WHAT IS MENOPAUSE
Menopause is a normal aspect of aging for all women. As menopause approaches, the ovaries gradually decrease their output of the sex hormones progesterone and estrogen.
Menopause is not a disease or an ailment; it simply signifies the end of female sterility and menstruation.
According to statistics reported by the NHS, it is understood that the average age of the menopause is somewhere between 45 and 55, and for the UK the average age is 51.
For women under the age of 40, it is said that 1 in 100 will experience menopause (referred to as premature menopause or premature ovarian insufficiency).
A CHANGE... NORMAL NOT THE END
Menopause is a natural biological process that takes place for all women as our bodies mature - however as it is triggered by changes in hormonal stability it can cause a range of symptoms from moderate to severe.
Symptoms however seldom impact all at once, these will typically begin a few years before periods stop, and one of the first things to occur, due to the decreased production of oestrogen and progesterone in the ovaries, is the irregularity of periods, perhaps being a day or two early or late. The timing will become more erratic, and the bleed may change too.
Various other symptoms may also appear during this transitional stage known as Perimenopause (meaning 'around the menopause') in which menopausal symptoms start to appear - while irregular periods continue.
These perimenopausal symptoms often start for women in their 40s, but they can be found to start as early as the mid-30s.
Once a woman has not had a period for twelve consecutive months she is said to be in menopause.
The most common symptoms of the menopause - and those which are nost likely to arise during perimenopause include:
Hot Flashes - sudden flashes of intense heat
Mood Swings - alternating feelings of anxger, anxiety and stress
Difficulty Sleeping - such as interrupted sleep or insomnia
Night Sweats - flushes of heat that occur at night during sleep
Memory Loss - lapses in memory and brain fog
Low Libido - decreased sexual apetite sometimes accompanied or increased by vaginal dryness
These are just a few of wide range of menopause symptoms - numbering 35-40 depending on how they are described - that can arise due to the hormonal changes that are taking place, and the perimenopausal symptoms are slightly fewer increasing as menopause kicks in - but it is important to note that although there are a number of ways in which conditions might impact it is rare to experience all of them, some women barely experience any and each woman will be affected differently.
Learning about the symptoms and understanding that these are normal is a good way to minimise feelings of overwhelm and a can help every woman to regain control over and/or seek help for the changes that may be happening.
Menopause is a normal biological process, but it can also cause abrupt changes in hormonal stability, which can cause a range of symptoms, from moderate to severe.
Menopause, though, seldom happens suddenly. Specific symptoms may appear in a woman 8 to 10 years before the specific onset of menopause.
These symptoms often start for women in their 40s, but they can now start as early as the mid-30s. Perimenopause is the word used to describe this stage, in which menopausal symptoms start to appear while irregular periods continue.
Women usually must be period-free for 12 months before they are said to be going through menopause. There are a wide variety of symptoms that can arise due to the hormonal changes that are taking place internally and although there are a number of ways conditions might impact it is rare to experience all of them and each woman will be affected differently.
The most common symptoms of the menopause include:
Hot Flushes - sudden flashes of intense heat
Mood Swings - alternating feelings of anxger, anxiety and stress
Difficulty Sleeping - such as interrupted sleep or insomnia
Night Sweats - flushes of heaat that occur at night during sleep
Memory Loss - lapses in memory and brain fog
Low Libido - decreased sexual apetite sometimes accompanied or increased by vaginal dryness
