The landmark event all women dread, menopause, occurs when your ovaries stop producing estrogen and progesterone. Over time your monthly cycle comes to an end. That part is often a welcome relief, but the accompanying symptoms of menopause can be difficult. Hormone replacement therapy is available to help make the transition lest drastic. Some people wouldn’t carry on without their replacement therapy; others decry the use of artificial hormones.
Here we will explore the topic together, exposing facts and myths. Perhaps this will help you decide the best course for your future, or the future of someone you love.
First, there is no set time when women enter menopause. The onset of symptoms can begin anywhere between your 30’s or your 60’s. The average age for the onset of menopause is 51, according to researchers for Healty Advice.
Menopause doesn’t creep up on women and hit them all of a sudden. There are three distinct stages to menopause: perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause. Perimenopaus is a difficult time, because you often experience the symptoms of menopause, but continue to have your period. You have reached menopause when your period has stopped for at least twelve months. Sometimes the line between perimenopause and menopause may be blurred. This is because often, during perimenopause your period may be erratic, or start and stop at unpredictable intervals. You can be sure you have entered menopause when your period stops for 12 months. Postmenopaus are the years following menopause. While hormonal issues may arise, enjoy this period in your life with new freedom from your monthly cycle.
Menopause affects women physically and mentally. Sadly, many women feel they are aging and no longer worthwhile as a woman when they begin to enter menopause. That is not true. You are every bit the woman you were before you entered menopause. Stay away from women who wear the badge of menopause as a sign that their life as they knew it is over. Consider postmenopause a new chapter in your life, in which you are able to redefine yourself. Re-evaluate your goals, and make plans for the future.
Symptoms of menopause that are difficult to deal with include hot flashes, mood changes, irritability, depression, night sweats, insomnia, weight gain, changes in breast size, or the development of facial, chest, or abdominal hair. All of these are signs that your body is no longer producing and distributing progesterone and estrogen as it once did.
During menopause, your body is changing. Your uterus, ovaries, and fallopian tubes are beginning to thin and shrink. Your body is no longer producing eggs, so you are no longer fertile. That doesn’t meant that you have no libido, it means that you no longer have the ability to concieve children. Enjoy your new found freedom, no more condoms, pills, or intrauterine devices. Many women view postmenopause as a time of sexual freedom unlike any they have experienced before.
One change that may require attention is the stretching and thinning of the labia, the entrance to the vagina. As the labia loses fat, it loses flexibility. This may make intercourse uncomfortable. KY Jelly and Astroglide are both water based lubricants that can restore flexibility and wetness to the labia.
These changes aren’t anything to fear. The important thing is that you recognize them for what they are, and discuss them with your doctor. There are a variety of medications that will help you deal with the changes inevitable with the onset of menopause.
Sometimes, the automatic response to the onset of menopause is to turn to your doctor for hormone replacement therapy. The supplementary hormones can help alleviate the symptoms for some women. Estrogen is a standard replacement therapy, and progestin is used in women who have not had a hysterectomy. Progestin is used to decrease the risk of cancer in the uterus.
Hormon replacement is available as a cream, gel, patch, or capsule. All hormone replacement therapy is available by prescription only. Hormone replacement is not for everyone. While it aleviates the symptoms of menopause the Women’s Health Institute has concluded that long term use can increase the risk of breast cancer and heart disease. The benefits of hormone replacement therapy must be weighed against the difficulties of menopause. General agreement in the medical field, at this point, indicates the use of hormone replacement therapy in as small a dose, and for a short of a time period is necessary to ameliorate the symptoms of menopause.
Consult with your doctor to determine the best course of action for your health. Express your concerns and symptoms honestly with your doctor. He or she will be prepared to advise you of risks and benefits of hormone replacement therapy.
Email this article to your friends who are facing menopause, or symptoms related to menopause. It may help them understand the changes they are experiencing, and affirm their womanhood.
Source: Healthy Advice Networks, 2007.
