Understanding Menopausal Symptoms

April 7, 2012

Female hormones estrogen and progesterone are female hormones that play an important role in a woman's menstrual cycle and in pregnancy, medical journals report. During menopause, the woman's body produces insufficient amounts of these hormones and significantly yields less and less as she ages. These chemicals released by a cell or gland are responsible for reproduction and regulating the mental health of the person. While they are both present in men and women, their levels are higher in women.  These hormones do not only boost the reproductive system and the mental health of the woman, they also strengthen her bone structure.
  

The point of importance in a women's cycle is pregnancy and menopause. Menopause is a key factor because at this phase of a woman's life, oestrogen and progesterone depletes at a rapid pace. Today, an estimated 50 million women in the United States have reached menopause.  They seem to have little or faint idea about what the condition really is. The two symptoms of menopause comes both physically and emotionally. There should be more awareness about these symptoms because the physical changes are overwhelming and the emotional changes are very daunting.
 
 
The onset of menopause varies from one woman to another. The time of its occurrence may also vary. Usually, menopause occurs between the ages of 44-55. In unusual cases, menopause may occur as early as 18 years of age and as late as 60 years of age. Symptoms may also run diverse from woman to woman. Some may experience its symptoms under very severe conditions and some may just go through it like a walk in the park.
 
 
Since hormonal changes are generally physical or bodily, physiological changes inevitably happen, causing discomfort, irritability and agitation. In extreme cases, these symptoms may affect the marital relationship of the woman involved and her partner. Some of the notorious physical symptoms of menopause include:
 
1.  Hot flushes
2.  Night sweats
3.  Irregular, scant or heavy periods
4.  Dry or itchy skin
5.  Aches and pains
6.  Insomnia
7.  Tiredness and lethargy
8.  Bladder problems such as urinary incontinence
9.  Loss of vaginal elasticity causing sexual problems
10. Cold hands and feet
 
 
Mainly because hormones affect the emotional aspect as well, emotional changes and strong mood swings may also be noted among women in the menopausal stage. Like the physical symptoms, these emotional changes in its extremities may also affect the woman's relationships. Some emotional changes may include:
 
1. Panic attacks
2. Poor memory and concentration
3. Decrease in sexual desire
4. Depression
 
 
To ease menopausal symptoms, the following are simple and effective ways to help the woman go through the menopausal stage:
 
1. Keeping a bottle of iced water in hand
2. Eating more soy-based food and other vegetables rich in estrogens
3. Commit to a regular exercise such as a 30-minute walk early in the morning
4. Eat foods with omega-3 fatty acids such as salmon which helps stabilize mood swings
5. Acupuncture
6. Vitamin E
7. Cut down on alcohol intake
 
 
Depression may be more likely in the years immediately before the menopause, especially if the woman has experienced premenstrual syndrome in the past. This mental disorder is more common among women than men. Most of this is likely attributed to hormonal changes such as postpartum, perimenopause, and postmenopause depression.
 
 
To read more about depression and its treatments now, click here.


REFERENCES:
 
bbc.co.uk/health/physical_health/conditions/menopause.shtml
umm.edu/altmed/articles/menopause-000107.htm
cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/womensrh/menopause.htm
health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/menopause/overview.html
nia.nih.gov/health/publication/menopause
huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/23/have-a-healthier-thanksgi_n_786911.html
 
 

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