Many of the fair sex already by the age of 35 begin to think about what kind of menopause will affect their lives. Menopause is not as scary as it seems. The main thing is to know what to expect from your body and what actions to take in this or that case. Let's take a closer look at how menopause occurs in the fair sex.
What is menopause?
Climax is a Greek word that literally means “step of a ladder”. Poetic, if you do not take into account all the symptoms and unpleasant manifestations that women experience during menopause. This is an important stage for absolutely every woman, which makes certain adjustments throughout life. She doesn't become defective, as many believe, she just starts to go a little differently.
The menopause is not a disease, but a natural and conceived by nature itself process that overtakes every woman from 40 years old. Climax in medical practice is called such a condition.an organism in which there is a gradual extinction of the childbearing, and after the menstrual function. All this takes place against the background of general age-related changes.
The process starts with hormones. First, the production of estrogen and progesterone decreases. As a result, there is a violation of the normal course of the menstrual cycle, the possibility of fertilization decreases, menopause occurs. All this is genetically programmed and absolutely normal, but the process causes changes in the state of he alth and brings some discomfort.
Climax and menopause
Climax in women is not the same thing as menopause, although the concepts are very similar and often interchangeable. The difference is that menopause is a long process that is rarely characterized by the presence of unpleasant symptoms. But actually menopause is a wide range of painful manifestations, which often provoke the development of various diseases. Menopausal syndrome causes insomnia, palpitations, hot flushes and other very common symptoms.
Men also experience menopause, but the male body enters this stage later than the female. The hormonal background of the strong half of humanity changes smoothly, these changes do not bring discomfort at all and are practically not felt. Menopause in women is radically different.
Age of menopause
What time does menopause normally occur in women? It is not possible to name the exact age, since everything in this matter is purelyindividually. Even a specialist will not name the exact figure. Hormonal restructuring, the result of which will be the complete extinction of the reproductive function, can last from 5 to 10 years. At the same time, the amount of estrogen decreases, and the female genital organs regress.
The age of menopause in women is 48 years (plus or minus 3 years). But this process depends on many internal and external factors. The timing is very approximate, because some women experience early menopause, while others can give birth to a he althy child even at 50+ years old. Menopause does not depend on the time of the first menstruation, the first sexual experience, the number of pregnancies and childbirth, sexual partners, and the like.
If a woman wants to know when reproductive function will decline, she should ask her mother about it. The factor of heredity plays a very significant role in this matter. As a rule, menopause occurs in women at the same age as their mothers. The following factors may also influence this process:
- presence of concomitant diseases;
- social living conditions;
- psychological factor.
Recently, the age of menopause in women is decreasing, menopause in many of the fair sex occurs before the age of 40. Early menopausal syndrome may be characteristic of women who:
- abuse of smoking and alcohol;
- had many abortions;
- do not have regular sex life;
- sufferoverweight;
- violate the regime of work and rest;
- suffered cancer;
- do not follow the daily routine;
- are on strict diets;
- addicted to fasting;
- have diseases of the endocrine system;
- suffer from autoimmune diseases;
- constantly experiencing stress;
- suffered gynecological pathologies.
Modern medicine helps to somewhat delay the onset of menopause in the fair sex, who are at risk. Hormone therapy, exercise therapy, a special diet, and so on are used. More information about the treatment of menopause in women, if it can come ahead of time, will be discussed further.
Stages of menopause
Women after 45 years (on average) experience the decline of childbearing function, but this process occurs in several successive stages. Highlight:
- Pre-menopause. The stage lasts approximately 6 years. At this time, violations of the menstrual cycle begin: delays appear, and the cycle itself becomes shorter, heavy menstruation is less and less observed, the volume of secretions decreases, they become more scarce. The volume of discharge in women with menopause is generally reduced.
- Actually menopause. Menstruation stops completely. This is the shortest period in all hormonal changes in the female body after 45 years.
- Postmenopause. With the onset of this stage, the ovaries stop reproducing hormones, the level of estrogen is significantlyfalls. All changes are hypotrophic in nature: the discharge almost completely stops, the walls of the vagina thicken, lose their tone, pubic hair begins to fall out, the size of the uterus decreases. Active changes occur in the time period from one to two years, then postmenopause continues for the rest of your life.
Harbingers of menopause
The level of female hormones in the body begins to gradually decline after 30 years. There is a natural change in the hormonal balance, in connection with which there are difficulties with conception at a more mature age, the first wrinkles appear, the skin loses its elasticity. By the age of 40, the number of follicles in a woman's ovaries is reduced, which subsequently causes a stop in the maturation of eggs. But hormones continue to be produced for some time, however, their level gradually decreases. Signs of menopause in women are caused by the disappearance of sex hormones. Each representative of the fair sex experiences this period of life differently, so the duration of menopause and the severity of its manifestations are purely individual.
Menopausal status can vary. To determine exactly how this process proceeds specifically in your case, you need to consult a doctor. He will not be able to predict the time of the extinction of the reproductive function, but he will help prepare the body for this important stage and determine premenopause.
Among the harbingers of menopause, menstrual irregularities can be listed:
- reduction of the menstrual period;
- no period for one or two months;
- irregular periods;
- reducing allocations and the like.
There are also problems with conceiving and bearing a child. After the age of 30, it becomes more difficult to get pregnant. It may be characterized by endometriosis, a disease in which the cells of the inner layer of the uterus grow outside the endometrium. A typical symptom of this gynecological disease is pain in the lower abdomen during menstruation, which can radiate to the lower back or sacrum. At the same time, menstruation can be profuse and prolonged, after which “spotting” discharge from the vagina is observed.
Menopause symptoms
The first sign of menopause in women is hot flashes. It is about them that the fair sex most often talk about when menopause is mentioned. This symptom is characterized by flushes of blood to the upper body and head. This occurs due to a short-term expansion of blood vessels and causes redness of the face, neck, chest, and body temperature may also rise. Some ladies also note tinnitus and increased sweating. Such a sign of menopause in women, like hot flashes, does not depend on the time of day, it is provoked, as a rule, by excitement, stress or overstrain. The tide can last from a few seconds to a couple of minutes.
Among the symptoms of menopause in women (45-50 years old), dizziness can be listed, which are the result of jumps in blood pressure during hormonal changes in the body. Another reason -the occurrence of foci of excitability of the nervous system under the influence of hormones. Menopause is also manifested by sleep disorders: insomnia, daytime sleepiness and causeless anxiety. In addition to these main manifestations of menopause in women, we can also mention a number of symptoms from the nervous and genitourinary systems.
Emotional state
In some cases, changes in emotional state become a sign of menopause. This most often happens with those representatives of the fair sex, who themselves are overly emotional, they are distinguished by an easily excitable nervous system. Common problems are tearfulness, resentment and short temper. There may also be intolerance to bright lights or loud sounds. Often women also worry about changes in appearance and the loss of their former external attractiveness.
Even the ancient Greeks noted the existence of a connection between the emotional state of a woman and the state of her reproductive organ - the uterus. The word "hysteria", for example, comes from the Greek hystera, which translates as "womb".
Astheno-neurotic syndrome during menopause is characterized in some of the fair sex by depression, which either cannot be corrected at all, or is very difficult to treat. In this case, severe disorders, behavioral disorders are noted. This finds expression in vulgar attire, hairstyles and make-up. So a woman during menopause is desperately trying to prolong her waning youth at least a little. In this case, consultation is required.a psychotherapist or even a psychiatrist and constant monitoring, psychological help and support.
Autonomic nervous system
The autonomic nervous system of the female body reacts to changes in hormonal levels with frequent and pronounced hot flashes. This condition is manifested in lack of air, increased sweating, anxiety, nausea, weakness and dizziness, hyperemia of the skin, sensation of a lump in the throat, pressure in the chest, and heart failure. You can talk about menopausal changes with frequent and unmotivated awakenings in the middle of the night, sleepiness during the day, increased blood pressure in the morning, respiratory arrest.
A common symptom of menopause in women is also a violation of the thyroid gland. The state that the body experiences during menopause causes a restructuring of not only the nervous system, but also the endocrine system.
Urinary and other systems
In addition to all of the above, menopause in women after 50 years of age can be marked by disruption of the heart and blood vessels, the occurrence of osteoporosis. With a deficiency of estrogen, vaginitis occurs, the symptoms of which are dryness in the vagina, lack of natural lubrication, prolapse of the walls and a decrease in blood supply. It may be characterized by cystourethritis, which is manifested by frequent urge to urinate, pain during urination, burning and cutting in the corresponding area. The position of the urethra and bladder may be disturbed.
The skin of women after menopause and during active agechanges in the body become thinner, wrinkles, flabbiness and age spots appear. The main reason for this is malnutrition of the skin. Facial hair growth may also increase, and scalp hair may begin to actively fall out. The bone tissue ceases to be renewed, and therefore the woman’s height gradually decreases, fractures become more frequent, which can now occur even if a small force is applied, pains appear in the lower back, spine, joints, and stoop develops.
Early menopause
Early menopause is menopause before the age of 40. The causes of this phenomenon may be a hereditary predisposition, some pathologies (for example, Shereshevsky-Turner syndrome, ovarian dysfunction, a defect in the female chromosome, and so on), gynecological diseases, chemotherapy, obesity or anorexia, improper hormonal contraception. Early menopause is dangerous with rapid weight gain, the appearance of signs of aging (flabbiness of the skin, wrinkles, age spots on the face), an increased risk of hormonal, metabolic and oncological diseases.
To avoid early menopause, it is necessary to support ovarian function with special drug therapy. However, you need to know that many hereditary disorders are not treatable. In this case, medical assistance will be aimed at making the menopause invisible, eliminating its symptoms and prolonging the woman's youth. During menopause (not only early menopause), pain in the chest and abdomen, headaches can occur.
Delaying menopause
Earlystages of menopause in women, treatment will help delay aging and the decline of reproductive function. To do this, use the method of hormone replacement therapy (abbreviated as HRT). The action of this method is based on the replenishment of certain hormones. Doctors determine the level of their own hormones, the need of the female body for them and other substances, the compatibility of hormonal preparations. HRT is not suitable for all women. This method can be used to a limited extent for certain diseases of the excretory and digestive systems, cardiovascular pathologies, as well as for endometriosis.
HRT increases the vitality of the body as a whole, eliminates depression and other unpleasant manifestations of the nervous system, reduces nervousness and improves sleep quality. In addition, the risk of age-related diseases (stroke, bone fractures, heart attack) is reduced, menstruation is prolonged for some time, the condition of the skin and mucous membranes improves. With all these positive aspects, it is strictly forbidden to conduct HRT on your own. Only a gynecologist can accurately calculate the dosage that suits a particular woman. When conducting HRT, regular visits to the doctor are also required.
Treating symptoms
With the occurrence of unpleasant symptoms, the fair sex complains about age. Menopause in women, the treatment of manifestations of which is predominantly hormonal, can be delayed for some time. Estrogen replacement drugs are shown, for example, Divigel, Svestin, Premarin, Kliogest, Amboisk, Femoston and many others. To improve emotionalconditions apply "Belloid", vitamins (intramuscularly B1 and B6, as well as orally vitamin E), ATP, phytoestrogens.
Antidepressants, homeopathic remedies, psychotropic stimulants may be indicated. Phytotherapy and exercise therapy are useful. Particularly necessary physical activity and feasible physical activity. Your doctor may recommend exercises that will improve your mood and keep your pelvic floor muscles toned. To prevent uterine prolapse, for example, you need to do the following exercises:
- Step on tiptoe with your anus in.
- Raise the pelvis from a prone position and retract the anus.
- Sitting raise your knees.
- Lie down and pinch a small object with your feet.
- Alternately raise the left and right legs from a prone position.
If the process of organ prolapse is already taking place, then more radical action is needed. Exercises from yoga or the Bodyflex complex are suitable. This will strengthen the tone, lift the lowered organs and strengthen the muscles.
When prescribing therapy, the severity of the symptoms of menopause plays a decisive role. Depending on how hard a woman is going through menopause, the doctor will select medications and procedures. This will help relieve symptoms and improve the overall he alth of the fair sex. Only it is worth refraining from self-prescription of drugs - only a doctor should select therapy.
The menopausal diet should be saturated with all the necessary elements, vitamins and minerals. It is advisable to limit the uses alt, include canned food, cheese, dairy products, prunes, oatmeal, animal and vegetable products, vegetables and fruits, as well as freshly squeezed juices in the diet. It is advisable to follow the recommendations of a dietitian.
