For every process, there is a beginning and an end.
For everything in life, there is a sweet and terrible aspect.
Every girl experiences a monthly loss of blood, accompanied by pain in variable degrees, sanitary expenses and societal and psychological deceleration.
This averagely 28-day cycle is a ‘hopeful’ event because, eggs are released, whether the lady is sexually active or not, in hope of being fertilized by a sperm.
When there are no sperm cells, the egg is shed like waste product and the process begins all over again.
Every month, over a period of at least 30 years, the female gender will experience pain, loss of blood, and psychological tilting.
These are the prices she has to pay till she eventually stops and retire from child-bearing or, MENOPAUSE.
Menopause, therefore, is the cessation of menstrual cycle for at least 12 months with inability to naturally conceive.
Looks like a blessing right?!
The pains are gone, the bleeding stops and so on and forth. Well, it is not a blessing in its entirety, though the monthly sacrifice is gone, other things begin to come.
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS IN MENOPAUSE?
There are signs or signals that tells if a woman is in her menopausal phase or not.
Though these signs and/or symptoms are unique/dynamic for every lady, the following seem to be common;
- Less frequent menstruation. The space between one cycle and the other lengthens.
- Heavier or lighter periods than are normally experienced
- Hot flashes, feeling of intense heat not because of an external source e.g. sun, steam and so on
- Night sweats
- Blushing
- Loss of sleep
- Dry vagina
- Weight gain
- Reduced sexual drive
- Dry skin
- Joint pains
- Hair loss
- Dry mouth and eyes
- Trouble concentrating
- Painful breasts
- Headaches
- Depression
- Anxiety etc
HOW AND WHY DOES MENOPAUSE OCCUR?
The body is kept in balance by chemicals circulating in the blood called hormones or messengers which are produced in the brain and other organs.
Any cause for reduction in the amount of these substances will result in unfavorable tilt of normal functioning and processes of the body.
This is what results in menopause, hormones responsible for the process begin to reduce quantity due to the reduction from their source organ.
Estrogen, Progesterone, testosterone, Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH), Luteinizing Hormone (LH) are the messengers responsible for menstruation.
The sources are Ovarian follicular cells and the brain and their production interdependent on each other.
The most important cause for reduction is the aging of the ovaries. This in-turn affects the number of active ovarian follicles which is supposed to stimulate the brain to produce FSH and LH.
The principal hormone secreted by the ovarian follicles is estrogen and reduced level precipitates most of the symptoms listed above.
WHAT CAN BE DONE?
Hormonal therapy is the most effective treatment option for the principal symptoms above, especially for women under age 60.
Other symptoms can be targeted individually.
The best prescription in this article is to see a physician and explain every concerns.
