Menopause: not all that fun
Technically menopause is the last menstrual flow of a woman's life and the climacteric is period of time preceding and following this event. In general usage, menopause refers to the whole process. For most women, menopause usually occurs between the ages of forty and sixty and takes place over a period from 6 months to three years. The menstrual cycle usually goes through many changes, some slow and some sudden, before stopping altogether. A woman's periods may become erratic, closer together, or further apart. She may skip a period or two, or have spotting at other times in her cycle. A common experience is loss of large amounts of blood with a period and passage of large clots. When a woman nears the cessation of her periods, she may not ovulate for one cycle or several cycles. In this case, the endometrium doesn't receive the chemical message to stop thickening. It grows and grows until its heavy bulk causes a heavy flow. Signals of menopause include hot flushes, changes in sleep patterns, headaches or migraines, high energy, high creativity, and/or mood changes. As with PMS, some of these symptoms are hormone imbalances caused by poor nutrition.
Menopause: treatment options
Treatment for the symptoms of menopause can be approached in two phases :1. Early in menopause, you and your doctor should discuss your symptoms and whether to treat them as they occur. You should be evaluated for your risk of getting breast cancer, osteoporosis (severe bone loss), and heart disease. If you're not at high risk for breast cancer, you may want to consider taking estrogen for a limited time, and using the lowest effective dose, which can help manage several symptoms at once. If you are at risk, other treatments are available.
2. Later in menopause you should focus on effectively preventing disease. Your earlier symptoms will probably disappear.
You and your doctor should form a partnership and share information that will help you make the best decisions about your health. There are many things to keep in mind, because menopause and the years that follow it usually cover the second half of a woman's life. Talk to your doctor about all of the treatment choices to decide what is right for you.
