Changes that are notable during Menopause 

Changes that are notable during Menopause

Menopause is a time in a woman’s life when she goes 12 consecutive months with experiencing menstruation, and she is unable to get pregnant naturally (Ramaswamy & Sandhiya 30), and no physiological or biological factors have influenced the end of the menstrual cycle. The period when natural menopause is approaching the ovaries production of the sex hormones estrogen and progesterone starts decreasing. During perimenopause (the transition leading to menopause), a woman can experience the following symptoms, which include; less frequent menstruation, the experience of lighter and heavier periods compared to the one someone frequently experiences, chills, vaginal dryness, weight gain, reduced libido, and stiff joints.

Changes that are notable during the period of menopause is the loss of active ovarian follicles that usually produce and release eggs from the ovary wall (Findlay et al. 10), many women who are at menopause they first noticed that their periods were less consistent as their flows become more substantial and more prolonged. To some women, menopause is caused by surgical removal of the ovaries, or it is induced, induced menopause includes the following, the shutting down of the ovary function that can be done through surgery or hormone therapy, pelvic injuries which damage the ovaries and through pelvic radiation. There has been an introduction of a test that can be used to determine whether a woman has entered the menopause stage, the test can be mostly used by women who are experiencing perimenopause symptoms, early menopause is usually associated with a person having a higher risk of osteoporosis and fracture. The tests are generally done through several blood tests, there is also the existence of saliva tests and even over the counter urine tests, but they are usually costly and unreliable. The blood tests that generally used to confirm menopause include liver function tests, kidney function tests, thyroid function tests, and blood lipid profiles.

When a woman loses estrogen and testosterone that leads to menopause, it usually leads to specific changes to a woman sexual drive and body, many of the women notice that they cannot have natural arousal, they also lose the sensitivity to touching and stroking, that makes them have less interest in sex. There is also the fact that lower levels of estrogen in a woman’s body causes a drop in the supply of blood to the vagina, the leads to the vagina lacking the needed lubrication, making the vagina to be too dry for a woman to have comfortable sex. According to some women who are at postmenopausal they insist that their sex drive improved significantly, that may be associated of having less anxiety due to the fear of pregnancy, and also study show that most of the women who are at postmenopausal they have fewer child-rearing responsibilities that give them time to have a relaxed and enjoyable intimacy. Most of the when who are at menopause and are having difficulty with their sexuality are always advised to treat their vaginal dryness by using water-soluble lubricants.

The physical effects on a woman body at menopause can include incontinence, this is a situation where the drop in estrogen levels usually lead to bladder leakage, women at menopause find themselves urinating more often, they also realize that whenever they laugh or sneeze there is urine leak, another physical effect lower levels of estrogen in the body may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, since estrogen usually acts as a cardioprotective agent in the body. The impact on women at menopause is different in relation to ethnicity and race, studies have shown that women of all ages have reported various symptoms, it is noted that for example, many Hispanic women had lower physical pleasure and arousal while Japanese women reported more pain and less desire, but this study the only difference came to the issue of arousal. It is also noted that the effect of sexual desire is associated with the earlier experiences one had and also the frequency of different sexual activity one had (Nazarpour et al. 483).  Low levels of estrogen also affects the body’s cholesterol which can lead to a person suffering from heart attack and stroke, menopause also leads to skeletal and muscular systems women who are at menopause usually at high risk of their bones losing their density, this increases the top chances of someone having bone fractures, there is also an increase in the loss of the muscle mass during menopause and currently it occurring at a very high rate compared to previous cases, the joints may also become achy and stiff, women who experience this effects they are usually advised to do regular exercises.

Menopause usually comes with mental health issues that affect most of the women, and this often happens because the depletion of estrogen can bring hormonal and biochemical fluctuations that lead to changes in the brain and nervous system of a person. This may lead to mood changes, which may include feeling sad, feeling irritated, a person lacking motivation, having stress, difficulty concentrating, and also depression. Clinical trials have not yet found the link between depression and menopause, but studies have shown that many women at menopause do experience mood swings; depression is always a result of the emotional and physical effects caused by menopause. Menopause has been linked with exacerbating bipolar disorder, at menopause women who have bipolar disorder have been regarded as having depression cases (Perich et al. 110), this is enhanced by the decrease in estrogen hormone. Apart from estrogen, social factors can also affect the mental health of a person at menopause, social pressure such as concerns about aging, career changes, and the starting and ending of emotional, romantic experiences. Estrogen pill is the most common treatment for menopausal symptoms the medicines that are usually used are the conjugated estrogen and estrogen-bazedoxifene, the estrogen patch is generally worn on the skin of the abdomen examples are Alora, Climara, Estraderm, and Vivelle-Dot. Vaginal estrogen they usually come in the form of cream, vaginal estrogen tablets, and virginal ring, this treatment is generally preferable to women troubled with virginal dryness, examples are Vagifem and Femring.

HRT is also referred to as hormone therapy, estrogen replacement therapy, and menopausal hormone therapy (Fishman et al. 82), this is the most effective treatment for women who have symptoms related to menopause. Medical personnel usually suggest to women who have had surgery to remove the uterus to use a low dose of estrogen, the most common forms of estrogen are daily pill and patch, but the hormone is also in the form of vaginal ring gel and spray.

We have women who prefer the natural ways to enable them regain the levels of estrogen in their bodies, some of the naturals way to regulate the symptoms associated with menopause include (Rohdewald 2), the use of Soy whose benefit include it has the effectiveness in reducing menopausal symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats, but it is not advisable for women to use tablet soy or in powder form, we also have the use flaxseed which has omega 3 fatty acids and lignans, it helps in lowering the cholesterol of the body and reducing hot flashes. Yoga help women who are at menopause by reducing mood swings and sleep disruptions, women at menopause they are also advised to avoid caffeine and alcohol, which usually encourage dehydration and can lead to hot flashes. There is also the use of black cohosh that is made from buttercup, it is generally effective in reducing hot flashes, and it also help in night sweats, it also helps in lowering blood pressure. But most of the women who are at menopause are usually advised to seek medical advice before they us the natural ways in trying to solve the symptoms associated with menopause; there is also the fact that is using the natural methods one should avoid processed products.

In conclusion, menopause happens naturally because of aging and also it relates to the biological aspect of a woman, women who are at menopause should try and empress the new medical interventions that do exist to help them reduce the symptoms that come along with menopause. It is a fact that biomedical concerns don’t discard the psychological expressions of a cultural attitude that is towards aging, aging is part of the life stages of human beings, the way of life is a wellspring of both language and pictures about maturing from which people figure out how to depict their experience. Their worries reach out to the relational domain of connections among married couples and moms and little girls, just as their status in the way of life and social framework. The women who are at menopause should not shy away from the world on what they talk about them but they should seek different channels to address the issues they face, for those women who have mental problems after reaching menopause should try and join support groups that will enable the relieve the pressure they may be experiencing, the best way to tackle challenges that come along with  menopause is by seeking medical attention, this will help in relation to the physical effects that come alongside with menopause and reduce the chances of one endangering herself. Despite the unmistakable marker of maturing and the impact on personality, numerous ladies invite the finish of multiplication as an alleviation to their bodies and an open door for new encounters, that may see them grow in the society and creating opportunities that will, in turn, help one woman under that state of nature encourage another woman that there is still hope and that is just but a state of life.