Menopause—Important Time of Women’s Life

Menopause, in simple words, is the medical term for the end of a woman's menstrual periods. That means end of pregnancy. It is a natural part of aging, and occurs when the ovaries stop making hormones called estrogens. This causes estrogen levels to drop, and leads to the end of monthly menstrual periods. Although its time period varies from individual to individual (generally happens between the ages of 45 and 60), but it can happen earlier. Menopause can also occur when the ovaries are surgically removed or stop functioning for any other reason.

Low estrogen levels not only make pregnancy difficult, but also linked to some uncomfortable symptoms in many women. The most common and easy to recognize symptom is hot flashes (sudden intense waves of heat and sweating). Some women find that these hot flashes disrupt their sleep, and others report mood changes or also called mood swing.

Other symptoms of menopause may include:

• Irregular periods

• Vaginal or urinary tract infections

• Urinary incontinence (leakage of urine or inability to control urine flow)

• Inflammation of the vagina

Because of the changes in the urinary tract and vagina, some women may have discomfort or pain during sexual intercourse (either because of vaginal dryness or lack of desire). Many women also notice changes in their skin, digestive tract, and hair during menopause. And in the long term, some women experience problems linked to the low levels of estrogen found after menopause. These may include osteoporosis and increased risk for heart disease.

Undoubtedly, menopause is an important time in a woman's life. Her body is going through changes that can affect her social life, her feelings about herself, depression and even her functioning at work. In the past, menopause was often surrounded by misconceptions and myths.

Now, it is recognized that menopause is a natural step in the process of aging. The hot flashes, changing moods, and confusion usually disappear eventually as your estrogen stays at a low level. However, you still have to protect yourself from bone loss and heart disease. Contrary to the old-fashioned view that graph of life starts downward after menopause; many women today find that the years after menopause offer new discoveries and fresh challenges.

Basically, the symptoms of menopause arrive when your estrogen levels start changing and normally these symptoms stop when estrogen level settles down. A woman's body can go through several kinds of changes at the same time. Early in menopause, estrogen levels can rise sharply and then drop, which means you, may skip periods or even have heavier flow than usual some months. Your period may become increasingly irregular, and then eventually stop altogether. Menopause can affect your body organs and systems in many different ways.

Treatment for the symptoms of menopause can be approached in two phases. During the early time period of menopause, you and your doctor should discuss your symptoms and whether to treat them as they occur. You should be evaluated for your risk of getting breast cancer, osteoporosis (severe bone loss), and heart disease. If you're not at high risk for breast cancer, you may want to consider taking estrogen for a limited time, and using the lowest effective dose, which can help manage several symptoms at once. If you are at risk, other treatments are available. Similarly, during the later part of menopause you should focus on effectively preventing disease. Your earlier symptoms will probably disappear.

For diagnosis and then treatment of your specific symptoms you and your doctor should discuss frequently and share information that will help you make the best decisions about your health. There are many things to keep in mind, because menopause and the years that follow it usually cover the second half of a woman's life. Talk to your doctor about all of the treatment choices to decide what is right for you.

Many women want to replace the estrogen their body is losing, because estrogen does relieve many symptoms of menopause. Women who still have a uterus usually take a combination of estrogen with a form of progesterone, called progestin. Tamoxifen (used to prevent breast cancer) and raloxifene (used to prevent osteoporosis) are drugs known as "designer estrogens." These drugs have been developed to act beneficially as estrogen on some tissue and to act as estrogen-blockers (anti-estrogens) on other tissue. These drugs also are known by the more technical name Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators or SERMs.