Menopause is a natural condition of the female body that all women go through, sooner or later. Some experience symptoms and discomfort more intensely and may require treatment.
However, it is a natural condition that marks the end of a woman's reproductive period and should be faced naturally. Alternative treatments and therapies aim to alleviate the symptoms and, consequently, improve the quality of life of the woman who goes through this phase.
What is menopause?
Menopause is the period that marks the end of a woman's reproductive phase. It also happens with the closing of menstrual cycles and, consequently, ovulation.
Isabela Rangel, gynecologist and specialist in Assisted Reproduction, explains that menopause is a natural biological process. It is the time that marks the end of your menstrual cycles. That is, it is the complete failure of the eggs. She points out that there are no "menopausal stages", she is diagnosed after 12 months without menstruation and usually occurs between the ages of 40 and 50.
The transition phase is known as climacteric, which precedes menopause. During this period the organism stops producing, slowly and gradually, the hormones progesterone and estrogen.
Also read: 6 Signs That You May Suffer From Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
Menopause Symptoms
Menopause symptoms, however, may appear long before your last period.
According to Isabela, in the months or years before menopause (perimenopause), the woman may have the following signs and symptoms:
- Irregular menstrual cycles: Some women begin to have irregular cycles and menstruation is spacing with an increasing interval;
- Vaginal dryness: caused by fluctuating hormones, can be uncomfortable and disrupt sex life;
- Hot flashes and night sweats: one of the most typical symptoms of this phase, the famous? Hot flashes? can be very annoying;
- Mood swings and insomnia: are also caused by hormonal changes;
- Weight gain and retarded metabolism: is associated with hormonal factor, muscle wasting, inadequate sleep and increased insulin resistance;
- Hair loss and dry skin: very common at this stage, also by hormonal changes;
- Decreased or loss of libido is not the rule, but many women experience decreased libido at menopause;
- Fatigue and malaise: Women who experience excessive fatigue in menopause need to report this symptom to their doctor for proper follow-up. This can even develop into depression.
How to know if I'm in menopause?
If you are over 40 years old and have some symptoms listed above, see your gynecologist for an evaluation. Signs, symptoms and age vary from woman to woman, so you need an individual analysis that only your doctor can do.
Isabela says that the diagnosis of menopause is basically clinical, through the signs and symptoms mentioned above. "However, some women need hormone testing to rule out other disorders that may cause amenorrhea, which is the absence of menstruation."
Women who have undergone hysterectomy (removal of the uterus) sometimes also need to perform hormonal dosages to confirm menopause.
Also read: 11 Questions You Shouldn't Be Ashamed To Ask The Gynecologist
Living with menopause
Menopausal women can have a significant drop in quality of life. To reduce the negative effects of hormone deficiency, some habits must become a priority, according to Isabela. Regular physical activity (weight training, pilates, swimming, walking, etc.), balanced diet and weight control are some of the points of attention. "In addition, other non-pharmacological measures may be instituted, such as pelvic physiotherapy and yoga," he cites.
Treatment
Menopause treatments are aimed at improving the quality of life of women undergoing this phase.
According to Isabela, there are cases in which drugs are indicated, among them: systemic hormone replacement, vaginal estrogen, antidepressants, clonidine, calcium supplementation and vitamin D.
Among the drug treatments, we have hormone replacement therapy, estrogen application and non-hormonal medications.
Hormone Replacement Therapy
Hormone replacement can be done with estrogen or the combination of estrogen with progesterone. Ideally, it should be between 50 and 59 years old and up to 7 years after the first symptoms appear for safer treatment.
Read also: Is pasty white discharge cause for concern? Gynecologists respond
Estrogen Application
Estrogen application is used to soften vaginal dryness, which is used as a cream on the vagina itself.
Nonhormonal Drugs
They are indicated for women who do not want or cannot resort to hormone therapy. They usually act on specific symptoms, for example to combat excessive heat waves.
Early menopause
Some women may have symptoms of climacteric very early and enter menopause before age 40. It is called early menopause.
She is not very common. According to Isabela, about 1% of women experience menopause before age 40 (premature menopause or early ovarian failure? FOP).
Can FOP result from primary ovarian failure? when do your ovaries stop producing normal levels of reproductive hormones? due to genetic factors or autoimmune diseases, chemotherapy or radiotherapy, bilateral oophorectomy (ovarian removal), and other rarer causes such as infections (mumps, chickenpox, Shigella and malaria), enzyme deficiency and intraovarian modulation (gonadotropin receptor defects) ).
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