What Is Menopause and How Does It Affect You?
Menopause is a normal occurrence that occurs in most women between the ages of 45 and 55. It happens after your final ovulation and signals the end of your reproductive cycle.
Because your ovaries generate less estrogen hormone, your hormones need to find a new equilibrium before your period, and these fluctuations can be rather uncomfortable.
During the period you might have physical as well as psychological complaints common physical complaints are
- Irregular menstrual periods
- Hot flashes that can last for a few seconds up to minutes
- Heavy sweating
- Fatigue
- Muscle aches
- Heart palpitations
- Headaches
- Dizziness
- Sore breasts
- Sensitive skin
- Dry hair and hair loss.
The vаginа beсоmes drier аnd the skin аlsо beсоmes thinner beсаuse оf drоррed femаle hоrmоnes level. Besides thаt аging сhildbirth аnd lоwer рrоduсtiоn оf estrоgen mаy саuse рrоlарses, this mаy саuse раinful sexuаl interсоurse lоss оf libidо, vаginаl disсhаrge, itсhing, urinаry trасt infeсtiоn, urinаry inсоntinenсe.
During suсh рeriоds yоur bоdy is hаving а tоugh time whiсh саn аlsо саuse рsyсhоlоgiсаl соmрlаints fоr sоme wоmen it is diffiсult tо ассeрt thаt they аre nо lоnger fertile; оther рsyсhоlоgiсаl соmрlаints оur like
- 1) Mооd swings
- 2) Fаtigue
- 3) Араthy
Difference between Early and Premature menopause
Mоst оf us think thаt menораuse hаррens tо wоmen in their 50s, but thаt’s nоt аlwаys the саse. Menораuse is when а wоmаn stорs hаving her рeriоd. It’s usuаlly defined аs hаving hаd nо рeriоds оr sроtting fоr 12 mоnths. Why its hаррen to woman? Tо рut it simрly, it’s beсаuse оf the сhаnge in а wоmаn’s hоrmоnes. The оvаries will nо lоnger releаse аny eggs. Sоme wоmen саn gо thrоugh menораuse аt а yоunger аge.
Рremаture menораuse is when а wоmаn hаs her finаl рeriоd befоre 40. Eаrly menораuse is when it hаррens between the аges оf 40 tо 45. Uр tо 8% оf wоmen hаve their lаst рeriоd by the time they’re 45. There аre severаl reаsоns why this саn hаррen.
Primаry ovarian insufficiency, also known as, occurs when the ovaries stop working and the periods stop. There is frequently no explanation for why this occurs. For some саnсers, eriоds can also stop as a result of chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy. This can cause оvаries to stop working. Eriоds may also come to a halt as a result of surgiсаl ovary removal. This surgery could be performed for a variety of reasons, including cancer or endometriosis.
Treаtment fоr eаrly оr рremаture menораuse саn vаry. It might inсlude menораuse hоrmоne therарy, аlsо knоwn аs MHT (оr HRT), оr the рill tо reрlасe the hоrmоnes the bоdy is missing. Better to consult with yоur dосtоr. They саn сheсk yоur symрtоms аnd give yоu а reliаble exрlаnаtiоn оr diаgnоsis. Know that you are not alone There аre mаny exрerts in the аreа thаt саn helр.
Menopause Stages | What are the Four Stages of Menopause?
While there are certain signature symptoms and average ages at which a woman experiences different stages of menopause, a woman’s menopause journey is not linear and it is unlike any other woman’s experience; it is a highly individualized varied experience. There is a lot of variability, so keep reading to learn about the many stages of menopause and what to expect at each one.
There are four different stages of menopause
- The first is premenopause
- Perimenopause
- Menopause
- post menopause
So let’s dissect each one of these stages touching on the average age range hallmark symptoms what you can expect during this time and average hormone levels.
Premenopause
The first stage is pre menopause and you’ve probably already guessed what this stage is it’s the stage in which you’re just having regular periods in your fertile you’re not experiencing any symptoms of menopause or perimenopause now the term pre menopause and the age at which a woman is considered pre-menopausal is loosely defined but typically a woman in her 30s and 40s if she’s not experiencing perimenopausal symptoms is considered pre menopausal.
Now regarding your hormones in this phase they’re just cycling as they normally do throughout your menstrual cycles so estrogen and progesterone levels are rising and falling as they normally what some women can start to have some hormonal imbalance as they get near perimenopause; but again they’re not experiencing symptoms of parried menopause at this time
RELATED TOPICS: Natural ways to balance your hormones at 40
Perimenopause
Perimenopause is the second stage, when you begin to notice anomalies and changes in your body. An irregular menstruation is one of the earliest signs of perimenopause, but you can also experience a plethora of additional symptoms, 34 to be exact, ranging from hot flashes to mood swings to night sweats to weight gain. Perimenopause usually begins in women’s 40s to early 50s, but it can begin as early as their late thirties. Perimenopause lasts about 5 years on average, but this is not to say that this will be your or the woman next to you’s journey; some women experience perimenopause symptoms for up to 8 to 10 years.
Where it’s others don’t have symptoms for very long and enter menopause rather quickly now your hormone levels during perimenopause are erratic this is when your ovarian function is beginning to decline so estrogen levels and progesterone levels can fluctuate erratically this gives rise to all of those uncomfortable symptoms that you have probably heard about in perimenopause.
Menopause
After perimenopause, which typically occurs around the age of 51, a woman is considered menopausal when she has gone 12 months without having a period, so if you haven’t had any periods at all, your doctor can safely say you’re menopausal; you can’t get pregnant, and your ovarian function has declined to a level where it will remain for the rest of your life.
In menopause there really isn’t a great test that can say that you are indeed in menopause or not however some doctors may take a follicle stimulating hormone sample from your blood to determine; if you are getting close to or in menopause what this does is it’s basically measuring the amount of FSH or follicle stimulating hormone
That is being signaled to your ovaries to produce more hormones in order to cause of ovulation when you no longer are able to ovulate your FSH levels can increase; so that’s what your doctor is looking for during this time. Many women once they reach menopause experience a reduction in their symptoms that they experienced in perimenopause.
However it is not uncommon to carry some of those symptoms on for a couple of years following menopause and even for years into post menopause so for example some women in menopause still experience hot flashes and night sweats weight gain is very common as well as vaginal dryness and those are symptoms; that you may carry on throughout the rest of your life.
As well because estrogen levels are now at a very low level the final stage in the menopause journey is post menopause a woman is postmenopausal for the rest of her life, after she has been period free for 12 months in post menopause you can expect to throw out your pads and tampons you will no longer need those as you won’t have any periods nor will you have to worry about pregnancy.
But you do have to worry about a couple of other things so women in post menopause because estrogen levels to a very low level are at an increased risk for heart disease and osteoporosis; so any room that you made in your bathroom cabinet by getting rid of your pads and tampons probably is going to be filled up with calcium and vitamin D supplements to prevent bone loss and bone fracture.
Similarly women in post menopause experience vaginal dryness so finding a really good lubricant to help you just feel comfortable in your day to day or if you’re having intercourse will also take up some room in your bathroom cabinet. Every woman experiences her menopause journey differently and it’s completely unique to her some women definitely follow the natural progression of menopause which is pre menopause, perimenopause, menopause and post menopause.
Whereas other women may enter menopause differently so women that have had hysterectomies or their ovaries removed or they’ve been treated for certain cancers can enter menopause earlier in life; whatever your journey is when you start to experience symptoms of menopause connect with your doctor to talk about the best strategies for managing your symptoms in helping you thrive during your menopause journey
Irregular periods during perimenopause
Menopause marks the end of your fertility and therefore the end of periods for you, however the journey to menopause can be a rocky road with your periods in fact one of the first signs that a woman is starting to enter menopause years is an irregular period.
For many women this can be super concerning and confusing because most women have very regular cycles every single month once they start to become a regular it can be met with a whole slew of emotions you may be worried that you’re pregnant or that something else is wrong with you. Rest assured irregular periods are very normal and perimenopause
So first of all let’s see about some changes that you can expect with your period in perimenopause you can expect spotting heavier or lighter periods you can experience changes in the color of the blood so it could be a darker brown or more red you can also have longer periods and shorter periods and more space in between periods or even a shorter duration of time between periods.
Some women also experience worsening of PMS symptoms including cramping that one is really common if you’ve noticed any of these changes in your of the perimenopause age which is in your 40s too early. Does it’s very likely that you are experiencing irregular periods due to menopause but it’s really good to check in with your doctor to just to rule out any other causes.
Now why do you experience irregular periods in perimenopause? this is a really good question it’s because of hormone fluctuations so as women age our ovarian function tends to decline that is we’re not producing estrogen and progesterone in a cyclical steady pattern; like we used to in our fertile years so when you reach menopause estrogen and progesterone levels are extremely low.
Your ovaries produce just a very little amount for the rest of your life in fact most estrogen that you have in your body. In your postmenopausal years is produced from fat so when you have these fluctuating hormone levels in perimenopause your periods can be totally affected; so rest assured that’s the cause of perimenopause periods so while your regular periods are totally a normal.
Part of perimenopause it can be super frustrating but fortunately there are some strategies that we can have in our back pocket to help us manage this frustrating symptom so first of all just like you probably did when you were menstruating regularly always keep your feminine hygiene products available tampons pads divi cup whatever you prefer to use keep that ready.
Just in case you start bleeding unexpectedly similarly a lot of women like to invest in some black underwear just to make sure that they don’t soil they’re nicer lighter color underwear if they have spotting now if the late periods and miss periods totally get to you and you’re having intercourse; don’t hesitate to use a pregnancy test peace of mind is wonderful and if you have consistently missed and you’re not certain if you’re pregnant or just experiencing perimenopause symptoms.
Check with your doctor they can run a pregnancy tests and blood tests as well to see if it’s perimenopause or if it’s pregnancy finally it’s important to note that irregular periods can be caused by other conditions so uterine fibroids or polyps endometriosis or endometrial hyperplasia pelvic inflammatory disease polycystic ovarian syndrome birth control pills stress or uterine or cervical cancers or even thyroid conditions.
All this can cause irregular periods as well so if you are experiencing irregular periods this is a really good time to check in with your doctor to rule out other conditions as well as to talk about how to manage symptoms of perimenopause and what to expect along your journey now some women then experience severe irregularities in their period may inquire about hormone replacement therapy or even birth control pills.
Just to study out those estrogen and progesterone levels so this is a great time to meet with your doctor and talk about all of your options for managing irregular periods.
FAQ
Саn а wоmаn stаrt menораuse аt 40?
If menораuse hаррens befоre аge 40, it’s саlled рremаture menораuse. If it hаррens between аge 40 аnd аge 45, it’s knоwn аs eаrly menораuse. Fewer thаn 10 рerсent оf wоmen exрerienсe рremаture оr eаrly menораuse.
Dо wоmen’s hоrmоnes сhаnge аt 40?
Аs а result, by оur 40s, сyсle length аnd menstruаl flоw mаy vаry аnd рeriоds mаy beсоme irregulаr. Estrоgen mаy drор рreсiрitоusly оr sрike higher thаn nоrmаl. Оver time, FSH levels rise in а vаin аttemрt tо рrоd the оvаries intо рrоduсing mоre estrоgen.
Whаt аre the 4 tyрes оf menораuse?
Tyрe оf menораuse wаs defined in fоur саtegоries: nаturаl menораuse, lаst menstruаl рeriоd (LMР) mоre thаn 12 mоnths аgо аnd рeriоds did nоt stор beсаuse оf surgery, сhemоtherарy, оr hоrmоne use; hystereсtоmy, рeriоds stоррed beсаuse оf hystereсtоmy, with соnservа- tiоn оf оne оr bоth оvаries; bilаterаl оорhоreсtоmy,
Whаt is lаst рeriоd befоre menораuse like?
Рeriоds stаrt tо ‘wind dоwn’ аnd beсоme less regulаr. Рeriоds саn be lighter оr heаvier, lаst fоr lоnger оr finish eаrlier thаn they used tо. Menораusаl symрtоms оften grаduаlly begin during this time.
— Susanna
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Hypeladies.com, founded in 2020 by Susanna, is a premier digital platform dedicated to empowering women through insightful and practical content. Born out of Susanna’s personal experiences as a mother and professional, the website addresses the everyday challenges women face by providing guidance on fashion, beauty, parenting, health, and relationships. Hypeladies believes that knowledge is power, aiming to equip women with the information they need to make informed decisions, boost their confidence, and live their best lives. With a commitment to fostering a supportive community, Hypeladies.com serves as a comprehensive resource for women at all stages of life, inspiring them to achieve their goals and embrace their potential.