Learning how to deal with menopause

A woman’s life is often marked by drastic changes. From adolescence to her menopausal years, women strive to cope up with the remarkable changes that come their way.

According to medical experts, menopause is a very significant time in any woman’s life because this is the time her body goes through a lot of changes. These changesmostly physicalgreatly affect her social, emotional, and intellectual stability. Studies show that when a woman goes through her menopausal years, her feelings about herself and her attitude towards work and life in general changes considerably.

MENOPAUSE FACTS

Menopause is perfectly a natural occurrence in any woman’s life. Unlike before when menopause is dreaded like some sort of disease, medical advances today have proven that a wide range of health care choices can be done to help women cope up with their menopausal stage.

Learning what menopause is all about, what causes it and what are the things that can be done to enhance the quality of life during this phase will help women nearing it understand it fully. Knowledge about it can even teach women how to deal with the phase when it comes.

In medical terms, menopausemeno (menstruation) and pause (stops)refers to the last menstrual flow in a woman’s life or the end of a woman’s menstrual periods. Medical experts say that menopause is a natural part of aging and usually occurs when the woman’s ovaries stop making hormones called “estrogens.” When the ovaries stop producing estrogen, the estrogen level will drop and will halt monthly periods. Low estrogen levels are usually linked to many uncomfortable symptoms in most women. Since estrogen plays a big role in shaping a female’s body in preparation for various female functions such as pregnancy, it’s loss during menopausal years can create a big impact on a woman’s overall well being.

The climacteric spans of menopausal years are usually dated from early or mid 40s to late 50s to early 60s. The entire phase includes the pre-menopausal years (before menopause), the menopausal climax years (during menopause), and the post-menopausal years (after menopause) or the “Change of Life.” Aside from aging, menopause can also be triggered by surgical removal of the ovaries for any other reasons like illness.

Medical experts agree that about 75 percent of women across the globe report uncomfortable symptoms during menopause and these vary from the most common to the most complicated ones. Studies show that the most common symptoms of menopause include hot flashes and vaginal atrophy or thinning, drying, shrinking and thinning of the vagina. Other symptoms include hot flashes along with sudden and violent waves of sweating, irregular periods, vaginal or urinary tract infections, urinary incontinence or inability to control the flow of urine, redness or inflammation of the vagina, ultimate discomfort or pain during sexual intercourse, visible changes in skin, digestive tract, and hair.

Emotional changes like mood swings and depression are also distinguished during pre-menopausal, menopausal, and post-menopausal years.

In the long run, more serious health risks are related to menopause or the lack of estrogen supply in a woman’s body. These include osteoporosis, heart diseases and heart attacks that can be traced due to being overweight or obesity, blood pressure that is monitored regularly, cigarette smoking, illness such as diabetes, high levels of “bad” cholesterol in the body and a low level of physical activities.

Menopause is usually determined after a woman has visited her physician. After the health history and physical examination has been diagnosed and conducted by the doctor, the appropriate therapy is then recommended to improve the menopausal discomfort. If you are on the verge of menopausal and you’re worried how to deal with it, make sure that you ask for professional help before anything gets worse.



Thanks to Nathalie Fiset for contributing this article to our Menopause blog:

Bioidentical Hormone Replacement

Are you facing having to undergo surgery for a hysterectomy, if so the more understanding on the whole scenario you have, will help you come to terms with loss of the womb and cope with the emotional and physical implications? Women vary in the way they cope with such a major change in their life so therefore it is important that the treatment they receive before and after the operation is of intimate understanding to the way the woman feels at the time.

One in five women will have had their womb (uterus) removed. Women wanting to know more about a hysterectomy then simply explained it evolves round the female reproductive organs a system which includes the uterus, vagina, ovaries and fallopian tubes. Familiarly described the uterus is a pear-shaped, muscular organ about the size of a tennis ball, positioned in the middle of the pelvis. Pregnancy develops in the uterus. Every organ in the human body will have a role to play for it to function in the way nature intended, the uterus lining (the endometrium) often sheds to produce periods.

The uterus is divided in to two parts-the corpus which is the chief organ and the cervix at the bottom where it meets the vagina. The fallopian tubes are joined to the two upper corners of your uterus. The ovaries are located near to the end of the tubes. The female reproductive organs are held insecurely by numerous ligaments, Before making a rash decision to finalize paperwork for having a hysterectomy all other alternatives should be considered, however if you have no success from exploration of other treatments, then the operation maybe inevitable.

One reason for recommendation of a hysterectomy is if you suffer from heavy bleeding; however there are other medical issues why hysterectomies take place. Loss of menstrual flow blood clots and pain will determine necessary treatments. Some women with heavy bleeding have no detectable pelvic disease, and their heavy bleeding is normally caused through hormonal imbalance, fibroids, or thyroid disease. Heavy bleeding at the time of your periods will not necessarily result in having surgery because there may well be another reason for why this is happening, so until a condition is determined by your doctor do not give cause to yourself to worry over something that may well be successfully treated with other treatments or medication.

Monthly periods are controlled by a complex system of hormones, the type and amount changing throughout the cycle. Oft times these levels of hormones get disrupted causing irregular and/or heavy bleeding, study states that stress can affect hormone levels where periods become non existent or get heavier. Hormone irregularities happens more as we get older e.g. the menopause, you need a IQ in medicine to understand what is happening to you’re your periods, “now you see me now you don’t”

Hysterectomy means removal of the uterus by operation and often involves removing the cervix, fallopian tubes and ovaries; however removal will only take place depending on severity of the condition. .

The uterus can be removed through a cut in the abdomen (abdominal hysterectomy) or through the vagina (vaginal hysterectomy). Questions need to be asked relating to any doubts you may have to clarify uncertainties. Operations entail risks so make sure you’re satisfied with process procedures explained by your doctor or gynaecologist before surgery happens. The healthier in mind body and soul is a sure way of helping you through a speedy recovery, also eating healthy edibles can help fight infection.

Hysterectomy surgery and pelvic floor repair are usually carried out under a general anaesthetic, although not often, but known to be done with an epidural injection.

If you haven’t kicked the habit of smoking then it is in your best interest to do so before going down to theatre, stop smoking at least six weeks before surgery, this will help recovery from the anaesthetic and reduce risk of chest infection and lung cancer if you are a heavy puffer.

A catheter is normally in place on your personal at the time of you coming round from sedation (anaesthetic) The purpose of the catheter is to help drain urine flow. Discomfort and pain can be expected so you may be hooked up to a drip, the drip provides fluid (medication and antibiotics) to kill pain.

No major exertion should be exercised; however it is best to get out of bed as soon as possible. This helps to improve the blood circulation in your body and helps prevent blood clots forming. After time pain eases and suggestion of light exercise when the stitches have been removed may be advised. If you still feel uncomfortable with what you are having to face it is a good idea to speak to someone who may have had a hysterectomy, however this can have its perks where you will either feel better on hearing it straight from the horses mouth so as to speak, or feel down because like stated before “women vary in their suffering” so the best approach is to talk to some one in the medical profession



Thanks to Kacy Carr for contributing this article to our Menopause blog:

Menopause Hormone Replacement

Menopause normally occurs during a woman’s late forties to mid-fifties and is defined by the finishing of egg production by the ovaries. The end to egg creation results in the end of the menstrual cycle. And the removal of estrogen results in a number of menopause-related indications. Some of the more ordinary symptoms include hot flashes, night sweats, disruption in sleep, vaginal dryness, loss of sexual desire, and mood swings. However, not each woman observes every symptom.

And when symptoms are experienced, the harshness with which they are experienced differs very much from woman to woman.

As a woman, we have all heard about menopause whether we are experiencing it now or will be in the future it is important to understand and recognize menopause symptoms. Menopause symptoms you have probably heard about are the massive mood swings, and hot flashes. These are only to of the symptoms that can affect a woman going through the change. Other menopause symptoms include depression, tension, stress, and irregular menstrual cycles.

Menopause or cessation of menses in women is a normal event, which happens, in the mid or late forties. It means the end of the female reproductive period of life, which commences at adolescence in the early teens.

Menopausal Disorders symptoms

Hot flushes, night sweats, tension, insomnia, diminished interest in sex, bad temper

At the time of menopause, the entire chain of endocrine glands is affected, mainly, the gonads, thyroid, and pituitary glands. In some women, the menopausal change takes place without any disagreeable symptoms, the only change really being the cessation of menstrual flow. There are, however, many women who develop troubling symptoms such as hot flushes, night sweats, tension, insomnia, diminished interest in sex, irritability, and depression. Other symptoms are fatigue, palpitations, giddiness, headaches, and numbness.

Lack of a usual hormonal balance

Disturbing symptoms associated with menopause occur from the fact that the ovaries are no longer producing their normal amount of estrogen, the dominant female hormone. Anything, which interferes with, the normal performance of the ovaries may also bring about these symptoms. Lack of a normal hormonal balance may also effect in a severe backache which is caused by thinning of the bones. This situation is called osteoporosis and arises from the low level of estrogen in the bloodstream.

Home Remedies for Menopausal Disorders

1. Menopausal Disorders treatment with Nutrients

During menopause, lack of ovarian hormones can result in difficult calcium deficiency. For this reason, a larger than normal intake of calcium may help greatly. Vitamin D is also necessary for assimilation of calcium. Any woman experiencing troubling symptoms at this time should supplement her daily diet with 1,000 units of natural vitamin D, 500 mg of magnesium, and obtain 2 gm of calcium daily, which can be complete by one litre of milk.

2. Menopausal Disorders treatment via Beet Juices

Beet juice has been found very helpful in menopausal disorders. It should be taken in small quantities of 60 to 90 ml at a time, three times in a day. It has proved much more permanently supportive than the degenerative effects of drugs or synthetic hormones.

3. Menopausal Disorders treatment using Carrot Seeds

Carrot seeds have also been found priceless in menopausal tension. A teaspoon of the seeds should be boiled in a glass of cow’s milk for about ten minutes and taken daily as medicine in the handling of this condition.

4. Menopausal Disorders treatment with Liquorice

The use of liquorice is one of the most efficient remedies for menopausal disorders. Liquorice contains the natural female hormone, estrogen, and can, to some degree, pay off for the diminished hormone. One teaspoon of the powder should be taken every day.

5. Menopausal Disorders treatment by Indian Spikenard

The herb Indian spikenard is another important remedy for certain disturbances due to menopause. It must be given in small doses of 2 gm daily. It will soothen the nervous system and encourages tranquillity of the mind.



Thanks to Peter rodrick for contributing this article to our Menopause blog:

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