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

Eight-five percent of women will experience premenstrual symptoms during their reproductive years. Treatment for premenstrual syndrome may be indicated if three or more mild to moderate symptoms are present that affect your work, your relationship with others, or your own sense of well being. Thankfully PMS relief is available in a variety of forms.

What are the Signs and Symptoms of PMS?

The symptoms and signs of PMS vary widely from individual to individual and even from month to month. In the course of a woman's child-bearing years the effects of premenstrual syndrome may wax and wane and cover a gamut of emotional and physical manifestations. Altogether there are some 150 symptoms associated with PMS including breast tenderness, water retention with accompanying weight gain, changes in bowel habits, outbreaks of acne, food cravings, fatigue, aching muscles and joints, irritability, aggression, withdrawal, mood swings, and an inability to concentrate or think clearly.

Are my Symptoms PMS related or caused by Something Else?

Because PMS symptoms manifest in a wide variety of ways, they can mask the presence of other problems. The best way to determine if your symptoms can be attributed to PMS is to monitor the day on which ovulation occurs, which is generally 14 days before the next menstrual period (although it can vary widely).

Ovulation can be determined by monitoring basal body temperature. A woman's temperature will decrease slightly just before ovulation and then increase markedly 24 hours later. By measuring temperature before getting out of bed each morning and maintaining a chart, most women are able to estimate when they are ovulating and judge the onset of their symptoms accordingly.

What causes PMS?

Normal changes in a woman's endocrine system that begin at the point of ovulation and continue until the onset of menstruation cause the host of symptoms that comprise PMS. Any number of hormone changes are possible as the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, thyroid, adrenals, and ovaries all work together to produce an egg and to prepare the female body for the potential of pregnancy. If any one part of the system is not working properly, the entirety of the system is affected.

How is PMS Diagnosed?

There is no specific test for PMS although a thyroid test is a good idea as thyroid deficiencies can cause problems similar to those present in premenstrual syndrome. For the most part, however, a diagnosis tends to be based on anecdotal evidence provided by the patient. Keeping a diary of your symptoms and their severity through at least two to three cycles will help you to evaluate your condition and will be invaluable for your physicians if you seek medical assistance. (This would include records of basal body temperature if you have tried to determine the timing of your ovulation

Most women suffer some type of menstrual problem, whether it is cramps, heavy bleeding or irregular bleeding. However prolonged menstruation problems or severe menstruation problems can signify a menstrual disorder.

Types of Menstrual Disorders

There is a number of different menstrual disorders, from the short minor menstrual problems to the more prolonged menstruation problems to serious illnesses. This list of menstrual disorders will help you identify different menstrual cycle disorders of varying degrees.

Dysmenorrhea

Dysmenorrhea is the name for painful menstrual cramps. There are two types of dysmenorrheal, primary dysmenorrheal and secondary dysmenorrheal. Primary dysmenorrheal is period pain that is not due to secondary dysmenorrhea. Secondary dysmenorrheal is pain that occurs as a result of excess prostaglandins, excessive uterine contractions or any other disease.

Amenorrhea

Amenorrhea is the absence of menstrual periods. There are two types of amenorrhea, primary amenorrhea and secondary amenorrhea. Primary amenorrhea is the condition where a woman has never had a period. Secondary amenorrhea is the absence of menstrual periods for at least six months. Secondary amenorrhea is often due to pregnancy.

Menorrhagia

Menorrhagia is excessive or prolonged menstrual bleeding. Menorrhagia is also known as hypermenorrhea. Menorrhagia does not refer to normal heavy menstrual bleeding. It only refers to very heavy bleeding or bleeding that lasts longer than seven days. Menorrhagia can also be accompanied by menstrual bleeding that includes large blood clots. It is most frequently caused by a hormonal imbalance or uterine fibroids.

Endometrial Cancer

Endometrial cancer is cancer of the lining of the uterus. Usually, endometrial cancer is accompanied by unusual bleeding from the vagina. It is a serious illness, but can usually be treated successfully if it is caught early enough. It is most common is women over 50 years old or in women who have had high levels of estrogen.

Fibroids

Fibroids are growths in the muscular wall of the uterus. They come in varying sizes and can be tiny or large. Some women do not have any symptoms with fibroids. Other women can experience heavy bleeding and longer periods than usual. Fibroids can also cause pain in the lower pelvic area, pain during sexual intercourse, a constant need to urinate, pressure in the bowel and constipation. Women who are aged over 35 or who have had multiple pregnancies are at a greater risk of fibroids.

Pelvic Inflammatory Disease

Pelvic inflammatory disease (or PID) is an infection that occurs in some part of the female reproductive organs. One of the symptoms of PID is a foul-smelling discharge from the vagina. It may also be accompanied by irregular menstrual periods or pain during sex. The most common cause for PID is by coming into contact with a sexually transmitted disease. PID is a serious illness that may damage the fallopian tubes and prevent future pregnancies.

Premenstrual Syndrome

Premenstrual syndrome is the name of the symptoms that may occur from seven to fourteen days before the period, sometimes continuing for some time after the period begins. Many women feel like degree of premenstrual syndrome. However, some women can have very severe pain or emotional problems during this stage of the menstruation cycle

Menstruation is the periodic discharge of blood and other materials from the reproductive organs of women. A menstruation cycle usually lasts around 28 days, but different women can have different menstruation cycles.

What Happens During the Menstrual Cycle?

The menstruation cycle does not just take place during the period when you are bleeding. It is an ongoing process, which different things happening during every week. By understanding what happens during each week of the menstruation cycle, you can better understand what stage of the menstruation cycle you are in at any time.

• Week 1. Week 1 is considered to start from the first day of bleeding. After the bleeding has stopped, women may be more energetic and have less vaginal mucus.
• Week 2. The mucus becomes wetter in the lead-up to ovulation.
• Ovulation. This occurs somewhere around day 14 on the ovulation cycle. The mucus is very wet. Breasts may be tender. There may be mood swings and cramps.
• Week 3. The mucus production slows down and the moods start to become more normal again.
• Week 4. This is the pre-menstrual phase. PMS symptoms may start, which can include bloating, cramps, headaches and mood swings.

Menstrual Symptoms

Many women experience some symptoms relating to the menstruation cycle. Menstruation symptoms may at any time from ovulation to the middle of their period of bleeding. These symptoms are known by the term, PMT or PMS, and are caused by hormonal changes. Some of these symptoms may include:

• Bloating;
• Mood swings;
• Depression;
• Feeling irritable;
• Abdominal cramps;
• Acne;
• Headaches.

Menstruation Products

There is a wide range of menstruation products that help people through their periods and throughout the entire menstruation cycle. Menstruation products can be divided into the following categories.

• Products that absorb the blood and other menstrual discharge. Two of the most popular methods for absorbing menstrual discharge are tampons and pads. You can also find natural menstruation absorbers, such as cloth pads.
• Products that help with PMT and other menstruation symptoms. This includes drugs that may be bought from a chemist, but also includes alternative menstruation products. There are many natural therapies and tablets that are designed specifically to help with symptoms caused by menstruation.
• Products that help with recording the menstruation cycle. These are often used by women who want to conceive or as an alternative contraception method. These products include diaries and special testing devices so that women can see what stage of the menstruation cycle they are in.
• Products that change or alter the menstruation process or that work as a contraception method. Oral contraception pills fall into this category. Some women with irregular menstruation may need to take medication or other natural methods to help keep their menstruation cycle regular.