Menopause Symptoms and Stages
Menopause (also known as the "Change of life"
or climacteric) is a stage of the human female reproductive cycle
that occurs as the ovaries stop producing estrogen, causing the reproductive
system to gradually shut down.
As the body adapts to the changing levels of natural
hormones, vasomotor symptoms such as hot flashes and palpitations,
psychological symptoms such as increased depression, anxiety, irritability,
mood swings and lack of concentration, and atrophic symptoms such
as vaginal dryness and urgency of urination appear.
Together with these symptoms, the woman may also
have increasingly scanty and erratic menstrual periods.
Technically, menopause refers to the ceasing of menses;
whereas the gradual process through which this occurs, which typically
takes a year but may last as little as six months or more than five
years, is known as climacteric.
Popular use however replaces climacteric with menopause.
Menopause can either be natural or surgically induced. A natural or
physiological menopause refers to the ceasing of menses that is a
part of a woman's normal ageing process.
However, a surgically induced menopause refers to
the ceasing of menses for reasons such as because the woman has had
a previous hysterectomy.
The average onset of menopause is 50.5 years, but
some women enter menopause at a younger age, especially if they have
suffered from cancer or another serious illness and undergone chemotherapy.
Premature menopause (or Premature Ovarian Failure)
is defined as menopause occurring before the age of 40, and occurs
in 1% of women. Other causes of premature menopause include autoimmune
disorders like thyroid disease or diabetes mellitus.
Premature menopause is diagnosed by measuring the
levels of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone
(LH); the levels of these hormones will be higher if menopause has
occurred.
Post-menopausal women, especially Europeans, are at
increased risk of osteoporosis.
Menopause is rare in animal species. One possible
explanation for its evolution in humans is the grandmother hypothesis.
Treatment of symptoms
Medical treatments for menopausal symptoms have been
developed. Most notably, Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), has been
used to reduce the weakening of bones (known as osteoporosis) and
the risk of heart disease after menopause.
However, some women have resisted the implication
that menopause is a disorder, seeing it as a natural stage of life.
There has also been scientific controversy over whether the benefits
of HRT outweigh the risks.
Specifically, recent studies have suggested that HRT
may increase women's risk for Alzheimer's disease, breast cancer,
heart disease and stroke.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
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