A discussion on the most crucial time in a woman’s life — menopause.

Are you one of those who avoided this topic like you would avoid a person with AIDS? Or are you one of those who can’t wait for it to happen? Over the years, people have different stands and views on menopause. So what is it really? Is it a cause for concern or a time for rejoicing? When is it going to happen and will I feel anything?

These are only some of the questions that women all over the world have been asking about. First, let’s define menopause. It is a medical term when a woman permanently ends her menstrual periods. Before you start exclaiming hallelujah, there’s a lot more you need to know about it.

While menopause is a natural “phenomenon” and is not considered an illness or disease, it is associated with certain health problems like osteoporosis and heart disease. However, this does not mean that you are going to suffer from these two health problems during menopause. The low estrogen levels during menopause may increase your risks of heart disease and the loss of bone density.

Even if menopause is a natural occurrence in a woman’s body, let’s delve deeper into what really causes it. A woman’s ovaries, which store her eggs, are also tasked to produce the estrogen and progesterone needed to regulate menstruation and ovulation. When the ovaries fail to produce an egg every month, menstruation stops and menopause happens.

Menopause usually occurs after a woman turned 40, which is a normal aspect of aging. However, some women experience menopause early, some of which are due to medical treatments like chemotherapy, while others are because the ovaries are damaged. Either way, if menopause happens earlier than usual, it is considered as premature menopause.

Natural menopause is not an abrupt process and there are three stages describing it. These are: perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause. The first stage happens way before the actual menopause does. The ovaries at this point are producing lesser estrogen than usual. As the actual menopause nears, the decrease in estrogen production heightens, bringing about menopausal symptoms. Menopause is assessed when a woman hasn’t had menstruation for 12 consecutive months. This stage signals the end of estrogen production and release of eggs. The third stage happens years after the actual menopause. Menopausal symptoms will lessen in most women but the health risks will rise due to estrogen loss.

Menopause may be an end to long bouts with PMS and other menstruation discomforts. However, it brings new challenges to women. Proper health care practices are encouraged to make menopause more of a welcome thought than a scary reality.

Posted by admin in Health

Menopause Support
... to better cope with it. The facts that you gather from the doctors, the internet, and medical books, may help you understand menopause better. But ultimately, the thoughts and feelings of other women going through menopause will help you realize that "your menopause" is actually not different from somebody else's. The menopause support groups' that can be accessed via the internet provide forums and message boards where women can "discuss" the many issues surrounding menopause. Early menopause, normal menopause, post menopause, and all their symptoms, and treatments are all taken up in the menopause support groups. While these groups are not intended to take the place of your health care practitioner, they can still shed light on some questions that your doctor may have failed to inform you. A menopause support group is like your best confidante. You may not get to meet most or all What Is Menopause of the members in person but you will be comforted by...

Menopause Supplements
... of a new baby into the home, choosing menopause supplements is not a one day affair as well. Your health and well-being is basically dependent on your choice of menopause supplements. Thus, it is best to get some advice from very reliable health care practitioners. There have been a lot of press releases about some menopause supplements being ineffective contrary to what they claim. Some reports even said that What Is Menopause what we knew to be very dependable may even be harmful to us. Actually, only about a third of the female population experience menopausal symptoms. Some do not even know they are going through menopause until the time that their menstrual periods ended. So, should you take menopause supplements even if you don't feel the symptoms? Some experts say that despite not feeling any symptoms of menopause, one still has to have menopause supplements. Hormone Replacement...

Early Menopause
... women to undergo surgery which would result in early menopause. This type is a conscious decision by women to have menopause earlier than they are supposed to have it because it is the best option with regards to their health. One such surgery is hysterectomy or the removal of the uterus, fallopian tubes and sometimes the ovaries. Menopause Due To Chemotherapy Cancer treatments like chemotherapy and radiation can actually result in early menopause. While these treatments are aimed at destroying cancer cells, healthy cells, particularly the ovarian cells, are also destroyed during these processes. Some cancer patients who have gone through these treatments have temporary menopause, while others menopause permanently. Menopause Due To Infection Menopause, although very rarely, can actually be caused by infections associated with tuberculosis and mumps. These infections sometimes infect the ovaries which can result in an early menopause. Early menopause can happen to a woman years before it should. However, this does not mean that she is...

Menopause Treatment
... health practitioner regarding the proper menopause treatment, most women say that their doctors gave them confusing information on menopause management. They further said that their doctors may be the most reliable source of health information, but were unable to give them the What Is Menopause varying alternative therapies available. This may be the reason why more and more women are self-medicating and have been trying on alternative menopause treatment without the scientific proofs on their "healing" claims. Just as menopausal symptoms are variable, so is menopause treatment. Some women may not feel any symptoms and would rather not deal with any menopause treatment. However, there are those who are actively looking for good remedies. There are several guidelines to help women decide if seeking menopause treatment is a part of their menopause management plan. These are: * Hormone...

Menopause Hormones
... intense discomfort, consulting a health care provider is the best step to take. He may prescribe menopause hormones to alleviate the symptoms. Do not self-medicate. Even if your friend said that her menopause hormones are safe and effective, it is still possible that it won't work well for you. Plus there are menopause hormones that should not be taken by those who have other health conditions. A number of fortunate women are not bothered by any menopausal symptoms. They are those who breeze through menopause with more ease than learning to ride the bike. While it is still advisable to see your doctor regarding health risks linked with menopause and aging, menopause hormones are not required. There are doctors who would still advise their patients to have menopause hormones medications but the risks that are associated with these are far greater than their benefits. Several arguments have sprung up regarding the use of menopause hormones. What makes it more...

Menopause Symptoms
Symptoms Mood swings, irritability, anxieties, depression, and memory loss are only some of the psychological menopause symptoms that have been experienced by women. However, some scientific studies do not blame all these to menopause. Situations like divorce, aging, children moving out of the house, retirement from work all happen around the same time that menopause does. Sleep What Is Menopause problems are associated with menopause and may also be a cause for some of these psychological menopause symptoms. Hot Flushes This is by far the most common menopause symptoms. Hot flushes are characterized by sudden "feeling" of heat usually on the face or chest, cold sweats, flushing, and clammy feeling. These may be felt as early as four years before the actual end of menstruation and can last for a few years after it. Sleeping Problems Several sleep problems...

Menopause Weight Gain
... ob-gyn for prenatal check-ups, you might want to stop and think. Are you pregnant or simply having signs of menopause? Menopause weight gain happens gradually as early as the perimenopause stage. Women would notice that their menopause weight gain is more concentrated around the belly or abdomen instead of around the hips and thighs. People term this as the "apple" shape due to the rounder shape of the belly. Women who are having menopause weight gain will lose the "pear" body shape they used to have because it will become increasingly harder for them to distribute their weight evenly around their bodies. Women who have early menopause will notice a more abrupt and intense menopause weight gain concentrated around the belly as well. As with those that have "normal" menopause, female experiencing early menopause will find...

Menopause Myths
... is no general rule for it. Some women may gain weight, some may lose weight, and some others simply do not have any weight changes. Menopause may make women go insane and lose their memory. If you consider her menopausal mood swings as insanity, then by all means, hang on to this myth. Anyway, everyone's brain shrinks considerably by the age 30. Although this does not exactly mean we all go insane by then, this doesn't exempt the guys from the cognitive decline either. Menopause symptoms lasts forever. Menopause is a forever thing. But its symptoms does not end along with the actual menopause. The length of time that a woman experience the symptoms is as varied as the types of symptoms each one may have. Some claim to What Is Menopause experience the symptoms in as little as a few months although experts say that symptoms can stay from six to thirteen years. Accepting menopause is like living with the fact that all...

Male Menopause
... experience their own version of menopause. While male menopause does not exhibit a noticeable sign, like the end of menstruation period for the female, male menopause is caused by a drop in hormonal levels as well. Low estrogen levels causes females to menopause while a low testosterone level results to male menopause termed as andropause. Some men are in constant denial up to now about the existence of a male menopause. And they have been waving their "ageless male" banners for everyone to read. Men NEVER accept the fact that their sex drives are not as virile when they are in their 40's than when they were in their 20's. They insist on being sex gods all the way to their graves. Male menopause is not just the scheme of some feminists to deflate men's ego. There is scientific evidence proving its existence. Some men would rather call this as "mid-life crisis"...

Menopause And Depression
... your court marriage? Or is it as vague as the evolution of man? Menopause and depression are felt around the same time by some women. Experts identified menopause as the cause and depression as the effect. The reduction in estrogen hormone levels in women during menopause are said to have influenced the occurrence of depression. However other behavioral problems may have possibly triggered the onset of depression. Such behavior tendencies could be menopausal symptoms themselves like mood swings, irritability, anxiety, sleeplessness, decrease in energy, and fatigue. A negative outlook on menopause and depression is not a far possibility. A woman who view menopause as a long and painful aging process can actually What Is Menopause feel depressed over time. The thought of losing her youthfulness and beauty to wrinkles and memory loss can cause her to be melancholic. However, not all women have to go through menopause and depression like one is...

Premenopause
... say that both mean the same thing. A few made some very vague descriptions on these two terms. They say that premenopause means the few years just before the actual menopause, while perimenopause literally means "around or surrounding menopause". These descriptions are somewhat unclear especially for the latter term. If we think about its literal meaning, perimenopause would also encompass some parts of premenopause, actual menopause, and postmenopause. To shed more light on this, some experts stated that perimenopause may let us focus our attention to the changes that are happening on around the time of the actual menopause or the end of the menstrual cycle. Women who are not fully educated about menopause may think that it comes naturally to all females around the time when their hairs turn gray, or when making quilts seem like a better idea than shopping. Unfortunately, the truth is...

Vitamins For Menopause
... woman's childhood years as well. And vitamins are not restricted to women only. Regardless of gender, age, and race, vitamins are essential tools in achieving sound mind and body. Most people do not realize it but sometimes their diet does not allow What Is Menopause them to get all the essential nutrients that the body needs. Vitamins act like support to your diet so that the correct amount of nutrients may be taken in by the body. Vitamins for menopause work the same way as any other vitamins. A woman during menopause may require them more as several changes are happening inside her body. The most common vitamins for menopause are: Vitamin A As a vitamin for healthy skin, eyes and mucous membranes, this is essential because menopausal years bring a lot of physical changes including dry skin. This is also...

Sex After Menopause
... more painful and less fulfilling. Others are simply reluctant thinking that menopause accompanied by their weight gain may have made them undesirable to their partners. And a few simply lost the desire. However, a greater percentage of women said that they did not feel any decrease in activities related to sex after menopause. Fact is, fulfilling sexual life does not disappear with time. The women who find sex after menopause more enjoyable said that they need not worry about contraceptives and unwanted pregnancies anymore, making them perform better in bed. For those who may have problems with sex after menopause though, there are numerous ways to deal with them. Lubricating gels, vaginal moisturizers, and even vaginal estrogen creams can make sex after menopause as satisfying as it was during your child-bearing years. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) is also said to relieve vaginal dryness. However, since there have been negative effects associated with the...

Hair Loss Due To Menopause
... loss due to menopause. Hair loss in women happens more often than is actually perceived. However the extent of hair loss in women is not as pronounced as those in men. Balding spots are not seen in women as they are in men, because their hair loss has mostly a thinning effect. Women's hair loss due to menopause is not even made clear up to now as to its real causes. Even the impact of estrogen in women's hair hasn't been fully understood. However, there are estrogen medications being prescribed by doctors as treatment for hair loss during menopause. There are myths surrounding hair loss due to menopause some of which are as follows: Myth 1: Hair loss problem is inherited from one's father. This is partly true. Hair loss like Androgenetic Aplopecia is hereditary-type. However, not just the father...

Menopause Relief
... hot flashes in women from Asian countries are very minimal. A diet comparison has been done and they discovered that the major composition of Asian diets is soy. Thus, they have concluded that a woman's eating habit is a big factor in lesser incidence of menopausal symptoms. The major content of soy which is isoflavones, is basically the reason why it brings forth menopause relief. It is said that these isoflavones, although these are not estrogens, act they way estrogens do. Because of this, soy foods and soy What Is Menopause supplements are highly recommended as menopause relief. Women who have been experiencing menopausal symptoms may alleviate the discomforts by taking in soy products. The studies made in Japan, where soy foods are commonly part of the diet, showed that the women there are very much less likely to experience menopausal symptoms...