Menopause
Menopause is a condition of a woman that occurs when her reproductive ability begins to fade. Eggs stop maturing in the ovaries, and a woman loses the ability to conceive and give birth to a child. This is a natural process associated with age–related changes in the body. But the difficulty is that the weakening of childbearing function is associated with a global hormonal restructuring in the female body. The ovaries, pituitary gland and hypothalamus dramatically reduce the production of female sex hormones, which immediately causes a disorder in the work of the body – this affects both the character of the woman, and her emotional state, and the condition of the skin, hair, and appearance, and well-being. Menstruation first becomes irregular, and then disappears.
Menopause is a long process, starting at 45-55 years old, it develops within 5-6 years. It is impossible to avoid this restructuring of the body – it happens to every woman and is a natural process. But all women suffer menopause differently. For some, it goes relatively smoothly, while others experience a lot of unpleasant symptoms.
SYMPTOMS OF MENOPAUSE
A sharp change in the hormonal balance in the body causes a number of symptoms, such as:
violation of the menstrual cycle;
increased sweating;
unstable emotional state, short temper, mood swings, touchiness, irritability, anxiety, tearfulness;
flushes of blood to the upper part of the body, to the head, redness of the face, neck;
increased blood pressure, tinnitus, dizziness;
memory impairment, sleep disorders, absent-mindedness, increased fatigue;
weight gain;
vaginal dryness;
pain in the head, joints, muscles, spine;
development of atherosclerosis;
decreased libido (or a sharp, abrupt increase followed by a decrease);
enhanced facial and body hair growth;
deterioration of the skin, dryness of the skin, irritation.
Menopause develops in stages.
The first stage is premenopause. It is characterized by the appearance of the first symptoms, a violation of the menstrual cycle, a decrease in the ability to conceive. It continues until the last menstruation.
Menopause is the second stage of menopause, it lasts from the moment of the last menstruation for about 12 months.
The last stage is postmenopause. It ends within 5-10 years and is characterized by the complete cessation of the female reproductive system.
diagnostics
Menopause can be diagnosed with the help of a survey and analysis of complaints, analysis of the menstrual function of a woman’s body, examination and examination by a gynecologist, including the following studies:
colcoscopy;
Ultrasound of the pelvis;
Ultrasound of the thyroid gland;
the study of the blood test for hormones;
biochemical analysis of blood (including the indicator of lipids and cholesterol);
mammography;
ECG, blood pressure monitoring;
densitometry (determination of bone density).
In addition, a woman needs to be examined by an ophthalmologist.
TREATMENT OF MENOPAUSE
Menopause is not a disease, so it is pointless to try to treat it. But his symptoms, quite unpleasant in some cases for a woman, are amenable to correction. Therapy, which is carried out to eliminate the pronounced manifestations of menopause, includes hormone replacement therapy, sedation, herbal medicine, homeopathic therapy, as well as taking medications to improve cerebral circulation. In addition, a woman at the beginning of menopause needs to closely monitor her health and be regularly monitored by a doctor – the body is especially fragile during this period, diseases such as atherosclerosis, osteoporosis, coronary heart disease, oncological diseases, etc. can develop. During menopause, a woman should give up smoking and alcohol consumption, reconsider her diet and physical activity regime.
