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What's menopause?

Women past a certain age will experience menopause. Menopause is defined as having no menstrual period for one twelvemonth. The age you experience it can vary, but information technology typically occurs in your late 40s or early 50s.

Menopause can crusade many changes in your trunk. The symptoms are the event of a decreased product of estrogen and progesterone in your ovaries. Symptoms may include hot flashes, weight proceeds, or vaginal dryness. Vaginal atrophy contributes to vagina dryness. With this, at that place tin be inflammation and thinning of the vaginal tissues which adds to uncomfortable intercourse.

Menopause tin besides increment your risk for certain weather like osteoporosis. You lot may find that getting through menopause requires trivial medical attention. Or y'all may decide you need to hash out symptoms and treatment options with a dr..

Keep reading to acquire well-nigh the 11 things every woman should know about menopause.

The average age for onset of menopause is 51. The majority of women stop having periods somewhere betwixt ages 45 to 55. The kickoff stages of declining ovary function can start years before that in some women. Others volition continue to have menstrual periods into their tardily 50s.

The age of menopause is idea to be genetically determined, but things such every bit smoking or chemotherapy tin accelerate ovary turn down, resulting in before menopause.

Perimenopause refers to the flow of time right before menopause begins.

During perimenopause, your body is beginning the transition into menopause. That means that hormone product from your ovaries is offset to decline. You may brainstorm to experience some symptoms unremarkably associated with menopause, similar hot flashes. Your menstrual wheel may go irregular, but it won't cease during the perimenopause stage.

Once yous completely stop having a menstrual bike for 12 consecutive months, you've entered menopause.

About 75 percent of women feel hot flashes during menopause, making them the most mutual symptom experienced by menopausal women. Hot flashes can occur during the twenty-four hours or at nighttime. Some women may likewise experience musculus and joint pain, known as arthralgia, or mood swings.

It may be hard to determine whether these symptoms are caused past shifts in your hormones, life circumstances, or the aging process itself.

During a hot flash, you lot'll likely feel your trunk temperature rise. Hot flashes affect the acme half of your body, and your skin may even turn crimson in color or become blotchy. This rush of heat could lead to sweating, middle palpitations, and feelings of dizziness. After the hot flash, you may feel cold.

Hot flashes may come up on daily or even multiple times a day. Yous may experience them over the grade of a year or even several years.

Avoiding triggers may reduce the number of hot flashes you experience. These can include:

  • consuming alcohol or caffeine
  • eating spicy food
  • feeling stressed
  • being somewhere hot

Being overweight and smoking may as well make hot flashes worse.

A few techniques may help reduce your hot flashes and their symptoms:

  • Dress in layers to help with hot flashes, and utilize a fan in your home or part space.
  • Practice breathing exercises during a hot flash to try to minimize it.

Medications such every bit birth control pills, hormone therapy, or fifty-fifty other prescriptions may assist you reduce hot flashes. See your physician if yous're having difficulty managing hot flashes on your own.

The reject in estrogen product can affect the corporeality of calcium in your basic. This tin can cause meaning decreases in bone density, leading to a condition known as osteoporosis. Information technology tin also brand you lot more susceptible to hip, spine, and other bone fractures. Many women experience accelerated bone loss the first few years after their concluding menstrual menstruation.

To keep your basic healthy:

  • Eat foods with lots of calcium, such as dairy products or dark leafy greens.
  • Take vitamin D supplements.
  • Exercise regularly and include weight training in your practise routine.
  • Reduce alcohol consumption.
  • Avoid smoking.

There are prescription medications you may desire to discuss with your md to prevent bone loss as well.

Conditions related to your middle may arise during menopause, such as dizziness or cardiac palpitations. Decreased estrogen levels can prevent your body from retaining flexible arteries. This can impact blood flow.

Watching your weight, eating a good for you and counterbalanced diet, exercising, and not smoking tin reduce your chances of developing heart conditions.

Changes in your hormone levels may crusade you to gain weight. Yet, aging can besides contribute to weight gain.

Focus on maintaining a counterbalanced diet, exercising regularly, and practicing other healthy habits to aid control your weight. Being overweight tin increase your risk for heart disease, diabetes, and other atmospheric condition.

The symptoms of menopause vary from one woman to another, even in the same families. The historic period and rate of decline of ovary function differ tremendously. This ways y'all'll need to manage your menopause individually. What worked for your mother or all-time friend may not work for you.

Talk to your physician if yous have any questions almost menopause. They can assist you sympathise your symptoms and find means to manage them that piece of work with your lifestyle.

If your uterus was surgically removed through a hysterectomy, you lot may non know you're going through menopause unless y'all feel hot flashes.

This can also happen if yous've had an endometrial ablation and your ovaries weren't removed. Endometrial ablation is the removal of the lining of your uterus as treatment for heavy menstruation.

If you aren't having any symptoms, a blood examination can decide if your ovaries are notwithstanding functioning. This test tin be used to assist doctors find out your estrogen level, which may be benign if you're at run a risk of osteoporosis. That's because knowing your estrogen condition may be important in determining whether y'all need a bone density assessment.

Several hormone therapies are FDA-approved for treatment of hot flashes and prevention of bone loss. The benefits and risks vary depending on the severity of your hot flashes and bone loss, and your health. These therapies may not be right for y'all. Talk to your doctor before trying any hormone therapies.

Hormone therapy may non be the right pick for y'all. Some medical conditions may prevent you from safely being able to utilize hormone therapy or y'all may choose not to use that form of treatment for your own personal reasons. Changes to your lifestyle may assistance you salvage many of your symptoms without need for hormonal intervention.

Lifestyle changes may include:

  • weight loss
  • exercise
  • room temperature reductions
  • avoidance of foods that beal symptoms
  • dressing in lite cotton clothing and wearing layers

Other treatments such as herbal therapies, self-hypnosis, acupuncture, sure low-dose antidepressants, and other medications may be helpful in decreasing hot flashes.

Several FDA-approved medications can be used for prevention of bone loss. These may include:

  • bisphosphonates, such as risedronate (Actonel, Atelvia) and zoledronic acid (Reclast)
  • selective estrogen receptor modulators like raloxifene (Evista)
  • calcitonin (Fortical, Miacalcin)
  • denosumab (Prolia, Xgeva)
  • parathyroid hormone, such as teriparatide (Forteo)
  • sure estrogen products

Y'all may find over-the-counter lubricants, estrogen creams, or other products help with vaginal dryness.

Menopause is a natural part of a adult female's life cycle. Information technology'south a time when your estrogen and progesterone levels decrease. Following menopause, your risk for certain weather condition like osteoporosis or cardiovascular disease may increase.

To manage your symptoms, maintain a salubrious diet and get enough of do to avoid unnecessary weight proceeds.

Y'all should contact your doctor if you experience adverse symptoms that affect your ability to function, or if you notice anything unusual that might crave a closer wait. There are plenty of handling options to help with symptoms like hot flashes.

Bank check in with your doctor during regular gynecological exams as you experience menopause.