Menopause is the point in a woman’s life when no more eggs are released from her ovaries and her period or menstrual cycle stops. The medical definition of menopause is no period for at least 12 months that is not due to any underlying medical condition. It is a normal part of the changes a woman’s body goes through as she gets older, and is caused in part by decreasing levels of estrogen and progesterone hormones. Menopause is usually a gradual process that takes place sometime after the age of 40. If it happens before 40, it is called premature menopause. The process typically starts with periods becoming shorter and more irregular, gradually leading to a complete cessation of monthly bleeding.
Women’s experiences during menopause vary greatly. Some women experience minimal symptoms, while others may experience many changes. These may include hot flashes, depression or irritability, reduced sexual desire, difficulty controlling the bladder, a racing heart, and difficulty sleeping. Changing hormone levels may cause or speed up the development of osteoporosis, weight gain and vaginal changes. Some women may go through menopause with minimal symptoms, while others make a difficult transition.
While a doctor can usually tell that a woman is going through menopause by the nature of her complaints, menopause can also be diagnosed by a vaginal smear that shows the vagina is thinning and drying. Blood levels of follicle stimulating hormone are highly elevated during menopause and also help to make a diagnosis. Since this is also the age during which breast and uterine cancers are more likely, a doctor may screen women for these cancers.
There are a number of treatments that are available to ease the effects of menopause, including lifestyle modification and hormone replacement therapy. The treatments a doctor recommends will depend on a woman’s symptoms and other conditions that may develop after menopause.
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Menopause Symptoms
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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The symptoms that menopausal women report vary widely. All women experience irregular or shorter periods during the year or so before their periods stop altogether. The majority of women going through menopause also experience hot flashes. These typically begin with a feeling of mild to...
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Menopause Treatment
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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Menopause is a normal part of a woman’s life, and as such requires no treatment. However, the symptoms a menopausal woman suffers may range from mild to debilitating. These symptoms may require some form of treatment. Up until recently, hormone replacement therapy, in particular estrogen...
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Male Menopause
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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Male menopause is the result of decreased levels of the male hormone, testosterone. Most commonly, reduced testosterone is reported by those suffering from underlying medical conditions such as diabetes, obesity or high blood pressure. These diseases are common in men over the age of 45....
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Hair Loss and Menopause
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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Women with menopause are prime candidates for hair loss. Statistics show that about 50 percent of women experience some hair loss while going through menopause, and about 66 percent worry about thinning hair or bald spots during post-menopausal stages. This is a natural stage in...
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Menopause And Osteoporosis
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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Estrogen is an important hormone that is required to maintain bone strength. During menopause, the ovaries stop producing estrogen. Over the next several years, bones become progressively weaker. A woman may lose up to ten percent of her total bone mass in the first five...
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Early Menopause
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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Early or premature menopause is defined as menopause before the age of 40. Premature ovarian failure, surgery, and chemotherapy may all result in early menopause. About one in a hundred women may experience early menopause; some may be teenagers or in their twenties. Symptoms of...
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Menopause Hot Flashes
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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Hot flashes is the most widespread symptom faced by American women going through menopause – about 75% of such women suffer hot flashes. Hot flashes makes a woman feel hot in the neck and the head. Heart palpitations, dizziness, headache, sweating, nausea and anxiety may...
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Menopause Relief
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Menopause can be a difficult time for many women. Reductions in circulating estrogen hormone levels result in a number of physical and physiological changes, which in turn may lead to mental and emotional stress. While short-term hormone replacement therapy helps many women, most symptoms of...
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Menopause Weight Gain
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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Weight gain in menopausal women, particularly in the abdominal area, is associated with decreased levels of the hormone estrogen. Fat accumulates around the stomach area, not around the hips and thighs as it does at a younger age. The exact mechanism of this weight gain...
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Menopause Insomnia
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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When a menopausal woman consults a physician, the most frequently heard complaint is insomnia. The ageing process reduces the quality and duration of sleep. In a menopausal woman, the reduction of hormones and its imbalance makes it worse. The biological and psychological changes that occur...