All About Menopause
Because of the various symptoms that accompany menopause, many women have a difficult time during this part of their life. There are a variety of common symptoms, such as night sweats, hot flashes, various sexual issues, and mood swings. Although many times these symptoms are mild, some women do experience severe symptoms. The most common age for menopause to occur is between the ages of 48 and 55.
When a woman stops ovulating and menstruation ceases, this is when menopause occurs. Hormonal changes in the body bring on the various symptoms of menopause, some of which are physical in nature, while others can bring emotional changes. If a woman starts to experience irregular periods that vary between a heavy and light flow, or other symptoms such as hot flashes occur, this can be an indication that menopause is about to begin. Perimenopause is the term that is used to describe the transitional stage that precedes actual menopause. Perimenopause is common between the ages of 40 and 45. Some women do experience perimenopause earlier, and it might even start as early as age 35.
There have been studies that seem to indicate that various factors in a woman’s life can bring on menopause earlier than normal. Increased stress levels, as well as the various environmental toxins that are ever-present are often to blame, as is the fact that women often smoke. Smoking as a general rule is thought to bring on perimenopause approximately two or three years earlier than what would be considered normal for a woman.
Some of these symptoms can become quite uncomfortable, such as the hot flashes and night sweats. These are caused by fluctuations and changes in the body’s level of hormones, and can cause other problems such as sleeping issues. If the symptoms are especially pronounced, a woman might experience high levels of stress as a result of menopause. There are also often changes in a woman’s libido level. This can be because of a number of reasons, including the fact that hormone changes can often make the vagina dry or irritated, which can make sex sometimes painful. This often has the end result of reducing a woman’s desire for sex. There are also a number of mood fluctuations that occur during menopause that can also factor into a woman’s desire for sex.
In many cases, there is not a specific need for medical treatment for menopause, because it is simply part of the body’s natural aging process. However, when there are severe symptoms, there are types of prescribed medications that can help alleviate these symptoms. If symptoms are milder, women often choose to manage menopause by living a healthy life, reducing stress, and managing symptoms without medical treatments. Light exercise is often helpful, due to the physical benefits as well as stress reduction and mood enhancing benefits of exercise.
To help women deal with the symptoms of menopause, especially if they are severe, doctors sometimes prescribe various types of hormone replacement drugs. While these drugs can be effective for some women, they do have some negative side effects of their own, such as possibly water retention, and possibly even an increase in some symptoms. If a woman wishes to try either synthetic or natural hormone replacement therapy during menopause, she should discuss the options with her doctor.
Although menopause can be a difficult time for some women, there are some simple things you can do to manage your menopause symptoms such as yoga and breathing exercises. Please visit the author’s site for more information: Signs of Menopause Guide
