Common Discomforts
Hot Flashes |
Infections |
Sexual Problems |
Mood Swings |
Irregular Bleeding
Memory Problems
Menopausal women have been neglected, ridiculed and generally under-served by the medical community. Women going through "The Change" have been characterized by society as raving and frantic or muddleheaded and oblivious. The following is a quote taken from an 1887 neurological textbook:
The ovaries, after long years of service, have not the ability of retiring in graceful old age, but become irritated, transmit these irritations to the abdominal ganglia, which in turn transmit the irritation to the brain producing disturbances in the cerebral tissue exhibiting themselves in extreme nervousness or in an outburst of actual insanity.
This unsympathetic attitude is probably because living through menopause is a recent phenomenon. Today women live to an average age of seventy-eight. They may spend as much as a third of their lives in menopause! One hundred years ago, most women saw menopause as the end of their life and IT WAS! Life expectancy in the 19th century was age fifty. Once a woman reached menopause, it was expected that she would soon die. Well, some women still feel that way. Usually by the age of fifty-one the ovaries run of eggs (ova) and stop making estrogen. This loss of estrogen causes the typical symptoms of menopause. Some symptoms can begin as early as age forty.
Premature or early menopause can be the results of surgery although not from a simple hysterectomy (removal of the uterus) but a surgery called an oophorectomy (removal of the ovaries). This often accompanies a hysterectomy, especially if the woman is over forty years old. Radiation and/or chemotherapy for the treatment of cancer can also throw a woman into a premature menopause. In some cases a gender disorder, which can be handed down from mother to daughter, can cause premature ovarian failure.
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HOT FLASHES
Early physical symptoms include hot flashes, night sweats and sleeplessness. Those infamous hot flashes usually last between three and six minutes and may occur up to several times a day. Hot flashes can be disabling and physically draining. They can be associated with profuse sweating and can be quite embarrassing. They can also cause insomnia. Hot flashes generally begin suddenly on the chest, neck and face. Associated symptoms such as headache or pressure, nausea, and difficulty with concentration are common. Those classic signs of menopause have only recently become the focus of scientific study.
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INFECTIONS
There are also vaginal symptoms including dryness, thinning and shrinking which increases the risk of vaginal and bladder infections.
At menopause, the decrease in estrogen effects the bladder. The bladder wall and the supporting ligaments atrophy (thin out). The bladder can drop and therefore inadequately empty, the residual urine is sitting in the bladder for a long time and is then prone to infection. The thin menopausal bladder lining is susceptible to bacteria. They set up shop causing inflammation that leads to bleeding and irritation. Estrogen replacement especially with an estrogen cream may be your best option. If you would rather avoid hormones, cranberry juice (unsweetened) or capsules if you prefer, along with goldenseal is effective
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SEXUAL PROBLEMS
Sexual function can be divided into two components. The first consists of desire, motivation, fantasies, satisfaction and pleasure. The second is characterized by orgasmic response. Both of these functions are affected by decreases of estrogen and androgens during and after menopause with a resulting decline in sex drive or sexual desire. These symptoms are preventable. With the loss of estrogen, the vagina becomes thinner and shorter making it susceptible to irritation and infection.
Women with low sex drive and low-normal testosterone levels may be helped by the over-the-counter hormone supplement dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA).
SEE ALSO
Sex enhancing drug tested in women
Sex after menopause
New Patch Increases Sex Drive
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MOOD SWINGS
With all of these symptoms, it is not surprising women complain of emotional problems at menopause including mood swing, crying spells, irritability. These symptoms are remarkably similar to those of PMS and both probably are related to a drop in estrogen levels.
One may suffer from depression at menopause. Frequently this requires treatment other than hormone replacement therapy. Women suffering from depression often have negative attitudes towards menopause. Poor social support and poor marital relations can contribute to feelings of depression. Often women see menopause as an end of their youth. This is especially true as our society prizes youth and one may feel less attractive. This transition from youth to maturity often triggers a self-examination and review of life's ups and down. However, the downs have a way of overshadowing the accomplishments, especially when all of those other menopausal changes are occurring simultaneously. Our society is now beginning to value maturity and wisdom. Unfortunately it is usually men who are valued for these attributes.
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IRREGULAR BLEEDING
Changes in the menstrual flow are common during the climacteric. The most common is a decrease in flow with skipping periods and finally no bleeding. However, it is not unusual to see an increasing flow and longer or more frequent periods. Hysterectomy was often performed in the past to treat excessive bleeding. Now, hysterectomy is a last resort and is usually done for bleeding associated with diseases such as fibroids, polyps or cancer. Gynecological ultrasound, D&C, biopsy or hysteroscopy diagnoses these diseases. Most often episodes of excessive bleeding can be treated with hormones.
Endometrial ablation is a new treatment where the endometrial lining of the uterus is destroyed using heat. It us usually an outpatient procedure.
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