By: Diana Barnes Brown for Fibroids1As most women know, menopause is the time in late middle age when the female body stops producing eggs, and menstruation stops. But there are a number of less well-known facts about menopause, and its precursor state, perimenopause. Increasing knowledge among women and doctors is instrumental in making the process – often referred to as “the change” – less confusing, and making women better prepared to deal with what they may experience.
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Some Setbacks and Advantages to Hormone Replacement Therapy
Setbacks:
---Some doctors are now questioning hormone therapy as an unnatural treatment for a natural process
---Studies have shown an increase risk of heart disease and stroke
Advantages:
---Relief from menopausal symptoms
---Studies have shown a decrease risk for colon cancer
To read the original press release: “NIH State-of-the-Science Panel Calls for ‘Demedicalization’ of Menopause,”
click here
To read some studies from the Women’s Health Initiative on the use of hormone replacement therapy, visit:
the National Institutes of Health |
Menopause is described by the National Institute of Health’s National Institute on Aging as “a normal part of life … one step in a long, slow process of reproductive aging. For most women this process begins silently somewhere around age 40, when periods may start to be less regular.”
Some women may experience symptoms as a result of declining levels of the reproductive hormones estrogen and progesterone. In addition to regulating menstrual periods, these hormones are instrumental in maintaining vaginal and uterine health, and maintaining the reproductive tract so that it is capable of sustaining pregnancy. Estrogen also has a role in maintaining bone health and good cholesterol levels.
In addition to the natural onset of menopause, some types of surgery, such as hysterectomy (the removal of the uterus), or the oophorectomy (the removal of the ovaries), may cause the onset of menopause early on.
Specific signs and symptoms associated with menopause include stopped periods, hot flashes, changes in the function of the vagina and bladder, mood swings, changes in sexual desire or performance, sleep disturbances and physical changes.
While menopause itself is generally considered to begin with the advent of a woman’s last menstrual period, there is a precursor stage to menopause, during which some of these symptoms may be felt as well. This stage is called perimenopause, and it usually begins between two and four years before a woman’s last menstrual period, and may last for as much as one year after the last period. This is because a woman must have failed to have a menstrual period for one full year before she should consider her last period before this time to be her final period.
Postmenopause is the stage that follows menopause, and lasts for the rest of a woman’s life. Some symptoms, such as vaginal dryness and dry eyes, may persist during this stage, and pregnancy is no longer possible.
Menopause and its associated processes are connected to some other health concerns for women including loss of bone density, possibly leading to osteoporosis (a condition in which bones become porous and thus they are more easily fractured); as well as an increased risk of heart disease, due to increases in cholesterol, blood pressure, and increased weight associated with aging. Women may also notice physical changes, such as decreased skin elasticity, thickening around the waist, decreased muscle tone and increased joint aches and pains.
However, there are things women can do to combat these potential negative outcomes of menopause, such as eating properly to maintain healthy calcium levels, body weight and low cholesterol.
Weight-bearing exercise can help to increase bone density and vitamin D supplements or anti-bone loss medications can help prevent further bone loss, helping women to fight against osteoporosis. Women should also make a habit of visiting their doctors for frequent post-menopause checkups, to make sure that their health is good.
As far as the less dangerous, but still disruptive symptoms of menopause, such as decreased sex drive, vaginal dryness and discomfort and bladder control problems, there are methods to help with each of these symptoms.
For those suffering from decreased sex drive, there are now medications in trial stages that may help with the problem.
For those suffering from vaginal dryness, lubricant jellies or estrogen creams can help to improve symptoms.
Exercise and, occasionally, biofeedback methods can help increase bladder control and avoid discomfort or embarrassing incidents of incontinence.
Also, regular breast exams, mammograms and pap tests are important to monitor cancer risk and catch the development of disease early on.
There are differing perspectives on hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in the medical community. Taking HRT increases, rather than reduces, the risk for heart disease and stroke. It also increases the risk of breast cancer and blood clots. But HRT seems to reduce certain other risks, such as that of colon cancer. Conclusive evidence is not yet available, however, leading many patients and medical professionals to be skeptical about the use of HRT in menopausal and postmenopausal women.
Additionally, according to a recent report from the National Institute of Health, there is a push to “demedicalize” the menopause process, by relying on natural supplements for managing symptoms and reminding patients that menopause is a natural process, not an illness or medical condition like cancer or diabetes. Others advocate non-Western treatments with herbal supplements, massage therapy and yoga. According to many patients and practitioners alike, these treatments have proven affective for many.
Whatever the specific symptoms of menopause or perimenopause, it is important to consult with a doctor or trusted health care provider to decide on the best way to manage symptoms and prevent health problems down the line. Women should try to foster a dialogue with their healthcare providers to make sure that all options, as well as pros and cons of each, are discussed.
While many women look ahead to menopause as a dreaded, inconvenient and uncomfortable event, it need not be that way in reality. Modern medical advances, as well as new thinking about how to manage various symptoms, have made it possible to manage menopause so that it need not be a disruptive change, but rather a natural stage of human life, associated with unique challenges that, in most cases, can be overcome.
