Menopause is one of the stages in every woman’s life. Nobody should be afraid of it. It is a perfectly normal state experienced by each woman; it is an ordinary part of aging.
Menopause is a period in a woman’s life when she stops to experience menstruations. Menopause means the end of a women’s reproductive cycle, in other words, a woman can no longer bare children.
In most cases menopause is confirmed after a woman has experienced one year without having any menses. The changes in the hormonal cycle usually begin 2-8 years before menopause. This stage is called ‘perimenopause’. During this period, women observe hormonal fluctuations resulting in menstrual irregularities. Furthermore, women also suffer from hot flashes, sleep disturbances, increased urinary tract problems, loss of libido, weight gain and dry skin.
WHAT HAPPENS DURING MENOPAUSE?
Menopause appears when the monthly cycle of ovulation ends. This is caused by the rapid decrease in the ovarian supply of eggs. This time is called ‘perimenopause’.
Within this period the brain carries on sending out hormones to stimulate the development of ovaries, hence it is common for ovaries to respond erratically, causing woman’s hormones to fluctuate greatly from month to month. Such fluctuations cause the symptoms of perimenopause.
Finally, the ovaries stop developing eggs, and the ovarian production of estrogen permanently decreases. Progesterone is not produced any more, and the lining of the uterus get thinner, because it is no longer being stimulated by high estrogen levels each month and bleeding (menses) stops. That is menopause.
But the postmenopausal ovary still produces hormones even after ovulation ends, producing some estrogen and also androgens, including testosterone. Menopause may start in a woman’s 30s or 40s and end in 50s and even 60s. The age for most women to experience menopause is approximately between 45 and 55.
PREMATURE MENOPAUSE
Some young women may also undergo what is called pre-mature menopause. This may appear due to genetics, autoimmune disorders, Premature Ovarian Failure or surgical/medical procedures such as a hysterectomy, or damage to the ovaries from chemotherapy. Surgical menopause can be also called induced menopause. In this case, the ovaries of a woman are surgically removed.
Due to unknown reasons, in premature ovarian failure there is a change in the level of production of estrogen and testosterone, and a woman prematurely stops producing eggs. If this happens before the age of 40, it is regarded as premature ovarian failure.
HOW DOES MENOPAUSE APPEAR?
Menopause is experienced over a period of time. Un other words, the process isn’t instant. It is gradual and divided into 3 phases:
PERIMENOPAUSE
Perimenopause begins 8-10 years prior to menopause, when the ovaries gradually produce less and less estrogen. Perimenopause lasts till menopause, which is the point when the ovaries stop to produce eggs. In the last few years of perimenopause, estrogen level production decreases even furtherHere, the women start experiencing menopausal symptoms.
MENOPAUSE
A woman has already undergone her last menstruation. The ovaries have stopped releasing eggs and producing most of their estrogen.
POST MENOPAUSE
Post menopause is defined as period after menopause. At this stage most menopausal symptoms are alleviated. But during this period women should be more careful because their health risk increases due to a loss of estrogen. There are some problems that may arise during this period: problems of osteoporosis, heart disease, poor bladder and bowel function, skin elasticity, vision problems.
