| Symptoms |
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| During the menopausal
years, some women experience multiple symptoms
while others show no reaction or minimal reactions
that go unnoticed. The list of symptoms associated
with menopause is long and may be daunting, but
fortunately no woman experiences the whole range.
Menstrual
Pattern Changes
One of the first signs to occur is a change in
your periods. They become less regular and sometimes
lighter. Some women however experience heavy bleeding,
lasting for 10 or more days. They may even have
spotting between periods.You may have to consult
your doctor for these problems. |
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Vasomotor
Symptoms
HOT FLUSHES : Hot
flushes are experienced by more than 85% of menopausal
women, although their frequency and severity can
vary greatly from person to person.During a hot
flush, a woman can perspire so profusely that
perspiration runs down her face, neck and back,
her temperature will rise, her heart will beat
faster and she may experience palpitations. It
usually lasts for 3-5 minutes. Sometimes she may
even faint, though this is rare. The discomfort
experienced during a hot flush is unique. Hot
flushes occur as the brain decides that the body
is overheated. Two of three women may suffer hot
flushes well before the last menstrual period,
but most have increased frequency at menopause
and continue for five to six years.
Psychological
: Despite the clinical impressions that
there are considerable psychological benefits
from HRT, there is only clear evidence for amelioration
of psychological symptoms (including improvement
in cognitive function) in women who have undergone
a surgical menopause. Otherwise in the natural
menopause it remains unclear which, if any, non-sexual
psychological symptoms respond directly to estrogen
except as a secondary response to reduction in
physical symptoms. Overall, it has to be said
that there is little scientific backing for hormonal
treatment of psychological problems on their own
around the time of the natural menopause. In most
cases psychological treatment or counseling will
be more appropriate than HRT
Urogenital
Atrophy : Urogenital problems are very
common during menopause, yet only four of ten
women consult their doctor for it. Anatomically
the vagina and the lower genital tract lie close
together separated by a few layers of cells. Lack
of estrogen causes these cells to become thin
and dry.Urinary symptoms include discomfort in
passing urine, frequent and urgent urination,
there may also be some dribbling because the sphincter
muscle guarding the bladder exit becomes weak
due to low estrogen levels. Urine escapes from
the bladder on coughing, laughing or carrying
heavy weights and is called stress urinary incontinence.
You may also experience genital dryness and itching
and vaginal soreness particularly during or after
intercourse.
Stomach
& Bowel Complaints : Bloating with
abdominal distention can occur during menopause.
As we age small pockets of tissue may balloon
from the bowel causing a condition called diverticula.
Food gets lodged in these diverticula, becomes
stale and produces large amounts of gas causing
the abdomen to distend. The female hormones also
affect the speed of movement of the food in the
intestines. Progesterone reduces movement so bowel
motions become infrequent, dry and pebble-like,
while estrogen speeds them up. Due to lack of
estrogen after menopause constipation is also
a common symptom. |
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Muscle
& Joint Symptoms
Collagen is a protein that
provides scaffolding for every tissue in the body
and when it begins to disintegrate at menopause,
muscles loose their bulk, strength and coordination,
and joints become stiff. Muscles become stiff
and sore after exercise and joints swell so that
their mobility gets restricted. Osteoporosis (called
the brittle bone disease) causes aches and pains
all over the body especially in the upper back
due to thinning of the vertebral bones. |
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Collagen
Deficiency Symptoms
- Skin - Dryness, wrinkles,
flaking, bruises easily, wounds heal slowly, patches
of brown pigmentation, prominent veins.
- Nails - Brittleness, white spots, splinter
hemorrhages
- Eyes - Dryness, dark circles under eyes, small
yellow lumps of fat on the white part of the eyes,
night vision deteriorates, red blood vessels around
the corner of the eyes.
- Gums - Bleeding and sponginess, recession leaving
tooth roots exposed, infection and periodontal
disease, which causes bad breadth.
- Hair - Dullness, dryness, oiliness, split ends,
poor growth, thin patches, dermatitis of the scalp,
hair loss, dandruff
- Mouth - Cracks on the corners of the mouth,
mouth ulcers that are slow to heal.
- Tongue
- The sides become scalloped, and the tongue becomes
thinner and smoother.
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Breast
Symptoms
Most women experience breast
discomfort premenstrually due to fluid retention
in the breast tissue. This discomfort may develop
into a more severe pain called mastalgia after
40. This is usually non-cyclical and can occur
at any time in the month. This is a benign condition,
however breast cancer should be ruled out. Evening
primrose oil is found to be useful. Saturated
fatty oils aggravate the problem and cutting down
on their amount in diet helps.
Weight Gain : Menopausal
women who Women gain weight at menopause due to
a slower metabolic rate and a decline in estrogen
levels, which affects the fat distribution in
the body. Menopausal women who are 3.5 to 4.5
kg overweight live longer than women who are 3.5
to 4.5 kg underweight. This should not encourage
women to become more obese but can reduce the
pressure to become thin.
Osteoporosis :The
clinical definition of Osteoporosis is "a
condition where there is less normal bone than
expected for a woman's age, with an increased
risk of fracture." It is a painful, crippling
and life-threatening condition and is the single
most important health hazard for women with menopause.
In its early stages it has no obvious symptoms
so women may be unaware, but because of its life-threatening
nature every woman should be made aware of it
and prevent osteoporosis from occurring.
Cardiovascular Effects : During reproductive years, women are "protected"
from coronary heart disease, hence they lag behind
men in the incidence of coronary heart disease
by 10 years and in myocardial infarction and sudden
death by 20 years. A significant contribution
to this protection can be due to higher high density
liporotein (HDL) levels in younger women, an effect
of estrogen.The average HDL-cholesterol in women
is 55-60 mg/dl, a decrease of 10 mg/dl increases
risk of coronary heart disease by 40-50%. Total
and low density cholesterol (bad lipids) levels
are lower in premenopausal women compared to men
and in post-menopausal women they rise rapidly.
After menopause the risk of coronary heart disease
doubles for women as the atherogenic lipids levels
are higher than menThe ratio of total cholesterol
to HDL-cholesterol is optimum (3.4) at ages 25
to 34 and increases to 4.7 at ages 75 to 89 years.
When the ratio increases to 7.5 women have the
same risk of coronary heart disease as men.Estrogen
also has favourable effect on the inner lining
of blood vessels which keeps vessels dilated and
prevents thrombosis.
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