woman’s body and becoming acquainted with the therapies available, allows women today to effectively manage their symptoms and to be proactive in maintaining their health for their later years.
By definition, menopause is the transition period between the reproductive years of a woman's life and the cessation of ovarian function. Unless brought about by surgery or other causes, natural changes in a woman's body generally occur between the ages of 35 and 50. Menopausal symptoms are unique to each individual, both in duration and in intensity.
Many women associate the years of menopausal symptoms with the term itself. However, menopause marks the permanent fall in production of estrogen and cessation of the menstrual cycle. It is during perimenopause that most of the symptoms associated with the term menopause are experienced. During the three to five year period before the cessation of menstrual cycles, there is a decrease in the production of estrogen. This period of perimenopause brings on a variety of symptoms that are often very inconsistent. Hot flashes may occur at times and then disappear for months. The normal menstrual cycle becomes irregular only to become regular again. It is also during perimenopause that some mood changes and brief bouts of insomnia may be evident. The inconsistency of the symptoms and the manner in which they affect the individual woman are characteristics of perimenopause itself.
During menopause, it is important for a woman to recognize the health risks that are associated with a decline in estrogen. It is at this time that there is an increased risk for cardiovascular disease and for osteoporosis. Awareness of these risk factors gives a woman the opportunity to manage her health effectively by choosing lifestyle patterns that promote and maintain health. Menopause is not a time to be dreaded, nor a time to think that an active and full life will be compromised. It is a time to celebrate the natural cycles of a woman’s life, and a time develop lifestyle habits that will provide support for the years to come.
In younger women who are having menopausal symptoms, and in women who have had a hysterectomy but still have one or both of their ovaries, a blood test called an FSH level, or follicle stimulating hormone level may be useful to confirm menopause. If you have your ovaries removed or undergo some cancer treatments, you may experience rapid onset of menopause, and may need special management of your symptoms.
A natural process that unfolds as the ovaries cease to function, menopause generally starts around age fifty. (Early menopause can be initiated by surgery and other causes.) As ovarian function gradually declines, dramatic shifts occur in four hormones that regulate the menstrual cycle: estrogen, progesterone, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and luteinizing hormone (LH). The term "climacteric" is often applied to these profound changes in hormone levels.
Source: content.nhiondemand.com
February 22, 2007
Menopause
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