Menopause - Causes, Symptoms and Treatment
June 1, 2009 by Helpful Menopause Tips
Filed under About Menopause
Menopause is the physiological cessation of menstrual cycles associated with advancing age in women. Menopause is defined as absence of menstrual periods for 12 months. The menopausal transition starts with varying menstrual cycle length and ends with the final menstrual period. Perimenopause means “around the time of menopause.” It is not officially a medical term, but is sometimes used to explain certain aspects of the menopause transition in lay terms. Many women experience a variety of symptoms as a result of the hormonal changes associated with the transition through menopause. Postmenopause is the entire period of time that comes after the last menstrual period. The menopause is sometimes referred to as change of life or climacteric.
The condition also exists in some of the other species that experience such cycles, such as rhesus monkeys and some cetaceans. Menopause is a natural biological process, not a medical illness. Several generations ago, few women lived beyond menopause. Today, you may spend as much as half of your life after menopause. Menopause affects every woman differently. Your only symptom may be your period stopping. You may have other symptoms, too. Many symptoms at this time of life are because of you Menopause is a natural process that happens to every woman as she grows older, and is not a medical problem, disease or illness.
Some women may have a hard time because of the changes in hormone levels during menopause. Premature menopause (or premature ovarian failure) is defined as menopause occurring before the age of 40; it occurs in 1% of women. Other causes of premature menopause include autoimmune disorders, thyroid disease, and diabetes mellitus. Menopause experiences are different among individual women, and also among women in different cultures and in different parts of the world. There are many possible signs of menopause and each woman feels them differently. Most women have no or few menopausal symptoms while some women have many moderate or severe symptoms include is weight gain; hot flashes; insomnia; night sweats; vaginal dryness; joint pain; fatigue and urinary tract infections.
Causes of Menopause
1.Perimenopause.
2.Postmenopause.
Symptoms of Menopause
1.Weight gain.
2.Hot flashes.
3.Insomnia
4.Night sweats.
5.Vaginal dryness.
6.Joint pain.
7.Fatigue.
Treatment of Menopause
Take estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) or hormone replacement therapy (HRT), which is a combination of estrogen and progesterone, should be an individualized choice. There are three (3) types of replacement therapy:1. Estrogen alone via a pill (Premarin, Ogen, Estrace or ethinyl estradiol), a cream (Premarin or Dienestrol), a vaginal pill (Vagifem), or as a transdermal or skin patch (Estraderm or Estracomb). 2. Cyclical therapy: Estrogen taken daily via a pill or via a patch and a separate progesterone pill (such as Provera) for a certain number of days per month. 3. Continuous therapy: Estrogen plus low dose progesterone in one or two pills taken every day.
Estrogen vaginal tablets and creams are generally prescribed nightly for 2 weeks, and then reduced to twice per week as a long-term “maintenance therapy.” Phytoestrogens are found in soy products (e.g., tofu, tempeh, miso, soybean milk, and meat substitutes and soy powders for adding to foods or to smoothies), in linseed (flaxseed) products, and to a lesser extent, in fruits, vegetables, cereals, and seeds. Concentrated plant estrogens in tablet form have not been shown to be effective. Regular exercise also has benefits for other parts of the body, high blood pressure, and diabetes, as well as gives you more energy and better sleep. Herbal medicine has much to offer women in the treatment of symptoms associated with menopause.
Thanks to Juliet Cohen for contributing this article to our Menopause blog:
The condition also exists in some of the other species that experience such cycles, such as rhesus monkeys and some cetaceans. Menopause is a natural biological process, not a medical illness. Several generations ago, few women lived beyond menopause. Today, you may spend as much as half of your life after menopause. Menopause affects every woman differently. Your only symptom may be your period stopping. You may have other symptoms, too. Many symptoms at this time of life are because of you Menopause is a natural process that happens to every woman as she grows older, and is not a medical problem, disease or illness.
Some women may have a hard time because of the changes in hormone levels during menopause. Premature menopause (or premature ovarian failure) is defined as menopause occurring before the age of 40; it occurs in 1% of women. Other causes of premature menopause include autoimmune disorders, thyroid disease, and diabetes mellitus. Menopause experiences are different among individual women, and also among women in different cultures and in different parts of the world. There are many possible signs of menopause and each woman feels them differently. Most women have no or few menopausal symptoms while some women have many moderate or severe symptoms include is weight gain; hot flashes; insomnia; night sweats; vaginal dryness; joint pain; fatigue and urinary tract infections.
Causes of Menopause
1.Perimenopause.
2.Postmenopause.
Symptoms of Menopause
1.Weight gain.
2.Hot flashes.
3.Insomnia
4.Night sweats.
5.Vaginal dryness.
6.Joint pain.
7.Fatigue.
Treatment of Menopause
Take estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) or hormone replacement therapy (HRT), which is a combination of estrogen and progesterone, should be an individualized choice. There are three (3) types of replacement therapy:1. Estrogen alone via a pill (Premarin, Ogen, Estrace or ethinyl estradiol), a cream (Premarin or Dienestrol), a vaginal pill (Vagifem), or as a transdermal or skin patch (Estraderm or Estracomb). 2. Cyclical therapy: Estrogen taken daily via a pill or via a patch and a separate progesterone pill (such as Provera) for a certain number of days per month. 3. Continuous therapy: Estrogen plus low dose progesterone in one or two pills taken every day.
Estrogen vaginal tablets and creams are generally prescribed nightly for 2 weeks, and then reduced to twice per week as a long-term “maintenance therapy.” Phytoestrogens are found in soy products (e.g., tofu, tempeh, miso, soybean milk, and meat substitutes and soy powders for adding to foods or to smoothies), in linseed (flaxseed) products, and to a lesser extent, in fruits, vegetables, cereals, and seeds. Concentrated plant estrogens in tablet form have not been shown to be effective. Regular exercise also has benefits for other parts of the body, high blood pressure, and diabetes, as well as gives you more energy and better sleep. Herbal medicine has much to offer women in the treatment of symptoms associated with menopause.
Thanks to Juliet Cohen for contributing this article to our Menopause blog:
Juliet Cohen writes articles for health care guide. She also writes articles for women health and health diseases.
Menopause and Weight Gain
May 17, 2009 by Helpful Menopause Tips
Filed under About Menopause
Menopause is only one of several stages in the reproductive life of a woman. Menopause, or the permanent end of menstruation and sterility, is a natural biological process, not a medical illness. Menopause is simply the name given to the last menstrual period. Menopause before the age of 40 is termed ‘early menopause. Hormonal changes cause the physical symptoms of menopause, but mistaken beliefs about the menopausal transition are partly to blame for the emotional ones. The menstrual blood is partly blood and partly tissue from inside the uterus, or womb. It passes out of the body through the vagina. Periods usually start around age 12 and continue until menopause, at about age 51. Premenstrual syndrome, or PMS, is a group of symptoms that start before the period. Approximately 1 percent of women experience menopause before age 40.
Menopause may result from premature ovarian failure. Menopausal women tend to exercise less than other women, which can lead to weight gain. For most women, increases and shifts in weight begin during perimenopause — the years leading up to menopause. Weight gain can also have serious implications for your health. These factors also put you at increased risk of heart disease and stroke. The most effective approach to reversing weight gain after menopause included is aerobic exercise boosts your metabolism and helps you burn fat. Strength training exercises increase muscle mass, boost your metabolism and strengthen your bones. Eating large amounts of high-fat foods adds excess calories, which can lead to weight gain and obesity. Limit fat to 20 percent to 35 percent of your daily calories. The causes of weight gain during menopause can be divided into psychological and physical.
Psychological aren’t as common as physical; in fact, it’s normally accepted that in most women, physical causes are responsible for weight gain during menopause.Psychological causes for menopause weight gain: Anxiety and other forms of emotional daily stress, overwork and fatigue can cause weight gain during menopause. Physical causes for menopause weight gain: The most probable cause for Weight gain during menopause is hormonal imbalance. Healthy life helps to control menopause weight gain. Menopause weight gain can be controlled with alternative medicine. Testosterone helps your body to create lean muscle mass out of the calories that you take in. Avoid crash diets. Starvation will only cause your metabolism to slow down, causing you to gain more weight later on. Menopausal women tend to exercise less than other women, which can lead to weight gain.
Thanks to Juliet Cohen for contributing this article to our Menopause blog:
Menopause may result from premature ovarian failure. Menopausal women tend to exercise less than other women, which can lead to weight gain. For most women, increases and shifts in weight begin during perimenopause — the years leading up to menopause. Weight gain can also have serious implications for your health. These factors also put you at increased risk of heart disease and stroke. The most effective approach to reversing weight gain after menopause included is aerobic exercise boosts your metabolism and helps you burn fat. Strength training exercises increase muscle mass, boost your metabolism and strengthen your bones. Eating large amounts of high-fat foods adds excess calories, which can lead to weight gain and obesity. Limit fat to 20 percent to 35 percent of your daily calories. The causes of weight gain during menopause can be divided into psychological and physical.
Psychological aren’t as common as physical; in fact, it’s normally accepted that in most women, physical causes are responsible for weight gain during menopause.Psychological causes for menopause weight gain: Anxiety and other forms of emotional daily stress, overwork and fatigue can cause weight gain during menopause. Physical causes for menopause weight gain: The most probable cause for Weight gain during menopause is hormonal imbalance. Healthy life helps to control menopause weight gain. Menopause weight gain can be controlled with alternative medicine. Testosterone helps your body to create lean muscle mass out of the calories that you take in. Avoid crash diets. Starvation will only cause your metabolism to slow down, causing you to gain more weight later on. Menopausal women tend to exercise less than other women, which can lead to weight gain.
Thanks to Juliet Cohen for contributing this article to our Menopause blog:
Juliet Cohen writes articles on pregnancy information and ovarian cyst. She also writes articles on women health.
