What is Menopause?

Menopause is the point in woman’s life when menstruation stops permanently, which signifies the end of a woman's reproductive age. It is often known as ‘the change in life’. It is not an illness. It is a normal part of life just like puberty. It is the end of a woman’s menstrual cycle. This doesn’t mean that menopause happens suddenly. A woman may have symptoms for months or years before her period fully stops. Most women reach menopause between the ages of 45 and 55, the average age to get menopause is around 50. Menopause before the age of 40 is called ‘premature menopause’.

Leg Veins Menopause is defined by experts as not having a period for more than a year but the symptoms may be there for a long time before the period actually stops.

Here are few of the symptoms of menopause:

• Irregular periods – this is one of the most common symptoms although some women do have irregular periods which is not due to menopause
• Lower fertility – during this stage of life the oestrogen levels drop a lot, which lowers a woman’s chance of falling pregnant.
• Vaginal atrophy – this is inflammation of the vagina because the lack of oestrogen may cause thinning and shrinking of the tissues and decreased lubrication.
• Hot flushes – this is a sudden sensation of heat coming over the body. This will usually occur about a year after the woman’s last period.
• Night sweats – Hot flushes that happen during the night are known as night sweats
• Disturbed sleep
• Urinary problems
• Moodiness – a sign of hormone imbalance
• Problems concentrating
• Fat building up in the abdominal area
• Hair Loss
• Loss of breast size

What causes menopause?

The hormones called estrogen and progesterone are responsible for regulating menstruation when the ovaries start producing less of these hormones the peri-menopause starts. By the time a woman is in her late 30s the ovaries start producing less progesterone and estrogen. A woman's fertility will start to decline a long time before she may notice any symptoms relating to menopause.

The ovaries produce less oestrogen and progesterone and the ovaries, over time will shut down completely and the woman will no longer menstruate. Most women notice a gradual change in their menstruation but some others continue normally until it suddenly ends.

Treatment of menopause

Many women will not need any treatment, but for some women it can be a daily problem that does require treatment. Menopause and osteoporosis symptoms may need to be treated and also other symptoms such as hormone imbalance. HRT – the standard treatment for menopause is now known to cause breast cancer and heart disease.

Menopause is a natural change in a woman’s life so it’s a good idea to take a natural approach to it. Some women have turned to Hormone Replacement Therapy HRT alternatives to deal with some of their symptoms such as black cohosh, red clover, dong quai, evening primrose oil, ginseng, soy and kava.

There are some other Hormone Replacement Therapy HRT alternatives for menopause and osteoporosis such as doing regular exercise, eating a diet rich in calcium and vitamin D and taking dietary supplements. Diet is an important tool in controlling menopause symptoms. Foods to avoid are ones that contain high amounts of caffeine. And make sure to cut down on sugar as this also limits the liver’s ability to metabolise oestrogen and can weaken the immune system.

Treatment depends on the individual as some women may go through menopause naturally or may be going through menopause due to a surgical procedure where parts or all of the reproductive organs are removed.