Menopause

When a woman’s reproductive system slows down and eventually stops around the age of 50, this is called a menopause. Menopause occurs as the ovaries stop producing estrogen, causing the reproductive system to gradually shut down. Each and every one of the aged females has to pass through the period of menopause.

Menopause Symptoms

Heart palpitations

Dizziness

Uneasiness

Decreased sex drive

Feeling of vomiting, Sleeplessness, Headache, Excitement, Worries,

Loss of concentration, Gloom, Pain in joints, Dryness of the skin

As the body adapts to the changing levels of natural hormones, vasomotor symptoms such as hot flashes and palpitations, psychological symptoms such as depression, anxiety, irritability, mood swings and lack of concentration, and atrophic symptoms such as vaginal dryness and urgency of urination appear.

Together with these symptoms, the woman may also have increasingly erratic menstrual periods. The clinical features of menopause are caused by lessening amounts of estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone in the woman's body.

Menopause-Vasomotor instability

* hot flashes, hot flushes, including night sweats
* sleep disturbances

Menopause- Urogenital atrophy

* itching
* dryness
* bleeding
* urinary frequency
* urinary urgency
* urinary incontinence

Menopause-Skin, soft tissue

* breast atrophy
* skin thinning
* decreased elasticity

Menopause- Psychological

* mood disturbance
* irritability
* fatigue
* memory loss
* depression

Menopause- Skeletal
* osteoporosis
* joint pain, muscle pain
* back pain

Menopause- Sexual

* decreased libido
* vaginal dryness
* problems reaching orgasm
* dyspareunia

A drop in your estrogens levels can cause you to lose bone mass, but you can easily counter this by exercising your bones. Before the onset of menopause, ovaries of the ladies secrete sex hormones (estrogen). During menopause this estrogen which is continuously circulating in the blood gets reduced to the significant extent. Because of the reduction in the level of estrogen the pituitary gland in the brain has to secrets more gonadotrophin hormones maintaining the balance in the body.

Premature menopause (or premature ovarian failure) is defined as menopause occurring before the age of 40; it occurs in 1% of women. some women enter menopause at a younger age, especially if they have had cancer or another serious illness and undergone chemotherapy. Other causes of premature menopause include autoimmune disorders, thyroid disease, and diabetes mellitus. Premature menopause is diagnosed by measuring the levels of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH); the levels of these hormones will be higher if menopause has occurred. Rates of premature menopause have been found to be significantly higher in fraternal and identical twins; approximately 5% of twins reach menopause before the age of 40. The reasons for this are not completely understood. Transplants of ovarian tissue between identical twins have been successful in restoring fertility.

One of the foremost menopause symptoms seems to be weight gain and a change in the overall shape of your body. Though you may not be so happy about this, it is important to keep in mind that this weight gain is normal and to be expected.

Reports show that, the 80 % of ladies who are approaching menopause suffer from uneasiness, lot of perspiration and unnatural bodily heat. This uneasiness and hotness is felt because the proportion of estrogen has decreased. Such uneasiness persists every time from half a minute to five minutes. This feeling of heat and perspiration results from chemical changes that take place inside the body when perspiration evaporates; one also feels trembling due to cold.

Some women easily adopt the changes with no discomfort, while others feel uncomfortable and often unwelcome sensations as their body adjusts to a new chemical balance.

Considering menopause can last for five years you will probably want to do everything you can to minimize the unpleasantness. Yoga keeps body and mind in sound health. Ladies practicing yoga practice from their middle-age period they hardly notice the onset as well as the passing away of the menopause period. Yoga can help to alleviate or eliminate many of the sometimes-uncomfortable physical and emotional feelings associated with menopause.

Complementary and alternative therapies

In the area of complementary and alternative therapies, acupuncture treatment is promising. Some studies have noted a slight benefit from soy isoflavones.

Yoga treatment During Menopause:

Asana

Supported Setubandhasana

Shavasana

Shitali Pranayama

Bhramari Pranayama

Inverted postures and Pranayama are particularly helpful of hot flashes because they cool the body and fill it with energy and life force.

Diet for Menopause

Include

Fresh fruits and vegetables.

Milk --- maintain the level of calcium in the body.

Drink lot of water that will stabilize the effects caused by the liquid discharge out of the glands.

Reduce the intake of salt in food.

know more about Diet

Obviously following measures gives relief, such as drinking cold liquids and removing excess clothing layers when hot flashes strike, and avoiding hot flash triggers such as spicy foods, may supplement or supplant the use of medications/ treatment for some women.

Botanical (herbs/ herbal) and other dietary supplements can interact with prescription and over-the-counter drugs, affecting how the body reacts.

Note

If the effect of menopause is very serious or in greater proportion, doctors give estrogen in such conditions for hormonal replacement therapy; but such a treatment makes ladies prone to cancer of breast or uterus.

More information on Menopause

Menopause in other species- Unlike humans, other animals rarely experience menopause. This may simply be due to their comparatively shorter lifespans.

Andropause- is a medical phenomenon, similar to the female menopause, that can affect men between the ages of 40 and 55.

Key Points
* Many women have few or no symptoms related to menopause, or feel that their symptoms are not enough of a problem that they need to seek treatment. Some symptoms traditionally seen as menopausal may be related to aging in general.
* Menopause should not be viewed as a disease, according to the SoS conference panel.
* For many years, menopausal hormone therapy (MHT; in the past, it was called hormone replacement therapy or HRT) was the primary treatment for troubling menopausal symptoms. Recent studies have found increased risks, however, for certain serious health problems from prolonged use of MHT.
* Women with severe or long-lasting symptoms of menopause that have not been adequately relieved in other ways should consult their health care providers about their personal risks and benefits for using MHT. Certain lifestyle changes can also be helpful.
* There is very little high-quality scientific evidence about the effectiveness and long-term safety of CAM therapies for menopausal symptoms. More research is needed.
* It is very important for women who are considering or using CAM therapies for any health concern to discuss them with their health care provider physicians, doctors. This is to help ensure safety and a comprehensive treatment plan.