MENOPAUSE (by Perpetua)

MENOPAUSE IS CURABLE

DESCRIPTION Menopause have been viewed as the cessation of monthly periods. Thus marks the end of a woman's fertility. It is a natural biological process. Hence, the physical and emotional symptoms that comes with menopause can disturb your sleep, rip off your energy and can trigger feelings of sadness directly or indirectly.

Hormonal changes is responsible for the physical symptoms of menopause, Approaching menopause doesn't mean that you are of no use; you still have as much as half your life to live. Also, menopause will not snuff out your femininity and sexuality. In fact, you may be one of the many women who find it liberating to stop worrying about pregnancy and periods just like me. More importantly, even though menopause is not an illness, do not hesitate to get treatment if symptoms are severe. Many treatments are available, from lifestyle adjustments to hormone therapy.
SYMPTOMS Some of the menopausal signs and symptoms include; Irregular periods, decreased fertility, Vaginal dryness, hot flashes, Sleep disruption, swings in mood, increased abdominal fat , loss of breast fullness, thinning of hair.

CAUSES OF MENOPAUSE

Menopause is as a result gradual failure of ovaries. Ovaries start aking less estrogen and progesterone, the hormones that regulate menstruation. The process gets under way in your late 30s. By that time, fewer potential eggs are ripening in your each month, and less predictable ovulation. Also, the post-ovulation surge in progesterone -- the hormone that prepares your body for pregnancy -- becomes less dramatic. Your fertility declines, perhaps partially due to these hormonal effects. Menopausal changes are more pronounced in your 40s, as are changes in your menstrual pattern. Your periods may become longer or shorter, heavier or lighter, and more or less frequent. Eventually, your ovaries shut down and you have no more periods. It's possible, but very unusual, to menstruate every month right up to your last period. You're much more likely, though, to have a gradual tapering off.

TREATMENT AND DRUGS

Symptoms associated with menopause can be prevented relatively easily by hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in which estrogen is taken either in pill form or by implants below the skin. Hormone replacement therapy goes a long way to reduce the rate at which calcium is lost from the bones slowing it down to roughly the same as in men. This causes menopausal hot flashes. In UK, 80% of female in the relevant age group use the hormone replacement therapy in treating menopause symptoms.

Low-dose antidepressants. Venlafaxine (Effexor), an antidepressant related to the class of drugs called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), has been shown to decrease menopausal hot flashes. Other SSRIs can be helpful, including fluoxetine (Prozac, Sarafem), paroxetine (Paxil, others), citalopram (Celexa) and sertraline (Zoloft).  Gabapentin (Neurontin). This drug is approved to treat seizures, but it also has been shown to significantly reduce hot flashes.  Clonidine (Catapres, others). Clonidine, a pill or patch typically used to treat high blood pressure, may significantly reduce the frequency of hot flashes, but unpleasant side effects are common. 

Bisphosphonates. Doctors may recommend these nonhormonal medications, which include alendronate (Fosamax), risedronate (Actonel) and ibandronate (Boniva), to prevent or treat osteoporosis. These medications effectively reduce both bone loss and your risk of fractures and have replaced estrogen as the main treatment for osteoporosis in women.  Selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs). SERMs are a group of drugs that includes raloxifene (Evista). Raloxifene mimics estrogen's beneficial effects on bone density in postmenopausal women, without some of the risks associated with estrogen.  Vaginal estrogen. To relieve vaginal dryness, estrogen can be administered locally using a vaginal tablet, ring or cream. This treatment releases just a small amount of estrogen, which is absorbed by the vaginal tissue. It can help relieve vaginal dryness, discomfort with intercourse and some urinary symptoms. Treatment can be short tremor continue for years, although in the long term, blood clotting and other undesirable side effects may occur. Some of these can be prevented by adding progesterone to the estrogen.

NOTE: It is important to know that hormone replacement therapy is the replacement of natural hormone. So there is risk associated with taking pill, such as increased risk of thrombosis, are thought to be lower with hormone replacement therapy.