Menopause is defined as the permanent end to the menstrual cycle in women. On average, this period of change in a woman’s life is reached around the age of 51. This is true for women in the USA, while other countries have slightly earlier or later ages for the onset of menopause symptoms depending on the nutrition and medical care available in the specific area. Menopause is said to have been reached when a woman has not had any kind of menstrual period for at least one year.
When a woman reaches her mid thirties she might start to notice some menopause symptoms. Her period usually gets either lighter and shorter or heavier and longer lasting, depending on the individual, and she will also become more irregular so that there are some months where she will not have a period at all.
When she reaches her forties, the more noticeable menopause symptoms usually set in. These include the most common type of menopause symptoms, which are hot flashes. A woman can also be afflicted with sleeping disorders, mood swings and changes to her skin, such as dryness around her mouth and eyes. In addition, there can be a loss of bladder control and an increase in fat around her abdomen. Her breasts will also start to lose their fullness and her hair may also thin slightly.
Women usually retain the sex drive that they had before starting menopause, but sometimes there is a decrease in sex drive, which may be connected to the problem of vaginal dryness which makes intercourse uncomfortable if certain measures are not taken.
Menopause is caused by the decreased production of estrogen and progesterone in a woman’s body. There are fewer eggs that are ripening for fertilization, and when they do, there is a decreased surge in progesterone for the post ovulation period. This change in hormone levels is what causes menopause symptoms and mood swings in women.
One way that doctors check for the move into menopause is to do a simple blood test. This test looks for follicle stimulating hormones and estrogen levels. If these levels are below normal, and the woman is experiencing other menopause symptoms, there is a good chance that the body is moving into menopause.
In the rare instances where a woman is too young to start the process of menopause, then the doctor can take appropriate measures for treatment of menopause symptoms, such as lifestyle changes or hormone therapies. There are certain procedures that might trigger early menopause, such as hysterectomies, chemotherapy or radiation treatment.
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