Menopause or 'change of life' occurs in most women around the age of fifty. It is a natural process the woman's body goes through whereby the monthly cycle of ovulation comes to an end. Although age fifty is the normal age, there are some women who go through menopause in their fortys or even earlier.
It is estimated only about fifteen percent of women will have severe menopausal symptoms, while twenty-five percent will go through the menopause period with no problems at all, leaving about sixty percent to experience the normal symptoms of menopause.
Sometimes the symptoms associated with menopause can be frightening to a woman; such as memory loss, difficulty concentrating and mental confusion. Many times they feel they are going crazy. For instance, they go to a cabinet in the kitchen and do not remember what they were wanting from that cabinet. Am I losing my mind?
Hot flashes are probably the most common symptom experienced by most women. They will become extremely hot and uncomfortable even though everyone else in the room claims they are not hot.
Mood swings and emotional outbursts are also common during this time. Other family members sometimes feel they are living with a powder keg, ready to explode at any time. It doesn't seem to matter what other people might say or do that triggers the tears and outbursts. Anything can cause emotions to stir up.
Anxiety and depression are normal during this time. Changes going on in the body can cause one to feel ill at ease. This is also the time of life when the kids are growing up and leaving home, and a woman could experience the 'empty nest syndrome', which could contribute to the depression.
Unable to sleep at night is very frustrating and possibly leads back to the mood swings, anxiety and depression. Losing sleep causes irritability and makes a person grouchy. Loss of sleep makes a person tired during the day and unable to function properly. Sleep loss is a common symptom of menopause.
Weight gain can be experienced by women during this time. Some women think they can eat their way through menopause. This, plus the hormonal imbalance can cause women to gain weight very easily.
Once looked upon as a dreaded experience, nowadays there is treatment for menopause that can help either lessen the symptoms or completely eliminate them. There are several hormone replacement drugs. There are risks involved in these hormone therapy treatments which should be considered before using them. These risks include an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, breast cancer and blood clots. Also, estrogen may increase the risk of uterine cancer.
The conventional doctors' theory is that menopause symptoms are caused by a drop in estrogen production; thus, their solution is estrogen replacement with synthetic hormones. However, many naturalist practitioners feel too much estrogen is the problem.
The naturalist feels, since menopause is a natural transition in a woman's body, that natural solutions should be used, such as vitamins and herbs. Vitamin E has been found to reduce the discomfort of hot flashes. The vitamin E therapy has been used since the 1940s. Soy product replacement in the diet is also beneficial in relieving the symptoms.
Herbs such as cohosh, motherwort, common chickweed, elder flower and violet are used with success in treating the symptoms.
The post-menopausal years can still leave women with some of the menopausal symptoms that carry on through the end of their life. Some women are plagued with the hot flashes and weight gain for the rest of their life.
Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Menopause | |
