Misconceptions and myths about menopause contribute to the view of many women – and men for that matter – that life is downhill for a woman after this transition. After all, a woman is going through changes in her body that can affect her self-esteem, her emotions, her physical abilities, her social life and ultimately her relationships with family and friends. But it certainly doesn’t have to be this way. Many women today find that the years after menopause can offer new challenges and a fresh outlook on life.
Today, advances in the medical field as well as in complimentary, or alternative, medicine have resulted in a wide range of health choices that can enhance a woman’s quality of life during menopause and the decades beyond.
It is well documented that the rate of bone loss increases significantly after menopause.
WHAT HAPPENS
Menopause is a natural part of aging and occurs when the ovaries stop making hormones called estrogens. During this time, estrogen levels drop and a woman’s menstrual periods end. Normal menopause typically occurs between the ages of 45 and 60, but can be brought on earlier by surgical removal of a woman's ovaries. Menopause can also result from medical conditions when a woman’s ovaries are surgically removed or stop functioning.
Estrogen is known as a "female hormone" due to its role in shaping and maturing the female body. Along with progesterone, another female hormone, estrogen regulates the changes that occur with each monthly period and prepares the uterus for pregnancy. Prior to menopause, the ovaries produce about 90 percent of the estrogen in a woman’s body. The liver, kidneys and adrenal glands also make estrogen, which is why women continue to have low levels of estrogen after menopause.
Estrogen also helps maintain healthy bones and protects the heart and blood vessels by lowering levels of LDL cholesterol (the "bad cholesterol") while raising HDL levels (the "good cholesterol").
Due to the decline in the production of estrogen after menopause, a woman’s risk of heart disease and osteoporosis (thinning of the bones) rises considerably in her postmenopausal years.
THE STAGES OF MENOPAUSE
The process of menopause involves three distinct stages:
1. Perimenopause. This term describes the period of time during which a woman is transitioning from regular to irregular menstrual cycles. Perimenopause typically occurs between the ages of 40 and 51, with an average age of 47, and usually lasts four to five years. Hormonal fluctuations during this time can create all the symptoms commonly associated with menopause: hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal thinning and dryness, mood changes, weight gain, diminished libido and changes in the amount of blood loss. No two women experience perimenopause exactly alike. Some women experience few, if any, symptoms.
2. Menopause. Actual menopause refers to the permanent cessation of ovulation and menstrual cycles. Typically, the date a woman enters menopause is established in retrospect after she has gone 12 months without a menstrual period. Hormone levels during this time may actually be steadier than during perimenopause and thus symptoms may be fewer and milder.
3. Postmenopause. After one year free from menstrual cycles, a woman enters her postmenopausal years. Bleeding after this time is considered abnormal and should be reported to a doctor or healthcare professional. Symptoms are typically far less problematic than during the earlier stages of menopause. Health problems like bone thinning and heart disease risk persist, however, and need to be addressed by most women." Continue >>
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