Every woman over 45 years old faces a certain period in her life - menopause. This is a natural condition that does not need treatment. But in some cases, it is required to help the body rebuild and overcome a critical milestone. How to relieve menopause, what is dangerous and how it manifests, we will tell in our article.
What is menopause?
Menopause is the absence of menstrual flow for 12 consecutive months. This condition is caused usually by age-related changes in the woman’s body associated with the extinction of the production of the reproductive hormones estrogen and progesterone. Menopause may also occur due to illness, surgery, or certain medications. How old to expect menopause? Menopause usually occurs at the age of 45–55 years.
Symptoms
Climax does not appear in one day - the body gradually lets you know about a decrease in hormone production. Therefore, you need to be careful about changes in well-being. Symptoms - the precursors of menopause - may appear several years before the complete cessation of menstruation. For women older than 45 years, such symptoms indicate the approach of the menopause. At this time, there is still a chance of pregnancy, so you should not give up contraception as soon as the menstrual cycle has lost or stopped.
If such precursors appeared in a young woman, then these are dangerous symptoms of an early menopause - urgent consultation of a specialist is necessary to prevent the development of a pathological condition.
Symptoms of menopause can be as follows:
- changes in the regularity, duration and volume of menstrual flow;
- mood swings, frequent depression;
- sleep disturbances;
- dry vagina
- pressure drops;
- unreasonable feeling of anxiety and anxiety;
- decreased libido;
- hot flashes, excessive sweating.
With the onset of the immediate menopause, menstrual flow stops. If menstruation is absent for more than 12 months, then doctors report menopause. The danger of this period in a woman’s life and how to relieve the symptoms, you will learn below.
Early menopause
In a modern society, where an incorrect, passive lifestyle and eating poor-quality foods predominate, premature menopause is increasingly recorded. This condition is already considered pathological and requires hormonal treatment. The disease can develop between the ages of 13 to 40 years. It manifests itself with the same symptoms as the menopause in age: malfunction of the menstrual cycle, changes in monthly secretions, disorders of the nervous and endocrine systems.
What is the danger of early menopause? Without timely proper treatment, it leads to various diseases of the reproductive system, up to infertility.
To confirm the diagnosis of “premature menopause,” the gynecologist will send an ultrasound examination of the pelvic organs and recommend taking hormone tests.
Artificial menopause
In the presence of various diseases of the reproductive organs, most often oncological or inflammatory, which are not amenable to conservative treatment, the doctor prescribes the necessary medical procedures. They inhibit or stop the ovaries in the body of a woman, causing an artificial menopause.
What is the danger of this type of menopause? Since doctors cause this condition artificially, it is dangerous due to various complications and disturbances in the functioning of organs. An artificial menopause occurs after chemotherapy or radiation in the treatment of cancer, as well as after surgical removal of the ovaries and uterus. Some drugs can also suppress the functioning of female reproductive organs. Depending on the purpose of the prescribed treatment, hormone replacement therapy can be performed at the same time to restore the functioning of the organs or reduce the manifestation of symptoms. But in some cases, such therapy is not required or contraindicated.
The danger of menopause
What is the danger of age-related menopause, and is treatment necessary? Menopause, which has arisen in connection with age-related changes in the body, does not pose any threat to a woman’s health and is considered a natural condition. But often the symptoms that accompany this period bring a lot of inconvenience and discomfort, noticeably violate the usual rhythm of life. Especially often, women complain of such signs of menopause at 40: hot flashes, sweating, insomnia, disorders of the nervous system, deviations in sexual life. In addition, a decrease in hormone production can lead to the development of serious diseases:
- problems with the cardiovascular system;
- prolapse or prolapse of the uterus;
- osteoporosis and, as a result, frequent bone fractures;
- urinary incontinence;
- dry vagina and pain during intercourse;
- increase hair in unusual places, reduce the timbre of the voice.
Hot flashes with menopause
The tide is the spread of heat throughout the body, accompanied by redness of the face and increased sweating. Lasts from 30 seconds to several minutes. Most often, women complain of morning (from 6 to 8 in the morning), evening (from 18 to 22 in the evening) and night tides of heat. It is worth noting that only 15% of the female population of menopause are affected by this symptom. The remaining 85% experience only slight heat or do not notice discomfort at all. It has also been observed that women who are overweight, smokers who take hormonal drugs, or undergo surgical removal of the female genital organs are more likely to experience hot flashes.
How to deal with the tides?
What is the danger of hot flashes with menopause? In most cases, they do not require special treatment or medical attention. But if this condition violates the woman’s ability to work fully, causes a rapid heartbeat, dizziness, anxiety or insomnia, there is a reason to consult a specialist. How to relieve menopause on their own? Use the following tips:
- regular walks in the fresh air will significantly reduce the manifestation of hot flashes;
- reduce the consumption of fatty, spicy foods, alcohol and coffee;
- if possible, you are less likely to be in closed stuffy rooms with a large number of people;
- in clothes, prefer natural, breathable fabrics;
- take a cool shower in the morning and at bedtime;
- refrain from visiting saunas and baths;
- ventilate the room regularly, especially the bedroom;
- always carry a bottle of water with you;
- physical exercises will cope with the manifestation of symptoms: yoga, swimming, aerobics will become effective;
- take a course of relaxing massage;
- learn breathing exercises, for example, according to Strelnikova: such exercises help to improve the flow of oxygen to organs and tissues, normalize blood flow, and relax the body.
Osteoporosis and its prevention during menopause
A common problem in women over 45 is the development of bone osteoporosis. It is characterized by depletion of bone tissue as a result of a lack of calcium and collagen, which are absorbed by the hormone estrogen. As a result of the fact that during menopause this hormone begins to be produced in insufficient quantities, the likelihood of bone fractures increases. In addition, such fractures can be treated difficultly and for a long time, since bone tissue regenerates slowly during this period. To protect the body from such complications, it is recommended to undergo densitometry. This is a method for diagnosing bone density using ultrasound. The procedure is painless and takes up to 15 minutes.
For preventive purposes, it is necessary to take care of the intake of the necessary daily intake of calcium and vitamin D. According to the doctor's prescription, it is possible to take additional vitamin complexes, such as Calcium Gluconate, Calcium D3 Nycomed, Calcemin. The average daily dose is 1000-1500 mg. Take the drug, dividing the norm into 2 doses. Do not forget that the natural sources of vitamin D3, which directly affects the absorption of calcium in the body, are sunlight. Therefore, in no case should you give up daily half-hour walks in the fresh air.
Menopause Nutrition
How to deal with menopause with nutrition? During menopause, the woman’s body undergoes a global hormonal restructuring, which causes metabolic disturbances and the need for additional vitamins and minerals. To avoid a number of symptoms associated with a decrease in estrogen production, you need to review the diet and adhere to simple recommendations designed to maintain a normal weight and maintain the health of the cardiovascular system:
- Reduce salt intake: it retains fluid in the body and can lead to edema, high blood pressure, and the development of strokes.
- Pay attention to fiber. It normalizes digestion, promotes better absorption of nutrients. Contained in unrefined cereals, bran, whole grain bread, almonds.
- Due to the fact that a woman who entered the period of menopause is not exposed to monthly blood loss, there is no great need for iron. Do not get carried away with products containing this trace element. If you take multivitamins, then make sure that they do not include iron, since an excess of this substance can harm health.
- To prevent osteoporosis, include dairy products that are rich in calcium in your diet.
- Choose low-fat varieties of fish and meat.
Menopausal Sexual Life
What other negative manifestations does menopause have? What is dangerous during menopause is sexual dysfunction. Most menopausal women experience problems in their sexual lives. The unpleasant symptoms accompanying this period contribute to a decrease in libido.
What complications in an intimate life does menopause cause? Reviews of women indicate such complaints as vaginal dryness, pain during intercourse, lack of orgasm and sexual desire. In addition, problems such as urinary incontinence or prolapse of the vagina simply make it impossible to enjoy intimate communication with a partner.
Most often, in the presence of such complaints, women are prescribed hormone replacement therapy. Dryness of the vagina is controlled with the help of lubricants, and the prolapsed uterus is fixed with a special apparatus - a pessary. To prevent uterine prolapse, it is recommended that all women over 45 years old regularly perform Kegel exercises.
Hormone replacement therapy for menopause
How to get rid of menopause? With severe symptoms that prevent a woman from leading a full-fledged lifestyle, the doctor can prescribe hormone replacement therapy, namely, prescribe synthetic estrogen preparations. Such treatment will help to cope with various manifestations of hormonal deficiency and can become a prevention of the development of concomitant diseases. It is necessary to use substitution therapy drugs for a long time - up to 5 years. The following medications are prescribed:
- Tablets "Klimonorm", "Premarin", "Femoston".
- Intrauterine device Mirena.
- Vaginal suppositories or Ovestin cream.
- Injection "Ginodian Depot."
- Hormonal plasters "Estraderm", "Menorest."
- Hormonal contraceptives.
Contraindications and adverse reactions of therapy
Do not prescribe hormone replacement therapy for women:
- cancer survivors, in particular breast and endometrium;
- suffering from endometriosis;
- having diseases of the cardiovascular system;
- with liver disease;
- in the presence of uterine fibroids.
Hormone replacement therapy can cause a number of side effects:
- swelling
- weight gain;
- bloody issues;
- breast swelling.
Therefore, only a specialist can prescribe treatment after a series of examinations and analyzes.
Phytotherapy during the menopause
How to deal with menopause using traditional medicine? To relieve the symptoms that accompany menopause, herbal medicine recipes are widely used. Here are some effective remedies:
- An alcohol tincture from oregano will help. To do this, 10 g of grass, insist a week in alcohol. Take 40 drops twice daily.
- Boil 20 g of rosemary leaves in a glass of water. Drink half a teaspoon before meals 1 time per day.
- Effectively relieves nervous tension, irritation beetroot juice with honey. Drink 2 tablespoons several times a day.
At the first symptoms of menopause, consult with your doctor about the safety and necessity of using medications and folk remedies to relieve pain symptoms and maintain a normal state of health.