Some Facts About Menopause

Some facts About Menopause

MENOPAUSE is a stage in a woman's life when menstruation ceases thus putting an end to her childbearing years. A woman is said to have achieved menopause if she had not a menstrual period for twelve consecutive months except for other reasons such as pregnancy and certain diseases . Menopause happens as a result of loss of the functions of ovaries. There are two types of menopause : natural and induced menopause. Natural menopause is due to the decrease in the production of female sex hormones - estrogen and progesterone by the ovaries. Induced menopause is due to one of the several medical intervention such as surgical removal of both ovaries , certain medicines and chemotherapy. Most of the women experience menopause between the age of forty-five to fifty-five

. Factors Affecting Menopause

• Cigarette smoking :

This has been found out as one of the major factors that affect the age of menopause. Women who smoke or have been smokers in the past are likely to experience menopause one and a half to two ears earlier.

• Nutritional status

Women with poor nutritional status experience early menopause

. • Body fat

Estrogen production is influenced by the body fat . This is the reason why thin women experience menopause earlier as compared to obese women.

• Hereditary

Certain studies indicated that mothers and daughters tend to experience menopause at about the same age.

• High Altitude Women living in high altitude are most likely to experience early menopause.

The use of oral contraceptives, socio-economic condition, marriage, height, number of children and the age of onset of menstruation do not influence the age of menopause.

Health Problems Associated With Menopause

• Thinning of the lining of the vulva and vagina

• Urinary problems

• Changes in the skin, hair and breasts

• Hot flushes

• Loss of bone density

• Psychosexual problems

Common Symptoms of Menopause

• Disturbances in the menstrual pattern

- Absence of ovulation

- Reduced fertility

- Decreased or increased menstrual flow

- Irregular frequency of menstruation

• Hot flushes During a hot flush , a woman will have a sudden sensation of warmth or intense heat that spreads over various parts of the body particularly the face, head and chest. Sometimes these maybe associated with sweating and a feeling of chill.

• Psychological symptoms

- Anxiety

- Depression

- Increased irritability

- Sleeplessness

- Decreased sexual desire

• Decrease in a size or function of a body part

- Thinning of the lining of the vagina

- Development of small flesh-like projections in urethra

- Pain during sexual intercourse

- Itching or irritation in the external genital organ

- Inability to hold urine, especially while coughing, passing stools

- Increase frequency and urgency to pass urine

- Inflammation of the urinary tract

SOURCE : Health Solutions : MENOPAUSE Published by STERLING PAPERBACKS