Menopause Is Not a Disease

Menopause is not a disease or disorder; it is a perfectly normal stage in a woman's reproductive cycle where her egg production halts. Most women would face menopause between the age of 45 and 55, depending to a large extent on heredity. The egg production doesn't halt suddenly one day, instead menopause occurs in stages and may take years to finally reach a stage where a woman need not worry about getting a period at all. In most cases though, women will go through irregular period for years as her cycle would become more and more disruptive with period either coming too close together or too far apart. A mature woman undergoing menopause may also experience certain symptoms such as hot flashes, mood swings, vaginal dryness and lower sex drive. However in many cases, no such symptoms may appear and the only symptom may be irregular cycle.

Symptoms of menopause or menopause itself occur because of changes in the production of two extremely significant female hormones namely estrogen and progesterone. During her childbearing years, a woman's body would produce just the right amount of estrogen and progesterone to allow ovulation. However with any changes in the balance of these two hormones, serious changes in the cycle can be experienced. A woman undergoing menopause would experience changes whereby her egg production would be affected by changes in estrogen and progesterone levels in her body.

Both low and high estrogen can cause body to produce deficient eggs or not produce them at all. In a woman approaching menopause, estrogen levels normally decline to the extent that egg production either becomes highly irregular or completely ends. It is also believed that any eggs produced during the menopausal years would usually be deficient or immature thus failing to achieve pregnancy. For this reason, women normally do not fall pregnant during menopausal years even though they may be getting their period every now and then.

While some women may not experience any physical symptoms associated with menopause, most women are likely to undergo some emotional changes. Whether physical or emotional, severe symptoms of menopause can affect everyday life and hence some women may choose to seek treatment. Interestingly despite it being a very natural stage in life, treatment is widely available which doesn't exactly treat menopause but offer respite from some of its annoying symptoms. These treatments can include anything from lifestyle changes to hormone therapy.

SOLUTION:

Since some women are not comfortable with the changes experienced during menopause, they can seek treatment in the form of lifestyle alterations, diet changes or hormone replacement therapy. This would help minimize the effects of menopause thus making life a lot more comfortable even though menopause itself is not treated. As mentioned before, menopause is a natural process and hence doesn't require treatment. The treatment offered today is only to help women better deal with the effects of menopause on the physical and emotional health.

The most common reasons people might seek treatment includes osteoporosis, weight gain and urinary incontinence. While some people may also seek treatment for minor symptoms like hot flashes, it is when more serious symptoms occur that women should see a doctor. Osteoporosis occurs in the first few years of menopause whereby rapid bone loss is experienced thus making bones both weak and brittle. Many treatments are available including drugs such as Boniva. It is thus extremely important to consume more calcium during these years and also include Vitamin D in the diet in order to make calcium absorption easier. Physical exercise such as walking and jogging can also help in reducing bone loss and lending more strength to bones during menopause.

Urinary incontinence may also be experienced by some women as their vaginal tissues and urethra loses their original elasticity. Women may be prescribed a medicine for urinary control or they may be asked to adopt lifestyle changes such as including Kegel exercise in their routine. These help in strengthening vaginal tissues and may offer some relief from incontinence.

The most serious problem apart from osteoporosis is that of developing heart diseases after menopause. With the decline in the estrogen, women may be at a greater risk of facing heart attack or a stroke. However women are still less likely to develop heart problems compared to men. Having said that, we must mention that menopause can increase the percentage of heart disease risk in women. "Studies show a woman's risk of heart disease intensifies drastically around the time of natural menopause, which for most women is around the age of 50."