Endocrine Disease/Disorder: Menopause

Menopause is a natural biological process that is regulated by the endocrine system which occurs at the end of a woman's reproductive years. The concomitant decline in estrogen and progesterone production that occurs during menopause can result in a range of physical and emotional symptoms, while other hormones also play a role. Although menopause is a natural part of the aging process, it can have a profound impact on womens health and quality of life. Moreover, because all women experience menopause, developing a better understanding concerning the relationship between the endocrine system and menopause is crucial for managing symptoms and supporting women's health during this transitional period in their lives. To this end, the purpose of this paper is to provide a review of the literature concerning the relationship between the endocrine system and menopause, including an overview of the physiological changes that occur during menopause, the role of hormones in menopause, and the management of menopausal symptoms.

Overview of Menopause

Menopause marks the time in womens lives when their menstrual cycles stop. Although menstrual cycles can become disrupted prior to the onset of menopause, the condition is diagnosed when there has not been a menstrual period for 12 months (Menopause Overview, 2023) but it is defined as the end of menstruation due to the loss of ovarian follicular activity (Dawn, 2022, p. 253). The average age of onset of perimenopause, the period in which womens hormone production begins to fluctuate, is currently 51 years in the United Sates, meaning that the condition can begin when women are still in their 40s or even earlier, but the production of the hormones that cause menopause typically begins to decline during the early 30s (Dawn, 2022). Even though menopause is a natural biological condition that affects all women at some point in their lives, its physical and emotional symptoms can have a severe impact on multiple quality of life factors due to the decreased production of hormones (Menopause Overview) as discussed further below.

The Role of Hormones in Menopause

The change in ovarian follicular activity and the associated decreased hormone production that occurs during perimenopause results in infertility, but it...…(Menopause Overview, 2023). The hormone therapies that are used to treat such symptoms include systemic estrogen alone or together with progestogen as well as oral and transdermal estrogen. Nonhormonal treatments include the use of paroxetine and venlafaxine which have proven efficacy in reducing the frequency of menopausal transition symptoms (Crandall et al., 2023).

Conclusion

The research showed that menopause is a natural biological condition in women where their menstrual cycles stop due to the loss of ovarian follicular activity, typically occurring around age 51 in the US. The hormonal changes that occur during perimenopause, which can last up to 14 years, cause a variety of symptoms such as hot flushes, fatigue, joint and muscle pain, headache, urinary problems, depression, and mood swings. The age of onset of perimenopause is decreasing, which may be due to environmental factors such as endocrine disrupting chemicals. Finally, the research also showed that there are various treatments available for perimenopausal symptoms, including lifestyle changes and hormone therapies such as estrogen and progestogen. Nonhormonal treatments such as paroxetine and venlafaxine also have proven efficacy in reducing menopausal…