Perimenopause, or pre-menopause is a transitional stage of two to ten years before complete cessation of the menstrual period. Its average duration is six years, and can appear in women from 35 to 50 years of age. Perimenopause marks the interval in which your body begins its transition into menopause. Perimenopause lasts up until menopause, the point when the ovaries stop releasing eggs. In the last one to two years of perimenopause, this decline in estrogen accelerates. Perimenopause lasts from six to 10 years for most women. This stage begins gradually during regular cycles and ends when a year has passed since the final menstrual period. Perimenopause encompasses the years leading up to menopause anywhere from two to eight years plus the first year after your final period. It’s a natural part of aging that signals the ending of your reproductive years. Many women experience relief from hot flashes after taking low-dose birth control pills for a short period of time. Approximately 25% will begin to have night sweats. About 20-30% will have abnormally heavy flow for one or more cycles.

Most premenopausal women experience changes in their menstrual cycle. Most women experience some middle of the night sleep disturbances, mood swings and less ability to predict flow. Some women will experience nausea, new or recurrent and severe migraine headaches, weight gain and palpitations. Sleep disturbances may increase and rapid bone loss begins with the onset of irregular cycles. The final year of perimenopause is from the final menstrual period for one year. Additionally, this declining/fluctuating estrogen level can produce a host of disturbing symptoms: hot flashes, increasing dryness, sleep problems, mood swings, breast tenderness and many other complications. Additional symptoms of perimenopause or menopause may include, breast pain, irregular periods, urinary tract changes, problems as well as change in the complexion and hair. Some women find that these hot flashes disrupt their sleep, causing constant tiredness, and others respond with mood changes.

Main Symptoms of Perimenopause

1. Hot flashes, flushes, night sweats and/or cold flashes, clammy feeling.

2. Changes in fingernails: softer, crack or break easier.

3. Tinnitus: ringing in ears, bells, ‘whooshing,’ buzzing etc.

4. Anxiety, feeling ill at ease.

5. Feelings of dread, apprehension, doom.

6. Difficulty concentrating, disorientation, mental confusion.

7. Trouble sleeping through the night.

8. Hair loss or thinning, head, pubic, or whole body; increase in facial hair.

9. Dizziness, light-headedness, episodes of loss of balance.

10. Gastrointestinal distress, indigestion, flatulence, gas pain, nausea.

11. Burning tongue, burning roof of mouth, bad taste in mouth, change in breath odor.

12. Tingling in the extremities.

13. Itchy, crawly skin.

14. Aching, sore joints, muscles and tendons.

15. Gum problems, increased bleeding

Treatment for Perimenopause Tips

1. Exercise.

2. Stop smoking .

3. Get more sleep and try going to sleep and waking up at the same time each day.

4. Decrease the amount of alcohol you drink.

5. Get to a healthy weight and stay there.

6. Take a multivitamin supplement and ingest enough calcium.

7. Drink at least eight glasses of water each day.



Thanks to Juliet Cohen for contributing this article to our Menopause blog:

Alternatives To Hysterectomy

In a woman’s body, the hormones estrogen and progesterone work together in what could be called a sort of “ying” and “yang” relationship. There is a delicate balance that exists between these two in the body of a healthy woman.

In the months making up a woman’s reproductive years, estrogen is produced in higher levels during the first 14 days of her 28-day menstrual cycle (Note: Not every woman’s cycle is exactly 28 days). Its job is to cause the thickening of the lining of the uterus and a change in the cervical mucus in preparation for a pregnancy.

In the second 14 days of the menstrual cycle, progesterone is secreted from within the womb itself, causing the endometrium (surface of the lining of the uterus) to be thick with mucous. If pregnancy does not occur, progesterone further causes the unfertilized egg and thickened lining to be sloughed off in the menstrual period.

If either estrogen or progesterone becomes imbalanced within their relationship to one another, the timing of the entire menstrual cycle can be thrown off or completely disrupted. In addition to that, a number of other problems or symptoms occur including weight gain, water retention, anxiety and depression, mood swings, unclear thinking, low blood sugar levels, fatigue, sleeplessness, night sweats, headaches and more.

The amount of estrogen and progesterone produced in the body fluctuates from month to month and is affected by various factors including overall health, differing stress levels, environmental factors which can cause “estrogen dominance”, diet and physical activity. The goal for enjoying optimum health is to maintain the bodies hormonal balance through attention to diet and exercise, diminishing sources of stress and anxiety, and protection from harmful environmental circumstance so that the body’s systems, including the production of hormones estrogen and progesterone operate harmoniously.



Thanks to Jean Morgan for contributing this article to our Menopause blog:

Weight Gain And Menopause

As we mentioned in previous articles during the last stage of the menstrual cycle normally a layer of endometriosis lining in the inside of the uterus is expelled, known as menstruation blood but instead some of the endometriosis tissues grow somewhere in the body causing endometriosis. Endometriosis also reacts to hormonal signals of the monthly menstrual cycle, building up tissue, breaking it, and eliminating it through the menstrual period Sometime if the diseases are progressing with rapid page you doctor may suggest some types of hysterectomy. In this article, we will discuss types of hysterectomy.

I. Definition

Hysterectomy is a operation to removal of the uterus by a gynecologist. As the uterus is removed, the women will not be able to bear children. It also cause hormone imbalance, so the surgery is normally recommended for only a few specific circumstances such as caner, severe case of uterine endometriosis.

II. Types of hysterectomy

There are 4 types of hysterectomy

1. Subtotal hysterectomy

This type of hysterectomy removes uterus but leave the cervix intact.

2. Total hysterectomy

This type of hysterectomy removes both the uterus and the cervix. Most women undergoing hysterectomy have total hysterectomy.

3. Simple hysterectomy

A simple hysterectomy is the removal of uterus only medical procedure.

4. Radical hysterectomy

During a radical hysterectomy, the uterus, the cervix, the upper third of the vagina, supporting tissues and pelvic lymph nodes are removed. This type of surgical procedure is usually done in treating pelvic cancer.

I hope this information will help. If you need more information or insurance advices, please follow my article series of the above subject at my home page at:

http://medicaladvisorjournals.blogspot.com

http://lifeanddisabitityinsuranceunderwriter.blogspot.com/

http://endometriosisa.blogspot.com/



Thanks to Kyle J. Norton for contributing this article to our Menopause blog:

Menopause And Depression

As we mentioned in previous articles during the last stage of the menstrual cycle normally a layer of endometriosis lining in the inside of the uterus is expelled, known as menstruation blood but instead some of the endometriosis tissues grow somewhere in the body causing endometriosis. Endometriosis also reacts to hormonal signals of the monthly menstrual cycle, building up tissue, breaking it, and eliminating it through the menstrual period. If it is the desire of the woman who want to sterilization or endometriosis in the cervix have become cancerous or enlarge uterine fibroids then cesarean hysterectomy may be performed. In this article, we will discuss what is cesarean hysterectomy

I. Definition

Cesarean hysterectomy is normally performed during delivery of a newborn. It is necessary if abnormality of heavy bleeding occurs caused by abnormal placental attachment.

II. How it works

Cesarean hysterectomy is a planned hysterectomy as desire of the woman during newborn delivery to have the sterilization done or Uterus (Sometime the cervix and the Fallopian tubes also removed) removed at the same time. This types of planning also resulted in shorter hospital stays, lower blood loss, and lower hospital costs. After anesthesia and 3 or 4 small vertical or horizontal incisions are in place for insertion of the lararoscope and laparoscopic instruments into abdominal wall. The uterus is seperated for from the ligament and other tissues, then the blood vessels of the uterus are clamped and cut sequentially and the uterus is removed from the pelvic cavity. Sometime the cervix and Fallopian tubes are also removed, if necessary.

III. Risks

a) Bleeding

Heavy bleeding is always a concern in cesarean hysterectomy during delivery of a newborn as well as surgical procedure for selective cervical cancer, because of recently pregnant uterus is larger and bleed more profusely.

b) Infection

Infection in the incision area may be caused by bacteria or medical instrument used during operation

c) Damage to adjacent organs

Even the risk is low, but it may be happened

d) Anesthesia risk

It is wise for woman who has some bad experience with certain types of anesthesia in previous surgery to talk to her doctor, so other anesthesia can be used.

I hope this information will help. If you need more information or insurance advices, please follow my article series of the above subject at my home page at:

http://medicaladvisorjournals.blogspot.com

http://lifeanddisabitityinsuranceunderwriter.blogspot.com/



Thanks to Kyle J. Norton for contributing this article to our Menopause blog:

Symptoms Of Low Estrogen Levels