The most important function of the female body is reproduction. To ensure it in adulthood, menstruation occurs in girls and women. The period when women have regulae is called childbearing. It lasts about 35 years or a little less. Then comes menopause. To find out how long menopause lasts in women, what are the first signs that indicate their onset, and about the symptoms that require treatment, this article will help.
We will deal with terminology
People who are far from medicine often use the words "menopause" and "menopause" as synonyms. However, this is not quite true. One should distinguish the concept of “menopause”, which means the state of extinction of a person’s reproductive function, regardless of gender, from “menopause,” that is, a term meaning the last menstruation of a woman. Nevertheless, in this article below, both words will be used to indicate the period of termination of the childbearing age of a woman.
Classification
Before you find out how long the menopause lasts for women, you should find out that in medicine, there are natural and artificial menopause. Natural is associated with the depletion of the stock of follicles in the ovaries given at birth and is an inevitable phenomenon. If menopause (how long it lasts in women, depends on heredity) has reached 40 years, then it is customary to talk about ovarian exhaustion syndrome. In addition, some women may be diagnosed with artificial menopause. It can be caused by:
- bilateral radiotherapy;
- complications after some infectious diseases;
- chemical ovarian removal;
- changes in the body after chemotherapy;
- operations performed on the genitals ;
- poor environmental situation in the area where the woman resides;
- strong exposure to radiation;
- pathology of the thyroid gland.
Fortunately, artificial menopause is rare.
Nulliparous women under the age of 40 need to be very careful about the appearance of the first signs of a menopause, since timely treatment to the doctor can prevent the appearance of many health problems.
Menopause Age
In most women, the first signs of menopause appear at the age of 45-50 years. There are also early menopause, which begins at 40-45 years old, and late, when menstruation continues even after 55 years. It’s quite difficult to say exactly how many years menopause lasts and how old it is. These indicators are determined by the characteristics of the body and heredity.
Stages of menopause
In the process of menopause development (how long it takes for women, depends on individual factors), three main phases are distinguished.
Stage 1 or premenopause occurs at about 45 years old. When asked about how long the menopause in women lasts at this phase of hormonal changes in the body, doctors find it difficult to give an exact answer. Approximately this period is about two years. During this period of menopause, changes in menstrual function are observed, such as a violation of the intensity or rhythm of bleeding. As a result, both shortening and lengthening of the intervals between the regulators can occur.
2nd stage. Actually menopause, which occurs in the period from 45 to 50 years. This phase is characterized by a decrease in the level of female sex hormones in the blood and a persistent absence of menstruation. It is possible to say that menopause has come only if the last independent regular was more than 12 months ago.
3rd stage or postmenopause. Those who are interested in how long it lasts menopause in women, often forget that it is necessary to consider not only the time from disorders of menstrual function and before the final termination of the regulation, but also to early menopause. It usually lasts for 5-8 years. Behind it begins late postmenopause.
The main signs of the onset of female menopause
Doctors call the following symptoms, indicating the approach of menopause:
- The appearance of such a thing as tides. This is a specific condition when a woman has fever and redness of the skin of the face, scalp, neck, chest. It usually occurs in the evenings and lasts 2-5 minutes.
- Profuse sweating at night.
- Palpitations and interruptions in the rhythm of the heart.
- Loss of sexual desire.
- Thinning, vulnerability and dryness of the vaginal mucosa, which causes discomfort during sexual intercourse.
- The appearance of attacks of weakness, shortness of breath, chills. How long this climax ailment of this kind lasts is definitely difficult to say, since everything is very individual.
- An increase in the number of wrinkles, which is associated with a decrease in the amount of collagen produced by the body itself.
- The appearance of drowsiness, anxiety, irritability and sudden fluctuations in mood. Weight change due to hormonal changes in the body.
At the final stage of menopause (how long it takes for women, see below), symptoms such as itching and burning in the genitals, pain in the bladder and weight gain may appear.
Post-menopausal symptoms
After the onset of menopause, a woman increases the sensitivity of the immune system to external factors. This can be expressed in the appearance of symptoms such as swelling, urticaria, intolerance to certain foods or in the form of vasomotor rhinitis. Due to insufficient secretion of estrogen in the postmenopausal period, the likelihood of osteoporosis increases. Serious problems also include the appearance of night pain in the extremities, skin paresthesia and neurotic disorders. The latter can manifest itself in the form of increased tearfulness, a feeling of anxiety, inexplicable anxiety and fear.
Some women with menopause (how long it lasts for women, see above) also complain of increased susceptibility to smells and sounds. People should know that a decrease in working capacity, a decrease in memory and attention can also be a consequence of menopause, and they should be sympathetic to colleagues and relatives of menopause.
How long are the symptoms of menopause in women?
The phase of the rapid flowering of unpleasant manifestations of late hormonal changes in the body is premenopause. The duration of this menopause phase determines how long the tides will last. As a rule, its average duration is from 2 to 5 years. The climacteric peak itself takes from 6 to 7 years.
What symptoms of menopause require treatment
Disorders in the activity of the genitourinary system requiring treatment are observed in 80% of women about 5 years after menopause has occurred. It is possible the occurrence of symptoms such as itching, bleeding, inflammation, urogenital infections failure, tachycardia or painful urination, and urinary incontinence, prolapse or prolapsed uterus. The latter is associated with a decrease in the tone of the ligaments and pelvic muscles, which is one of the consequences of menopause (how long it lasts for women, you already know).
Treating Some Symptoms
One of the main troubles that bother women during menopause is hot flashes. Their relief is helped by a diet with plenty of fluids. It involves the exclusion of spicy foods and alcohol from the diet, as well as the enrichment of food with soy products, maintaining a cool indoor air temperature, especially during sleep hours, and exercise. With moderate and severe menopausal symptoms, hormone therapy is used, which is recognized as the most effective and gives the greatest effect for 10 years of postmenopause and in women under 60 years of age.
If the signs that bother the woman are vaginal dryness, urination disorders and frequent infections of the lower genitourinary system, then often, topically, in the form of suppositories or creams, estirol preparations are prescribed.
In addition, to strengthen teeth, bones and the cardiovascular system, it is recommended to take preparations with calcium and vitamin D3. Among other things, they stimulate the production of collagen protein, which is necessary to maintain the normal condition of the skin and hair.
How menopause affects appearance
Climax affects the condition of hair, skin and nails. Estrogen deficiency provokes a decrease in elasticity of skin, drying of mucous membranes and so forth. Varies as nails and hair structure, which will eventually become brittle, fragile and thinner. Changes in the appearance of a woman with menopause (how many years it lasts, you already know) also include weight change. Moreover, in some ladies it occurs in the direction of its decrease.
Late menopause
A delay in the onset of menopause occurs in women over the age of 55. In such cases, it is also difficult to say how long the menopause period in women lasts. The causes of late menopause are usually hidden in genetic traits. Unfortunately or fortunately, it is extremely rare to artificially delay the onset of menopause. You should be aware that women who have menopause later than usual are at increased risk of developing cancer of the ovaries and mammary glands, since such problems are associated with changes in estrogen levels. If the secretion of sex hormones lasts longer than usual, the likelihood of such diseases increases sharply. To prevent such negative consequences, every girl or woman, regardless of age, must be examined at least once a year by a gynecologist, and after 30 years have a mammogram.
Now you know when women begin and how long menopause lasts. This period is inevitable in the life of every woman, so ladies can only strictly observe the recommendations of specialists and understand that you can be loved and attractive at any age.