The thought of menopause can be frightening. It can be overwhelming to feel that your body is going through incomprehensible changes over which you have no control.
The average age of menopause is fifty years. However, some women go through a premature menopause in their twenties or thirties, while some continue to menstruate until their late fifties. There are a number of factors that are known to influence the age at which a woman experiences menopause. If you started menstruating at a very young age, before ten years of age, you are more likely to have a late menopause. On the other hand, if you have had a hysterectomy (surgical removal of the uterus), even if your ovaries are conserved, you may experience menopause up to four years earlier then average. This is because the blood supply to the ovaries may be diminished after the resection of the uterus. Other factors associated with early menopause include smoking, radiation exposure and chemotherapy. Menopause can also be brought about by artificially if the ovaries are removed through surgery or if they have been exposed to radiation therapy.
Simply put, menopause means the cessation of menstrual bleeding – that is, the last menstrual period. Though, in the several years before, during and after the last period, huge hormonal changes, such as large and rapid fluctuations in the levels of sex hormones, take place in the body. This is known as the perimenopause or the climacteric phase of the reproductive cycle. Common symptoms are hot flashes, sweating, changes in menstrual bleeding and mood changes. These symptoms may last for a variable period of time. Some women find that perimenopause lasts only a few months, while others find that it lasts for ten to fifteen years. Appropriately enough, with the right hormone replacement therapy and natural therapies, one can avoid the unpleasant symptoms of this time altogether. After the perimenopausal period, a woman becomes post menopausal, with a very low and stable levels of sex hormones in her body, unless she is on hormone replacement therapy.
When you look at the advantages and powerful influences of hormone replacement therapy, it is tempting to believe that all women should take estrogen for menopause. It can effectively relive acute menopausal discomforts and dramatically reduce the risk of osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease. However, we have to bear in mind that each woman is unique. Some women have no symptoms and are not at risk of developing cardiovascular disease or osteoporosis, so there is no medical reason for them to take hormone replacement. But every menopausal woman has the right to be examined and tested and if you are found to be at risk of developing of one of these serious health problems, or if you are suffering from unpleasant menopausal symptoms, you should be offered the option of taking hormone replacement therapy. Furthermore, there are many popular misconceptions about hormone replacement. Consequently, all women should receive complete and accurate information about this form of treatment before deciding whether or not to try it.
See also:
- Early menopause symptom.
- Know menopause.
- Menopause treatment.
Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Menopause
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