Menopause is a new start in a woman’s life

In our society, almost all topics related to sexual and reproductive systems are surrounded by secrets and myths. Most often, issues related to a woman’s health, her age, and her ability to bear children are taboo – they are not discussed. The same situation has developed around the topic of menopause – many myths and various scary pseudo-facts about menopause make women wait for this period with fear.

The first manifestations of menopause, as well as any other changes in well-being and health, should be treated very carefully. “Turning a blind eye” to the first symptoms of menopause, women lose the opportunity to maintain their health and quality of life at the usual level.

In this article, together with the specialists of Atlanta Liposuction Specialty Clinic, we will find out what the climax is, whether is it so scary, and whether is it possible to delay its onset.

What is a climax?

Climax (or menopause) is a period in a woman’s life when her reproductive functions are exhausted: the eggs run out, and the ovaries no longer have follicles that synthesize estrogen. As a rule, at this time, a “substitute” for estrogen – the hormone estriol – begins to be produced in adipose tissue. It is because of it that a woman often gains weight during the climacteric period.

These processes do not develop all at once — the functions of the ovaries fade gradually, over five to six years. The climax starts about two years before the last menstruation and ends three to four years after.

Three stages of menopause “

Given the length of time the process takes, experts conventionally divide it into several stages. Each of them has its symptoms and predictors.

Perimenopause

Gynecologists do not have a single opinion of at what age a woman’s menopause begins. Most often, the process becomes obvious at the age of 45, but the first harbingers can appear both earlier – before the age of forty, and later – after the age of fifty.

In the period of premenopause, the process of dying off the reproductive function of the ovaries begins. At this time, the cycle may go astray, periods become irregular, and the interval between their arrival may change.

Among the frequent symptoms of the initial stage of menopause, we can highlight:

• Decreased libido
• Headaches
• Increased irritability and general emotional instability
• Increased sweating
• Hypotension
• Gaining weight

Menopause

This period is characterized by the active dying of ovarian functions. Menstrual periods may continue, but become less and less regular their abundance changes, and bleeding gradually ceases. Most often it happens between the ages of 48 and 53.

This period is characterized by an aggravation of all symptoms that accompany premenopause and their strengthening by new ones. As a rule, menopause is most often accompanied by :

• Hot flashes
• Insomnia
• An unstable emotional and psychological state
• Violations of the cardiovascular system
• Insulin resistance: the risk of diabetes
• Increased bone fragility
• Gaining weight
• Various gynecological problems: sagging of the vaginal walls, the appearance of unpleasant secretions, and others

Postmenopause

The postmenopausal period begins a year after the last menstrual bleeding and lasts until the end of a woman’s life. As a rule, at this stage, most of the unpleasant “companions” of menopause disappear, but age-related changes begin to be felt more strongly. During this period, a woman should pay special attention to her health, as the risk of developing diseases of the heart and endocrine system, diabetes, and obesity are greater than ever.

The main signs of menopause

As we mentioned earlier, the symptoms of menopause can vary depending on the stage of the climacteric process in which the woman’s body is. However, gynecologists distinguish several general signs that accompany all stages of menopause:

• Sleep disturbances: as a rule, insomnia, difficulties with the quality and duration of sleep, and problems with falling asleep and rising to begin to appear during this period
• Emotional and mental instability associated with changes in the body’s hormonal processes. During this period, women are more sensitive, tend to be exposed to bright emotions and experience depressive states, feel increased nervousness and irritability
• Hot flashes are one of the most characteristic companions of menopause. They can happen several times during the day. During sudden increases in body temperature, there will be a feeling that the body is on fire, and red spots may appear on the neck and chest
• Sweating – this symptom is inextricably linked with hot flashes and is the body’s reaction to a sudden increase in body temperature
• Weight gain is a side effect of the production of estriol in the fat layer
• Bone fragility — the body stops producing the hormones necessary for the restoration of bone tissue;
  the general decline in strength and bouts of weakness — the result of a complex of changes in the body and systematic problems with sleep
• Problems in the intimate sphere – increased sensitivity, painful sensations that accompany sexual intercourse, violation of the process of secretion of lubricant, various gynecological problems, urinary incontinence

Diagnosis during the menopause

The symptoms that accompany the initial stages of the climacteric state can be found to one degree or another in other health problems. It is this fact that makes timely detection of the state of climax impossible at home. Therefore, after the age of forty, a woman needs to visit an endocrinologist twice a year in order not to miss the beginning of this process.

There are several “markers” that help specialists detect menopause:

• A special blood test that shows the conditional “reserve” of the ovaries is an anti-Mullerian hormone test
• Menopause test, during which the amount of follicle-stimulating hormone in a woman’s body is determined. Such a test is also available in ordinary pharmacies, but the corresponding blood test demonstrates greater accuracy and effectiveness. A high level of this hormone means that the ovaries are no longer able to perceive it – this is one of the symptoms of menopause
• The presence of inhibins A and B can also indicate the onset of menopause

The climacteric state can also be easily confused with acute stress. To reveal the truth, it is necessary to pass an analysis of the content of cortisol and prolactin. High levels of these “stress hormones” in the blood can cause menopause-like conditions.

Helping a woman during menopause

Correct medical care depends on the stage at which menopause was detected. At the stage of premenopause, a gynecologist may recommend taking phytoestrogens and antigenotoxic therapy to correct the condition. However, at the immediate stage of menopause, specialists often turn to hormone replacement therapy, if there are no contraindications for this. Such therapy will help to level the state of health, remove several undesirable symptoms and significantly improve the quality of life of a woman.

At the postmenopausal stage, specialists use special vitamins, minerals, and supportive therapy that help control age-related structural changes in the body and fight the aging process.

Myths and truths about menopause

Like other taboo topics in our society, many moments related to climacteric processes are shrouded in fear, mystery, and myth. We propose to discuss the most common of them.

1. Climax “gets younger”. It’s true. The fact is that each body is individual and it is impossible to calculate a clear date of the onset of menopause – too much depends on the quality and conditions of life, the level of wear and tear of the body, nutrition, stress, and environmental influences. At the same time, gynecologists note that in recent years the processes have shifted by 10-15 years: it is possible to face the cessation of menstruation already at the age of 36-40 and the age of 41-45 – such processes are called premature and early menopause, respectively.
2. Menopause worsens the quality of sexual life. This is only partly true. The fact is that periods of climacteric conditions can be accompanied by various gynecological problems, however, as a rule, sex becomes painful only as a result of the deterioration of the general quality of life – and, accordingly, the libido also decreases. Correct and timely correction of body conditions allows you to avoid unpleasant symptoms and maintain the quality of all aspects of life – in particular, sexual life – at an appropriate level.
3. During menopause, it is impossible to conceive a child. Depending on the stage of menopause, pregnancy is possible, but only at the stage of premenopause. Due to an unstable cycle, women do not always have the opportunity to control ovulation, while the ovaries can continue to work alternately, which leads to fertilization of the egg. After the death of egg production functions, the reproductive function disappears, the ovaries lose their viability and fertilization cannot occur.
4. Men do not have a climax. It is not true. Men also face climacteric processes called andropause. As a rule, in men, it is related to the natural aging processes of the body, but andropause is not accompanied by clinical complaints. A man’s ” climax ” usually occurs after the age of 50 and is accompanied by a decrease in libido and the production of testosterone, the main male hormone, by prostatitis and weight gain.

Regardless of the stage of the life cycle, the organism is at, the quality of life can and should be maintained at an appropriate level. Timely diagnosis and competent, individually selected therapy will help to make menopause not the end, but the real start of a full life.