Contents
- How does menopause begin in women?
- The main symptoms of menopause: what is happening, how to mitigate
- Popular questions and answers
- At what age does menopause begin?
- Is it necessary to use protection if menstruation has stopped?
- Do abortions affect the timing of menopause?
- Why go to the gynecologist during menopause?
- Is it possible to maintain good health during menopause with nutrition, phytoestrogens, homeopathy?
- Is modern science looking for ways to prolong youth for women?
Age will take its toll when you give it yourself. The advice is very valuable when it comes to menopause. Unfortunately, we cannot delay or avoid age-related changes. It is by nature that after forty the production of the main female sex hormone estradiol, which is responsible not only for the ability to conceive and bear a child, but also for health, beauty, sexuality, mood, emotions, gradually stops in a woman’s body. Everyone gets old. But some at the age of 70 conquer mountain peaks and run marathons, while others at 50 are ruins and whiners. Yes, to enjoy life and stay happy at any age, you need determination, a positive attitude and effort.
How the female body is going through hormonal changes, how to alleviate the symptoms – we talked about this with gynecologist-endocrinologist Svetlana Lizunova.
How does menopause begin in women?
In Russian women, the physiological menopause occurs after 45 years – this is the norm. Menstruation stops, ovaries fall asleep. The body without its own hormones is bad, so it rebels. At what age hormonal changes occur is genetically determined. If your mom or grandma went through menopause at 48, you’ll be around the same age. The symptoms are usually similar too, so ask close relatives about their experiences to be prepared. And at 40, and at 45, and at 50 menopause in women begins and goes on the whole in the same way. But for some, the symptoms are more severe, for others it is easier – it all depends on the individual characteristics of the body, health status, lifestyle.
After 40 years
Harbingers of menopause – failure of the menstrual cycle and hormonal storms. How is everything going?
– The process of “turning off” the ovaries is gradual, it can last from several months to several years, – says Svetlana Ivanovna. – During this period, hormonal storms occur: sometimes a lot of hormones are produced, and the state of health is good, sometimes it is not enough, and a woman cannot cope with mood swings. It seems that everything in life is the same as before, but for some reason it does not please. And then again the release of hormones, and everything is fine. The cycle is shortening, jumping. It was 28 days, now it has become 24. Then suddenly 30 and “floods” like in youth – cheers! Further – 40, 45 days. Then 2-3 months later. And then I don’t even remember when it was. If 12 months have passed and there is no menstruation, then there will be no more. This is the menopause.
After 45 years
There are hot flushes, excessive sweating, insomnia. Due to lack of sleep and exhausting hot flashes, a woman feels tired, irritable. Almost everyone puts on weight. Estrogen deficiency also causes vaginal dryness, which can cause pain during intercourse. The skin becomes dry and flaky.
After 50 years
Jumps in blood pressure and other problems with the cardiovascular system are added. Urogenital problems: violation of urination, urinary incontinence. Lost libido and orgasms. Due to the lack of calcium, osteoporosis develops, and the risk of fractures increases. Decreased muscle mass. The shape is changing. Deep wrinkles appear. Depression, emotional breakdowns, nervousness.
The main symptoms of menopause: what is happening, how to mitigate
hot flushes
Estrogen deficiency affects the centers of thermoregulation in the brain: the temperature suddenly rises, blood vessels dilate, sweat glands become activated. A feeling of heat covers the face, and then spreads throughout the body. I want to stick my head in the refrigerator, rip off my clothes. And God forbid, roll with outsiders! After 2 – 3 minutes, the tides go away on their own. Often accompanied by redness of the skin, profuse sweating, palpitations, irritability, anxiety. Happiness if covers 1-2 times a day. Or it can storm every hour, driving you to madness.
What to do: first aid – drink a glass of cold water, do breathing exercises. The symptom is eliminated by hormonal therapy (if there are no contraindications), antidepressants in small doses. Regular physical activity (walking, swimming, fitness, yoga) – at least three times a week for half an hour, proper nutrition, and drinking regimen (2 liters per day) help to more easily endure hot flashes.
Weight gain
Almost all women, even slender ones, after the cessation of menstruation, begin to gain weight. First of all, the waist increases, the tummy grows.
– The body is accustomed to its own sex hormones, which begin to be produced even in utero. While menstruation was going on, there was a lot of estradiol. And now there is very little of it. The body feels bad and it starts to make reserves – it builds up fat on the stomach and sides, – explains Svetlana Lizunova. – In the subcutaneous tissue from the male hormone testosterone, which continues to be produced, some female estrogens are formed.
What to do: nutrition control, drinking regimen, physical activity, hormonal or non-hormonal therapy, correction of the psycho-emotional state.
Increased night sweats
Associated with tides. You wake up at night several times in a puddle of your own sweat. Either it’s unbearably hot, or you’re shivering from the cold.
What to do: compliance with the drinking regimen, meditation, breathing exercises, hormonal or non-hormonal therapy.
Osteoporosis
The main structural element of bone tissue is calcium. Its reserves begin to deplete after 30 years, and by fifty, the deficit reaches a critical minimum. The bones become very brittle. Stumbled – a fracture. The most dangerous are fractures of the spine and femoral neck, since they immobilize a person for a long time.
What to do: proper nutrition, physical activity, intake of calcium and special preparations. Control of calcium content in bone tissue (densitometry) 1 time in 2 years.
Dryness in the intimate area
Due to estrogen deficiency, blood circulation worsens, the pH of the vagina changes, the mucous membrane gradually becomes thinner, atrophies. There is severe discomfort: irritation, itching, burning, soreness during intercourse.
What to do: lubricants, local hormonal therapy. Tell your partner about your condition and that you need a little more tenderness and foreplay.
Frequent urination, urinary incontinence
Very unpleasant urogenital symptoms. She lifted something heavy, overexerted herself, even just sneezed – and the laundry was wet. The mucosa of the bladder does not grow, as before, the hole increases, and that’s where troubles happen.
What to do: healthy lifestyle, Kegel exercises to strengthen the pelvic organs, hormone therapy.
Mood swings, fatigue, irritability
The lack of hormones provokes malfunctions in the limbic system, which is responsible for emotions, memory, sleep, and attentiveness. This is in terms of physiology. The milestone of 50 years is also psychologically difficult. Most of life is behind, youth is gone. You can’t get pregnant and give birth, you don’t want to have sex – as if you are no longer a woman. Longing, depression, stress. You often hear the humiliating “climacteric” addressed to you.
“Often, due to stress, the subconscious plays a cruel joke, and we ourselves launch some undesirable processes in the body,” Mariela Sorokina, a clinical psychologist and specialist in psychosomatics, said in one of the TV shows. – Each disease has a narrow corridor of experiences, stressful events in life. The psychologist will help to pull out from the subconscious and work through the moments and events that disturb and cause health problems.
What to do: correction of the psycho-emotional state, meditation, breathing practices. Hormonal and non-hormonal therapy.
Pressure jumps
The cardiovascular system is one of the first to respond to hormonal changes. More than 70% of women experience jumps in blood pressure, arrhythmia, tachycardia, lack of air, fatigue, weakness, dizziness. Angina develops (manifested by retrosternal pain and shortness of breath during exertion), atherosclerosis (thickening of the walls of blood vessels and narrowing of patency). The risk of heart attack and stroke increases dramatically.
What to do: control of cholesterol, blood pressure. Special preparations. Proper nutrition, exercise.
IT IS INTERESTING
● According to published data by WHO, young people are now considered to be between 18 and 44 years of age. From 45 to 59 years is the middle age, and only over 60 is elderly. This shift is due to increased life expectancy: now both women and men live up to 75-80 years. And at the end of the 45th century, a XNUMX-year-old woman was already considered elderly, as can be seen from classical literature.
● In Japan, there is no term “climax”, and the period after 50 – 55 years old is affectionately called the age of renewal (“konenki”). Japanese women, like European women, also stop menstruating, but other symptoms are almost imperceptible. How to explain? In the diet of Japanese women, there are a lot of fish, natural soy, rich in isoflavones – vegetable analogues of estrogen. Since childhood, they carefully monitor the skin. Plus special procedures: acupressure, special gymnastics, taking dietary supplements. And, most importantly, they have a positive attitude towards life.
Popular questions and answers
At what age does menopause begin?
Is it necessary to use protection if menstruation has stopped?
Do abortions affect the timing of menopause?
Why go to the gynecologist during menopause?
With the cervix, the same story – it is important to regularly conduct a smear for cytology (once or twice a year) so as not to miss the onset of the oncological process. If a woman starts taking menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) on time, the symptoms of menopause go away or appear milder. But you need to take the treatment strictly under the supervision of a doctor. The real art is to choose the right drug and dosage regimen so that the therapy gives the desired result and does no harm. In addition, MHT is not suitable for everyone, and this is also determined by the doctor after the examination.