Info about Pms
The Basics about Menopause
In every woman's life menopause is a period of transition, a sign of aging. However, it is a natural moment that happens to most women when they are in their 50s, though it may occur between a woman's 30s and her 60s.
Every woman experiences menopause differently. Some of them can go along with it quite well, while to others this period is a living hell. Medically speaking, menopause starts with significant changes in the female reproductive system. What is mainly known as hormone changing is in fact the result of the aging of a woman's eggs supply; this leads to a less ovulation and finally to the decrease of hormone levels.
During this decrease, progesterone and estrogen hormones reach a level when they practically stop menstruation. This is what naturally happens into a woman's body during menopause. However, menopause can be triggered by artificial, invasive methods like surgery. Ovary surgical removal, radio therapy of the pelvis and chemotherapy for any reason can lead to an early menopause.
Menopause, though a natural phenomenon, does not take place all of a sudden. It is preceded by what is usually called a perimenopause period. Perimenopause can extend from two to five years before the actual menopause, but these numbers are not at all fixed, since many women have stated experiencing menopause symptoms even ten or even fifteen years earlier.
The main characteristics of the perimenopause are decreased sexual arousal, irregular menstruations (sometimes these are very abundant and accompanied by mild or severe hot flashes), breast tenderness and PMS (worse premenstrual syndrome), headaches, depression, irritability, anxiety, heart palpitations, sudden mood changes and cloudy thinking.
These symptoms appear way before the actual menopause takes places and sometimes they last even after menopause, all depending on the woman. Usually, these symptoms tend to get even worse whenever the estrogen level decreases considerably, both before and after the menopause. When such symptoms are experienced after menopause the period is usually called post-menopause.
The best way of finding out if you are during your perimenopause or your menopause period is to talk to your doctor. He will determine the state you are in, not always using a menopause test, but mostly based on your medical history.
However, a test will be required in the case of abundant, irregular bleeding, just to determine its cause (which can be infection, disease or a pregnancy complication). It is generally accepted that not having a menstruation in over a year places you in the menopause period.
Being a natural part of a woman's body, menopause usually does not require special treatment. However, in the case menopause symptoms are aggressive you should take action and try to keep them under control. Give up coffee, alcohol, stress and junk food; in a word try to change your life style in order to improve your health during this period.
Feel free to do any necessary changes it will help you feel better. If nothing works, you still have the Hormone Replacement Therapy at hand (involving small contraceptive pills doses during perimenopause and hormone replacement during the menopause), blood pressure medication and antidepressants.