Menopause and Your Body

Women seem to be blessed with all the good things in life-- child bearing, menstruation, PMS, and even menopause. Menopause is the transitional period in a woman's life where she stops producing eggs, menstrual periods are less frequent or end up stopping altogether, and when a woman's body produces less estrogen and progesterone. Women's bodies are all different and so are the symptoms in relation to each individual woman. Some women even bypass the hated hot flashes but they may have other symptoms such as anxiety attacks, weight gain, insomnia, night sweats, and a decreased interest in sex. These are just some of the more common symptoms, but there are plenty more.

Causes of Menopause

Menopause is a natural event that occurs in a woman's life usually between the ages of 45 and 55, but I have known women as early as age 40 that have had the onset of menopausal symptoms. The symptoms of menopause are caused by the levels of estrogen and progesterone in the female body. A woman's ovaries create less of these hormones over time and the level of severity in the symptoms varies from mild to severe. It is always good to ask your own mother at what age she started to have menopause and how severe her symptoms were. I asked my own mother, who started menopause at the age of 42. Her periods completely stopped at this age and she had moderate hot flashes. Is this good for me? I'm not altogether sure. I could be the complete opposite of her, as each individual woman has different symptoms, whether mild, moderate, or even severe. I can only hope that when this happens to me, my symptoms will be mild!

According to some articles I have read on menopause, the symptoms are their worst for 1-2 years after your last period and women may have menopause for 5 years or more. If you have medical conditions such as cysts on your ovaries, your estrogen levels may drop drastically. A friend of mine had cysts on her ovaries and had to undergo a surgical menopause to remove the ovaries which caused her symptoms to intensify. She was having anxiety issues only 2 days after the surgery.

Common Symptoms of Menopause

Heart racing

Skin Flushing

Hot Flashes

Night Sweats

Sleeping Difficulty

Forgetfulness

Headaches

Mood Swings

Irregularity of Periods

Treatment

Hormone therapy may help if you have severe symptoms like the ones mentioned above. You should always discuss this with your doctor thoroughly. If you are currently going through this change in your life, it would be advisable to start a daily journal of sorts. Describe how you feel on a daily basis and include questions you may have that you can ask your doctor. One of the symptoms is forgetfulness, so this journal would be a great idea to get your thoughts on paper so you do not forget anything. Remember to discuss with your doctor the potential benefits and risk factors of hormone replacement therapy while making sure that your doctor knows your entire medical history before he/she prescribes hormone therapy for you.

Ask your physician if there is a more natural alternative in regards to taking prescription medications to relieve the symptoms of menopause. You never know until you ask right?