Types Of Menopause
Menopause
is a special stage in women’s life that
is not to be feared. It is a perfectly normal
condition that all women experience as they grow
older; it is a normal part of aging.
Menopause is defined as a period in a woman’s
life when she no longer experiences menstruations.
It marks the end of a women’s reproductive
cycle, this means that after menopause a woman
can no longer bare children.
Menopause is usually confirmed after a woman
has gone on for a year without having any menses.
These changes in the hormonal cycle usually begin
two-to-eight years prior to menopause.
This stage is known as perimenopause. During
this period, women experience hormonal fluctuations
that lead to menstrual irregularities. During
this time women also experience symptoms of hot
flashes, sleep disturbances, increased urinary
tract problems, loss of libido, weight gain and
dry skin.
What Happens During Menopause?
Menopause occurs when the monthly cycle of ovulation
comes to an end in women. This is because the
ovarian supply of eggs drops sharply as a woman
approaches menopause. This time is known as perimenopause.
During this time the brain continues to send
out hormones to try and to stimulate the development
of ovaries, and it is common for a woman's ovaries
to respond erratically, causing her hormones to
fluctuate largely from month to month. These fluctuations
are responsible for the symptoms of perimenopause.
Eventually, the ovaries are no longer able to
develop eggs, and the ovarian production of estrogen
goes into a permanent decline. Progesterone is
no longer produced, and the lining of the uterus
get thinner, as it is not being stimulated by
high estrogen levels each month and bleeding (menses)
stops. This is menopause.
However, the postmenopausal ovary continues to
produce hormones even after ovulation ends, producing
some estrogen and also androgens, including testosterone.
Menopause can start in your 30s or 40s and last
into your 50s and even 60s. The approximate age
for most women to experience is menopause, between
the age of 45 and 55.
Premature Menopause
Some young women also experience what is called
pre-mature menopause. This occurs due to genetics,
autoimmune disorders, Premature Ovarian Failure
or surgical/medical procedures such as a hysterectomy,
or damage to the ovaries from chemotherapy. Surgical
menopause is also known as induced menopause.
Here the ovaries of a woman are surgically removed.
In premature ovarian failure, for reasons unknown,
there is a change in the levels of estrogen and
testosterone produced, and a woman prematurely
stops producing eggs. When this happens before
the age of 40, it is considered as premature ovarian
failure.
How Does Menopause Occur?
Women who under go menopause do so over a period
of time, it is not instant. The process is gradual
and divided into three phases;
Perimenopause
Perimenopause begins 8-10 years before menopause,
when the ovaries gradually produce less and less
estrogen. Perimenopause lasts till menopause,
which is the point when the ovaries cease to produce
eggs. In the last few years of perimenopause,
estrogen level production declines even further.
It is at this stage that many women experience
menopausal symptoms.
Menopause
At this point a woman has had her last menstrual
period. The ovaries have stopped releasing eggs
and producing most of their estrogen.
Post Menopause
Post menopause is described as period after menopause.
It is at this stage that most menopausal symptoms
ease. However, during this period in their lives
women need to be more careful as their health
risk increases due to a loss of estrogen. Problems
of osteoporosis, heart disease, poor bladder and
bowel function, skin elasticity and vision problems
usually arise during this time. |
