menopause treatment

The text is presented for informational purposes only. We urge you not to self-medicate. When the first symptoms appear, consult a doctor. Recommended reading: “Why not self-medicate?”. Menopause (menopause) is the time that marks the end of a woman’s menstrual cycles. Menopause is diagnosed after a woman has gone 12 months without a menstrual cycle. The average age of the onset of this process is 50 years.

Climax is a natural biological process. But physical symptoms, such as hot flashes and emotional outbursts, can disrupt sleep, lower energy, or affect mental health. There are many effective treatments available, ranging from lifestyle adaptations to hormone therapy.

Symptoms of menopause

In the months or years leading up to menopause (perimenopause), a woman may experience the following symptoms: vaginal dryness, hot flashes, chills, excessive sweating, sleep problems, mood swings, weight gain and slow metabolism, thinning hair and dry skin, decreased volume chest.

For each woman, this period proceeds differently with a personal set of symptoms, some do not feel any changes in the body, and some women have to undergo long-term maintenance hormone therapy.

Slip periods during perimenopause are common and to be expected. Often, menstrual periods skip a month and come back, or skip a few months and then start menstrual cycles again for a few months. Periods also tend to occur on shorter cycles, so they are closer together. Despite irregular periods, pregnancy is possible. If you’ve missed a period but aren’t sure you’ve started your menopausal transition, it’s a good idea to take a pregnancy test.

When to see a doctor

Keep track of regular doctor visits for preventive health care and any medical concerns. Keep visiting your doctor during and after menopause.

Preventive health care according to a woman’s age may include recommended health screening tests such as colonoscopy, mammography, and triglyceride screening. The doctor may also recommend a variety of diagnostics, including an examination of the thyroid gland, if there have been failures in its work before, as well as diagnostics of the breast and pelvic organs.

Always seek medical attention if you experience vaginal bleeding after menopause.

Causes of menopause

Menopause can result from:

1. Natural decrease in reproductive hormones. As women age, a woman’s ovaries begin to produce less estrogen and progesterone, the hormones responsible for regulating menstruation, hence fertility declines. Closer to the age of 40, a woman’s menstrual periods can become longer or shorter, heavier or lighter, and more or less frequent, until, on average, by the age of 50, the ovaries stop producing eggs and the menstrual cycles come to an end.
2. Hysterectomy. A hysterectomy is an operation to remove the uterus but not the ovaries and usually does not cause immediate menopause. Although a woman no longer has menstrual cycles, her ovaries still release mature eggs and produce progesterone and estrogen. But surgery that removes both the uterus and the ovaries (general hysterectomy and bilateral oophorectomy) causes immediate menopause. Menstrual cycles stop immediately, and most often a woman immediately begins to feel all the unpleasant symptoms.
3. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy. These treatments to prevent the development of cancer cells can trigger menopause by causing symptoms such as hot flashes during or shortly after chemotherapy. The cessation of menstruation (and fertility) is not always permanent after chemotherapy, so it is still necessary to protect yourself from unwanted pregnancies.
4. Primary ovarian insufficiency. About a percent of women feel all the symptoms of menopause before the age of forty (early menopause). Menopause can occur due to primary ovarian failure – when the ovaries are unable to produce normal levels of reproductive hormones derived from genetic factors or an autoimmune disease. But often the cause may not be found. For these women, hormone therapy is usually recommended until at least the natural age of menopause to protect the body.

Complications with menopause

During menopause, the risk of developing certain diseases increases.

Cardiovascular diseases

When estrogen levels decrease, the risk of developing cardiovascular disease increases. It is important to exercise regularly, eat right and not gain weight suddenly. Seek advice from your doctor about ways to keep your heart healthy, such as getting rid of excess cholesterol or lowering your blood pressure if it’s too high.

Osteoporosis

A special period in women leads to the fact that the bones become brittle and weak, resulting in a risk of fractures. In the first years after menopause, a woman can rapidly lose bone density, increasing her risk of osteoporosis. Postmenopausal women with osteoporosis are at risk, as they are prone to fractures of the spine, hips and wrists.

Urinary incontinence

Because the tissues of the vagina and urethra are not as elastic as they used to be, a woman may have frequent, sudden, strong urges to urinate, accompanied by involuntary loss of urine (urinary incontinence) or loss of urine when coughing, laughing, or lifting heavy objects (stress incontinence), and infectious diseases are increasingly observed. urinary system. Kegel exercises and the use of topical vaginal estrogen can help relieve incontinence symptoms. Hormone therapy can also be an effective treatment option for menopausal urinary tract and vaginal changes that can lead to urinary incontinence.

sexual function

There is dryness in the vagina from decreased moisture production and loss of elasticity, which in turn can cause discomfort and minor bleeding during intercourse. Moisturizers and water-based vaginal lubricants can help. If vaginal lubrication is not enough, many women benefit from topical vaginal estrogen treatment, available as a cream, tablet, or ring.

Rapid weight gain

During this period, women tend to be overweight because the metabolism slows down. It is recommended to eat less and exercise more to maintain your current weight.

Diagnosis and treatment of menopause

The signs and symptoms of menopause are usually enough to tell most women that they have begun the menopausal transition. If you have problems with irregular menstrual cycles or hot flashes, talk to your doctor. In some cases, the doctor may recommend a more detailed examination.

Usually, no diagnostic tests are needed to determine the onset of menopause. But sometimes a doctor may recommend blood tests to determine levels of: follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and estrogen; thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH); FSH in urine.

Climax does not require treatment. Instead, attention is focused on relieving symptoms and preventing conditions that can occur with aging. Treatment may include:

1. hormone therapy. Estrogen therapy is the most effective treatment option for relieving menopausal hot flashes. Depending on the woman’s personal and family medical history, the doctor may recommend estrogen at the lowest dose and for the shortest duration needed to relieve symptoms. If a woman’s uterus has not been removed, she is given progesterone in addition to estrogen. The hormone also helps prevent loss of bone strength. Long-term use of hormone therapy may have some risks of heart disease and breast cancer, but hormones early in menopause have shown benefits for some women. All risks and features of hormone therapy should be discussed with your doctor.
2. Estrogen of the vaginal type. To relieve vaginal dryness, estrogen can be injected directly into the vagina using special products. This treatment releases only a small amount of estrogen, which is directly delivered to the vaginal tissues. The procedure can help relieve vaginal dryness, discomfort during intercourse, and some urinary symptoms.
3. Low dose antidepressants. Some antidepressants, related to a class of drugs called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), can reduce menopausal hot flashes. A low-dose antidepressant for the treatment of hot flashes may be useful for women who cannot take estrogen for health reasons, or for women who need an antidepressant to help their nervous system recover.
4. Gabapentin (Neurontin, Gralis and others). Gabapentin is approved for the treatment of seizures, but has also been seen to help reduce hot flashes. This drug is useful for women who cannot use estrogen therapy, as well as for those who have nocturnal hot flashes.

Before deciding on any form of treatment, it is important to visit your doctor and find an individual and effective therapy. During menopause, drug treatment will need to be periodically adjusted.

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