Health Tips

Menopause symptoms are part of a natural biological process experienced by all women as their child-bearing years come to an end. The transition can begin as early as the 30s and last even into the 60s. The symptoms of menopause are not an illness, just a natural consequence of aging. All women experience "the change" in different ways. Some will have no symptoms or only mild issues while others will battle a range of annoying alterations in their body like hot flashes or mood swings than can negatively affect their daily lives.
Does Menopause Cause Complications?
After menopause there are chronic conditions that tend to appear in women. Declining estrogen levels increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. To combat this potential, women should stop smoking, reduce their blood pressure, exercise regularly, and eat a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains but low in saturated fats.

Bone density decreases at a rapid rate after menopause and some women develop osteoporosis. In this condition brittle, weak bones break easily, especially those in the hip, wrist, and spine. Adequate amounts of calcium at the rate of 1500mg a day as well as 400-800mg of Vitamin D will help to decrease this risk as will strength training and walking or jogging.
What are the Signs that Menopause is Starting?
Menopause manifests at different times and in different ways for individual women. Some are lucky enough to get through the experience with no significant problems but for others, menopause disrupts both their lives and their interpersonal relationships.

There are a number of signs and symptoms to indicate the onset of menopause beginning with irregular menstrual periods. The irregularity may be apparent with increased or decreased frequency or in the amount of flow present. As ovulation begins to fluctuate, a women is less likely to get pregnant but conception is still possible unless menstrual periods have been absent for a year.

Both the lining of the vagina and of the urethra become drier, thinner, and have less elasticity with the onset of menopause. Consequently women tend to experience burning and itching and have an increased chance of urinary or vaginal infections. A frequent urge to urinate is common with minor incontinence especially when laughing, sneezing, or coughing. (These problems can continue after full menopause.) In addition, sexual intercourse may become increasingly uncomfortable, even painful.

One of the most common menopause symptoms, the hot flash, is a consequence of dropping estrogen levels that cause blood vessels to expand rapidly with an attendant increase in skin temperature. Generally women experience sweating and a flushed appearance. This can last from 30 seconds to several minutes and can occur as often as once an hour.

Although hot flashes can occur at any time of the day or night, night sweats are a related problem that severely disrupts the sleep cycle. Women report waking up from a deep sleep to find their night clothes and bedding soaked with sweat.

Most women gain some degree of weight during the onset of menopause, usually an average of five pounds. The increased weight concentrates around the waist and abdomen. Other changes in appearance can include fullness of the breasts, thinning hair, wrinkles, adult acne, and coarse hair (usually on the chin, upper lip, and sometimes on the chest and abdomen).
What Causes Menopause?
As part of the aging process the ovaries begin to produce less estrogen and progesterone. This decrease signals the beginning of the end of a women's reproductive years. Eventually the menstrual periods stop and it is no longer possible for a woman to become pregnant. Normally this transition progresses in two stages.
Perimenopause
In this stage women begin to experience the symptoms of menopause even though they are still experiencing ovulation and having menstrual periods. In this phase hot flashes and irregular periods begin to occur but it may be four to five years before full menopause sets in.
Postmenopause
When twelve months have passed with no menstrual periods occurring, a woman has reached full menopause. The ovaries produce significantly less estrogen and progesterone and no longer release eggs; consequently pregnancy is no longer possible.
How is Menopause Diagnosed?
For the most part women are simply adequately attuned to their bodies to know when signs of menopause begin to appear. If irregular periods or hot flashes get out of hand, talk to your doctor to calm your concerns and to investigate some of the therapies available to alleviate the extremes of your symptoms.

In some cases doctors will perform blood tests. Mainly they are checking levels of follicle-stimulating hormone and estrogen. FSH increases and estrogen decreases at the onset of menopause. Additionally, a thyroid test may be in order as hypothyroidism can cause some of the same symptoms as menopause