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Often referred
to as the "change of life", menopause is the
point in which menstruation ceases as a woman
stops ovulating, indicating the end of
fertility. Once a woman stops ovulating, the
production of progesterone and estrogen by her
ovaries is greatly reduced. This results in
dramatic changes to women's health. Commonly
thought of as a sex hormone strictly tied to
reproduction, estrogen also acts on many
different organs in the body. Cells in the
vagina, bladder, breasts, skin, bones, arteries,
heart, liver, and brain all contain estrogen
receptors, and require this hormone to stimulate
these receptors for normal cell function. For
example, estrogen is needed to keep the skin
smooth and moist, the body's internal thermostat
working properly, and the arteries unclogged. It
is also required for proper bone formation.
After menopause,
estrogen levels drop sharply but the hormone
does not disappear entirely. Other organs take
over from the ovaries and continue to produce
some estrogen and other hormones. The organs
known as endocrine glands secrete hormones to
maintain proper bodily functions associated with
women's health.
Each individual
woman experiences a different menopausal period.
Fifty is the average age to begin menopause, but
some woman start sooner and some start later.
The transition period is usually about five
years in length. If a woman undergoes a
hysterectomy but keeps at least one of her
ovaries, she will stop menstruating after
surgery but will still go through menopause. If
both ovaries are removed during hysterectomy,
menopause will occur suddenly, and symptoms may
be more severe.
Menopause for
some fortunate women may be easy with few or no
noticeable symptoms. Hot flashes, mood swings,
night sweats, dizziness, anxiety, fatigue,
depression, headaches, bladder problems, poor
libido, vaginal dryness and itching, breast
tenderness, burning and discomfort during sexual
intercourse, shortness of breath, dryness and
aging of the skin, heart palpitations and
insomnia are all short term or acute symptoms
that most women will experience. A deficiency
of estrogen and progesterone is the cause of
these symptoms. Over the long term, the
diminished supply of estrogen increases the
likelihood of cardiovascular disease,
osteoporosis, and vaginal atrophy, greatly
affecting women's health. Osteoporosis in
particular is a major problem foe women after
menopause. An estimated 80 percent of the
250,000 hip fractures that occur in the United
States every year are due to osteoporosis.
You should remember that menopause is a
natural process in a woman's life and that it is
not a disease. How frequent and severe a woman's
symptoms are has a lot to do with how a woman
views this time of her life. If menopause is
viewed as the next, natural phase of life rather
than the end of youth and sexuality, this time
of life with women's health will be much less
difficult. With a proper diet, nutritional
supplements, and exercise, most of the
unpleasant side effects of menopause can be
minimized, if not eliminated.
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