Peri-Menopause: Knowing The Signs And Symptoms

Normal hormonal fluctuations indicative of transition to menopause bring about a wide range of symptoms that differ from one woman to another, and this is the period defined as perimenopause, while others call it premenopause, largely affecting young women in their late early to mid-30s. And because menopause is naturally a product of aging, many young women are caught unawares, and often go testing for almost everything else. Of course, some of the symptoms of the symptoms of focus here will be similar to the menopause signs a woman will experience in later years.

Irregular Monthly Cycle: One of the things a young lady should be on the look-out for is changing pattern in her periods. This is usually one of the early signs that menopause is around the corner. Depending on how your pattern has been, the flow may become more regular or more distance. The other thing to watch for is the density and intensity of the periods. Consistent menstrual irregularity of up to a week is indicative of early stages of perimenopause, while any irregularities of up to 2 months or more would signal late perimenopause.

Disrupted sleep patterns: Sleep problems can be quite disturbing at perimenopause, because young women at this stage are still actively engaged at work or pursuing further studies, and the little time available for sleep should not be unnecessarily interrupted. But with hot flashes and night sweats being early symptoms of perimenopause, unpredictable sleep patterns is a normal occurrence.

Hot Flashes:  This is another symptom that may show in the very initial stages. In the human brain, there is a gland entrusted with the regulation of temperature in the body. This gland is called hypothalamus, and also regulates the monthly cycles. Because of the dwindling estrogens levels that come with menopause, it becomes easier for the heat to move upwards as the blood vessels tend to expand, allowing for increased heartbeat. The heat may be mild and very intense from time to time, accompanied with uncomfortable sweating, and may end in a matter of minutes or a few hours.

Reduced sexual interests: While this may not come with pronounced physical pains and discomfort at this stage, it could be very worrisome for young ladies at the height of sexual fun, whether married or not, because of lowered libido. Perimenopause comes with diminishing levels of estrogen, which results in reduced lubrication and bladder problems. Sexual intercourse may become painful as vaginal tissues lose their natural fabrication, and the risk of vaginal infections may increase. Even so, you can easily overcome this challenge by looking for best menopause products including lubricants, to improve on your comfort levels especially with regard to vaginal dryness. Other appropriate measures here would include engaging your partner in meaningful sexual discussions to bring him to par with what your feelings are, and together forge the way forward. Meanwhile, you would do a lot of good to keep your mind positive, for with a good attitude you will heighten your sexual attitude.

Declining levels of cholesterol: There is a direct relationship between reduced levels of estrogen during Perimenopause, and lipoprotein cholesterol. When the estrogen levels decline, the low-density cholesterol may increase, while the good density cholesterol may decrease. An increase or decrease of either of the lipoprotein cholesterols puts one at the risk of heart disease. It’s therefore important for young women to keep a close check on their cholesterol chart, to avert long-term effects.

Mood Swings: If you ever thought that mood swings are only limited to adolescence, then this is a very common occurrence during Perimenopause and later stages. Largely this could be as a result of disrupted sleep patterns by hot flashes, coupled with other multiple factors that may not necessarily have anything to do with hormonal changes. It is not unusual for some young women to experience irritability during Perimenopause, as well as exposure to risks of depression.

Loss of bones: Naturally, the human bones replace themselves over time; with reduced levels of estrogen the rate of losing bones increases, at a rate faster than the body can replace them. This way, you also fall in the risk of contracting osteoporosis, exposing your bones to feebleness.

Other signs and symptoms: It might not always be possible to exhaust all the signs and symptom of perimenopause because they differ from one person to another, but here are a few more: aching and sore joints, depression, and tenderness of breast, anxiety and fatigue. There may be cases of memory lapses that do not last for long, occasional headache and dizziness, gaining of weight and changes in body odour.

One of the sure ways of knowing that the Perimenopause is finally over, is going through a period of 12 consecutive months without experiencing your menstrual period.

References:

https://www.glozine.com/lifestyle/health/supplements-to-ease-menopause.html

http://www.medicalmingle.com/dorismburu/blog/2016/01/30/8_steps_to_manage_peri-menopause_period

Is Hormone Therapy Treatment Safe for Menopause?

The question of whether hormone therapy treatment is safe or not for menopause didn’t seem to be a bother for many women, until researchers in the Women’s Health Initiative in 2002 associated this treatment with increased risks of diseases like heart attack, stroke and breast cancer, among others. Out of fear, the announcement saw millions of women do away with their hormones, drastically affecting its prescription and consumption. 2 years later, Women’s Health Institute would further establish that women making use of estrogen alone were not at high risk of developing heart attacks and breast cancer, save for blood clots and strokes.

To help in answering whether it’s still safe or not to use, we will briefly review what HRT is, and then the benefits and the risk factors.

Understanding HRT

When a woman gets to menopause (widely ranging from 30s to 50s), her body reduces the production of female hormones, known as estrogen and progesterone. With this development, her ovaries can no longer produce eggs, her monthly periods stop, and she can no longer become expectant. This change in the female life comes with a lot of short term and long term symptoms, including moodiness, irritability, sleep disturbance, hot flushes, sweating, vaginal pains and dryness, among others.

Administration of HRT

To relieve menopause symptoms, doctors prescribe HRT, which works by replacing either or both the depleted estrogen and progesterone. HRT is taken in various forms: in form of tablets, as implants (appropriate places as guided by the doctor), or by rubbing it into the skin as a gel or spray. Creams or vaginal rings can be administered for women dealing with vaginal dryness.

Types of Hormone Therapies

There are two major types of hormones therapies. Estrogen Therapy is where estrogen is taken alone, and is usually taken in low doses on a daily basis, for the purposes of relieving symptoms of menopause and for the prevention of osteoporosis, and is largely recommended for women who have undergone hysterectomy (removal of the uterus). The second one is generally referred to as a combination therapy, because ideally it is a combination of doses from estrogen and progesterone. Others may call it Estrogen Progesterone or Progestin Hormone Therapy.

The Do's and Don’ts of Hormone Therapy Treatment

Hormone therapy remains the most efficient and successful menopause treatments for hot flashes and vaginal dryness.  Vaginal estrogen should be the preferred treatment for women whose only issue is uncomfortable sexual intercourse because of vaginal dryness. Estrogen pills, cream, gel or spray remain the most reliable treatment for both night sweats and hot flashes, in addition to symptoms like itching and painful intercourse. You should therefore not suffer in silence with “internal global warming”, given the effectiveness of
HRT in fighting hot flashes.

It should be noted that unless advised otherwise by your doctor, HRT is a lot safer for women in their late 40s and early 50s. Younger women experiencing the early stages of menopause and undergoing hormone therapy have very low risks of contracting cancers, strokes and blood clots, compared to their counterparts in their 60s and 70s. Other benefits of taking HRT include reduced loss of teeth, decreased chances of suffering bone breakage and developing osteoporosis, and average improvement for pains in the joints. For peri-menopausal or menopausal women, use of hormones may be very safe for the control of irregular bleeding. Further, WHI agrees that hormones can significantly reduce the chances of women suffering from colon cancer and osteoporosis.

It’s imperative to point out that you cannot be safe using hormone replacement therapy in the prevention of chronic diseases, especially because there are increased risks of cancer and cardiovascular risks for women in postmenopausal stage. More particularly, for some older women the risks include gall bladder disease, blood clots, strokes and heart attack, breast cancer, and cancer of the uterine lining for women with a uterus. Even so, these risks are subject to many other factors like family history, the state of health for individual women, and the amount of estrogen or progesterone dosage, and whether the hormones are combined or not.

Hormones should only be introduced to older women (those who have not had periods for more than 10 years) in this category for very particular functioning, and under close supervision to avert more crises. It should however be noted that there are many women (young and old) who get breast cancer even when they are not on hormone therapy.

Every woman considering use of hormones should remember hormones are not a permanent medication, just like all other medications. Close consultations with a gynecologist or family doctor would help assess individual health situation and related risk factors for the development of a personalized formula.

A major disadvantage of the Women’s Health Initiative findings of 2002 is that majority of the women in the study were older women in their mid-60s. Those below the age of 60 were no more than 10%, who indeed had fewer risks and more benefits from hormone therapies.

References:

https://www.glozine.com/lifestyle/health/supplements-to-ease-menopause.html

http://www.enkivillage.com/is-hormone-therapy-safe-for-menopause-treatments.html