Menopause

July 2, 2009

Overcoming the Negative Effects of Menopause Through Healthy Living

It is an established fact that the decrease in estrogen levels in any woman experiencing menopause contributes to a wide variety of changes both for the person’s physiological and psychosocial makeup. The hormone responsible for the regulation of the reproductive system, as well as contributing to other feedback mechanisms for internal body balance becomes scarce at this age.

This in effect allows the signs and symptoms of altered body functions to happen. An even poor lifestyle pre menopausal stage contributes highly to contracting these. Nevertheless, there are some ways to effectively retain the balance of the internal systems through a correct lifestyle as tolerated for age.

Hardcore Diet And Exercise

As stated in any book, publication, journal, or anywhere else, diet and exercise are two of the first things to be properly maintained and practiced. Diet goes a very long way in keeping the nutrients and proper interaction of the substances in the body. This diet usually involves a high fiber, low salt and fat diet for a start as the fiber content increases the absorption of fluids in the gastrointestinal tract and promotes good cleansing of bulk in it for effective bowel movement.

Salt decrease in the diet allows less water retention in the system and promotes healthy elimination of waste products. The lessening of fat intake is to have the body properly use up its energy stores instead of having an excess fat level which could cause the liver to overwork, blood to have excess low density lipoprotein levels, and an increase in overall blood cholesterol level.

This would ultimately cause for accumulation of plaques within the blood vessel walls and therefore increase the blood pressure. In some cases, it may also lead to clogs and impairments which could lead to more serious heart and cardiovascular illnesses.

There are several nutritional supplements to aid in the digestion and regulation of nutrient levels in the body. However, it is highly suggested that any person having menopause to not solely rely on these artificial means of supplementing the body with the required components.

Keeping A Positive Outlook

Though emotional outcomes are not directly associated to the physiological nature of being in this halted reproductive stage, having mood swings seems to be the usual observed outcomes in post menopausal women. As a direct advice for women in this situation, keeping in mind that this stage is a normal occurrence would help one’s self to overcome the stress

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July 1, 2009

Symptoms of Menopause – Changes You Feel When Under This Condition

Understanding the symptoms of menopause is one way to prevent, or get rid of, some of the major discomforts that happen before and during the condition. Though the effects of this natural cycle varies in intensity depending upon the woman’s genetic make, lifestyle, and health condition; the symptoms are more of less affecting every single female in today’s modern society.

Menstrual Cycle Change

The most common symptoms of a menopausal woman are the changes in their menstrual cycle — in most cases, the first ever symptom that defines the onset of the condition. Menopausal women suffer from delayed menstrual period, or varying intensities during the pre-menopausal stage.

Changes In Sexual Behavior

The lowering of a woman’s estrogen level causes the vagina to dry up, or less lubricated, that often leads to a painful sexual intercourse. The vagina is prone to laceration and infection at this point. Also, the hormonal imbalance may cause the woman’s sexual behavior to change, such as having a hard time to reach an orgasm, or not having the same excitement and drive for a sexual intercourse with their partner.

Emotional Changes

Emotional change is one of the common symptoms that women go through during menopause. The female species may experience mood swings, depression, and anxiety when the estrogen level fluctuates when they reach the age of 40 and above. The sudden decline or rise of these hormones may cause them to feel a sudden bout of sadness without any particular reason or show irritability and anger even in the slightest pretext.

Other Symptoms

There are other changes in a woman’s body when they are under the throes of menopause. These women observed changes to their sleeping patterns — like change in their usual body clock that ends up sleeping during the day and wide awake at night. Some of these ladies also suffer from minor irritations, such as headaches, heart palpitations, and bouts of fatigue and weakness during the phase of the condition.

It is advisable for women to seek the advice of their health care provider in regards to certain condition that many mistake to be caused by the menopausal cycle. For example, bleeding is a common symptom experience by woman when under this condition, but excessive bleeding might be due to other factors that might lead to a risk when left unchecked.

Other factors that needs consultation includes high blood pressure, breathing problems, chest pains, extreme depression, as well as suicidal impulses that needs to be treated before the patient becomes a risk to their devices.

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All You Need to Know About Menopause – Causes and Symptoms That Comes With It

Menopause is part of a woman’s life. They can’t do anything to get rid of it since it’s already a part of their system. The female species needs to understand why they go into menopausal when they reach a certain age in order to make it more bearable, rather than going haywire and berserk when the first signs and symptoms show up in their system.

The Cause Why Women Go Into Menopausal

Understanding the cause of why women go into menopausal is one way to find the reason for its signs and symptoms. For starters, this condition happens when the female species have no functioning eggs in their ovaries. Their menstruation diminishes until it no longer happens after 12 months. Estrogen levels drop that cause hormonal imbalance and other problems cropping up here and there in their bodies.

Normally, women experience this condition when they reach their 50′s. Asian women observed to undergo menopausal early in their late 30′s or early 40′s. The signs and symptoms vary from one to the other depending on how their body copes with the changes.

Keep in mind, however, that menopause doesn’t happen overnight or a week. Perimenopausal takes place 12 months before the actual condition kicks in. It is in this stage that women will experience irregular menstrual periods until it eventually stops after a year.

Signs and Symptoms

Women may experience different signs and symptoms when they go into menopausal. The hormonal imbalance caused by low estrogen levels may result to hot flashes and night sweats, as well as behavioral and emotional changes, such as mood swings, irritability, sadness, anxiety attacks, depression, and sudden bouts of unexplained anger.

The female population experiencing this condition might observe hair loss or receding hairline, as well as weight gain due to unexplained causes or attraction to food to fight off their emotional and behavioral problems. Weight loss is possible as well, though many women find this an advantage rather than a problem.

Sexual behaviors changes as well as when women go into menopause. The male population might observe their partner’s lack of sexual appetite or might encounter painful episode during intercourse. Aside from their decreasing libido, the dryness to their vagina might cause laceration and bleeding — making the activity painfully uncomfortable and intolerable.

Other signs and symptoms include urinary tract infection, water retention, skin dryness, uterine fibroids, food cravings, weakness or fatigue, memory loss, lack of concentration, allergic symptoms, and inability to become pregnant.

Safety Precautions

Women are advised to seek the help of their health care provider to combat the signs and symptoms, as well as the discomfort and risk that comes with the condition. There are certain therapies available today that can help make the process bearable and painless. Treatment varies depending on the severity of the symptoms.

It is also best to let a medical expert monitor your levels in specific intervals to ensure that nothing big is going to happen during your menopausal cycle. There were reports of excessive bleeding and increasing blood pressure that may lead to disastrous results when left unchecked.

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June 30, 2009

Natural Methods to Prevent and Overcome Menopause Symptoms

Prevention is always a good start in addressing any concerns of upcoming and anticipated life changes during a menopause. Nevertheless, it is also good to have a backup plan – a curative measure in case that something still happens and need correcting. For women experiencing this stage in their lives, there are already anticipated things which may be prepared upon.

Overcoming Mood Swings

For the purpose of immediate issue addressing, the occurrence of mood swings for women is a common thing. However, even with this preemptive association, it may still cause unwanted stress for the person and with the immediate group of people surrounding her. Having to deal with a shorter temper and an increase in anxiety attacks, it would be wise to practice having a behavioral modification program even before the menopausal stage kicks in.

This modification does not necessarily mean seeking professional help that would merit like a psychiatric intervention. The people around the person should always be aware that the individual who is about to go into this stage must have an attitude of acceptance, coupled with diversionary leisure activities. Even if there would be times when depression and mood alterations still occur after these preventive measures, it would be good to have a therapy program to curb the present emotional downside.

Some methods may employ the use of active diversionary means such as going to the malls, or maybe getting a pet for the person to bond with.

Internal Physical Balancing

The key player in this whole phenomenon is the hormone estrogen. Practically everything that takes place and almost all the body changes seen post menopausal stage are somewhat related to this component. Estrogen has a key effect in a lot of physiological processes, most especially for the reproductive system. It is in this body system wherein most changes occur.

Vaginal lubrication is lessened, uterine lining is inactivated, menstruation episodes stop, gastrointestinal problems occur, and overall body weakness is experienced during menopause.

Though it would always be easier to try and provide proper supplementation for any lacking nutrients post menopausal stage, it would always be better if prevention and a preexisting healthy lifestyle was practiced before this event. Simple things such as light exercises and full meal diet, as well as refraining from alcoholic drinks and cigarette smoking have big impacts as one gets older and encounters significant life changes such as this.

Women who are undergoing this stage in their lives should always properly hydrate themselves and keep the muscles and body systems active to promote and stimulate the body to cope up effectively. Where some aspects may still fail, the amount of interventions through artificial means would be lessened if a healthy lifestyle is practiced.

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Facts About Menopause – Watching Out For the Signs

Menopausal is one aspect of life that all women should accept. You can’t get away from it nor get rid of it. But knowing all the details of the condition can give you advance warning on what is likely to happen and take steps to deal with it.

Facts

Menopause can be clearly described as a reproductive change on women. This signals the end of a woman’s fertile stage in her life. The first indication is the end of the menstrual cycle. The estrogen level drops that impacts the woman’s reproductive process — which involves physical, emotional, and behavioral changes.

According to surveys, the average age of woman arriving at this condition is 51, but may sometimes vary between 55 to 60; Asian women, such as Filipinos, are observe to reach this stage early — at around the age of 40 to 45.

Signs

One advantage of menopause is that the signs and symptoms are quite clear, giving the woman, as well as those around her, enough indication that the worst is about to come. Keep in mind, however, that the effects of this condition vary from one woman to another — but some of the conditions are proven to be general.

Fluctuation of a woman’s hormone levels is one of the indications of this condition. This often results to extreme mood change and hot flashes occurring on and off with no specific intervals. Fatigue or weakness, as well as cases of depression are common as well. Women who are suffering from extreme menopausal condition may show lack of concentration, irritability, urination problems, and skin dryness.

Women going into menopausal on the age of 50 and above complain of back problems, joint or muscle pains, or even the risk of osteoporosis. Sleeping patterns might also be affected as well, like the onset of insomnia or change in body clock.

A woman’s sexual behavior is also affected when under this condition. Menopausal women are seen to have decreased sexual activities, as well as having a hard time reaching orgasm. Dyspareunia, or painful sexual intercourse, is also common as well.

Why The Need To Know?

It is important for women to understand the effects of menopause in order to anticipate the drastic change to their body’s normal function. Considering that depression is quite common to women under this condition, it is essential that they know in advance the changes in order to lessen the burden.

For example, a woman who doesn’t know the details under this condition might find it more depressing after she finds out that her sexual capacity has decreased. The feeling of not giving her partner what he wants might affect her mood and inadvertently put her into bouts of depression that puts her at risk.

Individuals, especially friends and family members, needs to understand the effect of this condition in order to anticipate the changes and avoid unnecessary conflict that might crop up.

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June 25, 2009

What is Pre-Menopause? – The Signs and Symptoms That Come With It

Women should keep in mind that pre-menopause is a process that leads to the real menopausal stage. The gradual decline in the female’s reproductive system produces various signs and symptoms to crop up from time to time. In some ways, it simply teaches your body to adapt to the full effect of the condition.

Pre-Menopausal Stage

It is easy to explain the pre-menopausal stage; the changes in a female’s reproductive system are marked by hormonal imbalance and irregularities as functional ovaries diminish and hormone production decreases. Some female suffer these pains for a span of a few months, but may even last for a year depending on how their body matures and cope with the condition.

Common Signs And Symptoms

Signs and symptoms before the actual menopause stage are easily seen with periodic hot flashes, mood swings, and irregular menstrual period. These are just the common ones that all women feel when they under pre-menopausal.

Sleeping disorder is also a sign that a woman is undergoing pre-menopausal. Constant bouts of weakness and fatigue may cause a change in their body clock — resulting to an abnormality in their sleeping patterns; such as wide awake during the night and fast asleep during the day.

Women under pre-menopausal might also have constant mood swings — happy one moment and extremely sad at the next. There were claims that these bouts of sadness are unexplained, unable to determine why and how it happens. These sudden emotional outbursts might cause intense anxiety attacks and anger, as well as resulting to deep depression that may prove to be a risk if left unchecked.

It was also observed that women who are under pre-menopausal might suffer from random bouts of palpitations, increased blood pressure, hair loss, weight loss or weight gain due to changes in their metabolic rhythm, and so on.

Sexual Behavior

Menopause entails that all sexual and reproductive capabilities of women are put to a complete stop. Women under pre-menopausal experiences a gradual decline in their sexual urges. Decreased libido, as well as the constant mood swings makes it almost impossible for women to enjoy sexual intercourse with their partners, much less reach orgasm.

Vaginal dryness might cause painful intercourse as lacerations are possible since the vagina is not properly lubricated. This might be a major factor why women shy from any sexual encounter when under pre-menopausal due to the pain involved instead of getting satisfaction and enjoyment from it.

Keep in mind, however, that these signs and symptoms may not be related to menopause at all. There is a possibility that other health issues may be present in your body that is causing these menopausal-like symptoms to crop up from time to time. It is advisable to seek the aid of your medical expert in order to determine the exact cause of these events and avoid permanent risks.

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June 22, 2009

Facts About Perimenopause – How it Affects You

Perimenopause happens 12 months before the actual menopausal cycle. Females will experience a gradual cessation of their menstrual cycle until it permanently stops that marks the start of the menopausal stage. In most cases, this condition happens at the age of 35 in average, but can be seen late in some women.

Female may discover hormonal imbalance even earlier than the actual menopause cycle. Estrogen levels will start to drop when women reach the age of 35 or may even start late around 40′s. This continuous decline happens 12 months before menopause so it might be best to prepare yourself with information beforehand to avoid or take steps to counter the signs and symptoms that come with it get rid or eliminate any discomforts afterwards.

Facts

This condition is often attributed to the gradual decrease of a woman’s menstruation, which is attributed to the decrease of their reproductive function that is common sign of old age. Women under this stage of their life might experience hormonal imbalance as their estrogen levels decrease over time. In most cases, this occurs when there is less or no progesterone is produced.

Symptoms

It was observed that the menstrual cycle of the female species will eventually stop when perimenopause symptoms appear. Emotional and behavioral changes are the most evident among the other signs of this condition, which is often seen as mood swings, depression, anxiety, and irritability without any triggers at all. Women are mostly confused when they are under a sudden bout of sadness under a very normal day — which eventually leads to depression and its risks when left unchecked.

Women under this condition may also experience hot flashes and night sweats. Sexual behavior is affected as well, such as taking longer time in reaching an orgasm or painful intercourse attributed to dryness around the vagina. Men have also seen less sexual drive from their partners when they undergo perimenopausal stage.

There are other symptoms attributed to this condition but may vary from one woman to another. Some experience tender breasts while others do not. Other signs and symptoms include muscle and joint pains, back pains, dryness to the skin, weakness or fatigue, hair loss, weight gain, sleeping problems, water retention, and so on.

Countering The Signs

It’s true that the signs and symptoms of perimenopause might be very uncomfortable to some, but there are certain ways to fight the condition to make it more bearable.

For example, women suffering from sleeping problems due to this condition might want to take herbal supplements to help correct the problem. Same can also be said for headaches, body aches and pains, and so on.

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Gaining Weight During Menopause

Weight gain is a problem that is engulfing a magnitude of people these days. In this context it is usually a result of unhealthy diet or lack of physical activity. However, women in the age bracket of forty to fifty or even those in their thirties should verify their weight gain reason because it may be result of menopause, in which case weight gain is a normal occurrence and not a fault of woman herself.

CAUSES OF WEIGHT GAIN IN MENOPAUSE:

Menopausal weight gain happens because of fluctuation in hormone levels in the body and hormones directly impact appetite, metabolism, libido and fat storage. Hormones involved in weight maintenance are estrogen, androgen, progesterone and testosterone and they affect as described below:

· Estrogen: This hormone plays a major in weight gain. During menopause estrogen levels fall and body looks at the fat cells to produce more estrogens. The body converts calories to fat cells and thus arise the weight gain.

· Androgen: This hormone is responsible for sending new weight to the body’s middle section. During menopause this hormone is in abundance and hence it leads to build up weight and fat around abdominal area.

· Progesterone: Progesterone levels also fall during menopause. This hormone is believed to be responsible for appropriate water retention. With fall in progesterone levels more water is retained in the body leading to bloating and probably weight gain too.

· Testosterone: This hormone helps the body in creating lean muscle mass out of calories taken. Muscle cells burn more calories than fat cells and increase metabolism. With menopause this hormone also declines and hence leads to lower metabolism and lower burning rate of calories.

· Other factors leading to weight gain can be stress or insulin resistance. Gain in stress hormones during menopause makes the body to store more calories in the form of fat, because stress hormones take the body in a storage mode. Insulin resistance is a situation where the body mistakenly turns every calorie into fat. This happens due to a consistent consumption of processed and refined foods over the years.

TREATMENTS OF MENOPAUSAL WEIGHT GAIN:

Treatments that may be followed are:

· Remaining active to increase metabolism and fat burning.

· Reduce in take of caffeine, nicotine and alcohol to exacerbate water retention.

· Do not adopt crash diets. It will slow metabolism and increases risk of osteoporosis.

· Eat balanced diet with more in take of fruits and vegetables. Avoid refine sugar.

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June 20, 2009

Prescription Drugs For the Treatment of Menopause

There are a few anti-depressants which appear to be effective. Effexor (a serotonin/norepinehrone reuptake inhibitor) is known to assist in the reduction of hot flashes and the severity of depression.

Hot flashes are experienced by more than 60% of women going through menopause. Prozac is commonly prescribed and seems to be quite useful for women who are experiencing mild to severe mood swings. In addition Prozac has been shown to assist women who are having anxiety discomforts or a general uneasiness about themselves.

For some hot flashes may be a simple warming of the body while others have a sense of great heat as if a wave for overcoming them. Hot flashes generally do not travel to the lower extremities but are rather focused on the face and chest area. Women may appear to have a flushed face.

A rapid heartbeat accompanied by perspiration and a chilly sensation. It is important for woman who are certain they are going through this change to not overlook symptoms which may be similar to stroke or heart attack as these are not related and can be very serious if gone untreated. Hot flashes may last anywhere in increments of up to 30 minutes throughout the day and women may perspire throughout the night. There are no drugs to correct this naturally occurring event.

Just take the medicine to ease the symptoms. Women with a higher coping ability seem to sort through this rather well. It is also advisable for women to be a part of some sort of support group, whether it is their family unit or something outside the home.

Many women have a very difficult time accepting this and are often susceptible to long bouts of depression which could lead to very serious forms of apathy and even agoraphobia. Speaking with others who are experiencing the same thing will greatly increase a woman’s ability to fly right through it.

Women who are experiencing high blood pressure due to menopause (hypertension) are often times prescribed Clonidine which has also been reported to relieve a great deal of hot flashes experienced. Side effects of Clonindine are insomnia, constipation, dry mouth, drowsiness which of course can make this drug a not so ideal candidate for treatment.

Other medicines commonly prescribed are but not limited to Zoloft, Anafranil, Norpramin, Adapin, Tofranil, and Aventyl. While these primarily focus on the depression aspect of menopause it is believed that these medicines also assist women in coping with other symptoms such as confusion and hot flashes. The drug of choice is specific for the woman going through this change of life and is advisable to speak directly with her primary care provider to determine which medicine works best for her.

However in this case it is best to take up natural remedies then consume medicines.

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June 19, 2009

The Effects of Acne During Menopause

Just one among other symptoms of menopause such as hot flashes, dryness, mood swings, sleep disruption, irritability and general discomfort. The onset of acne during menopause and experienced by some in perimenopause can be quite alarming. Often thought of as simply female adult acne but his is not the case. The fluctuation of hormones is unsettling at best.

Women produce both male and female hormones. Male hormones called Androgens, are responsible for the development of muscles, as well as stimulating hair follicles and for producing skin oil called sebum. The Sebum is the culprit at large here. The production of sin oils is part of the equation as the hormone testosterone effects the way in which the body disposes of dead cells. It is believed that dead cells get stuck in the hair follicles and pores, with excessive dirt triggers the immune system to send large amounts of white blood cells to try and stop the flare up. The white cells get trapped as well. Since all this is trapped in the pores, the cells along with the oil and dirt, is exactly what causes the inflamed bumps or acne.

Cleansing the skin with soap-free products is a great way to keep your skin healthy. Soap’s with large moisturizer counts can and in most cases will aggravate the skin. Astringent must also be minimized. The benefits of applying astringents to the skin daily are that they remove excess oils however; this is only a temporary fix and does not address the underlying cause of the acne. Astringents and harsh cleansing may cause blackheads and can and most likely increase the development of acne. In a time when beauty seems to be of utmost importance in our culture this cosmetic phenomena can be quite alarming for a woman.

As women age they naturally lose the elasticity important in maintaining a youthful and healthy appearance. Non-comedogenic cosmetics, sunscreens and moisturizers are highly recommend as the smallest irritation will cause a break out. Benzoyl peroxide, an ingredient found in Proactive has shown to be highly effective in the treatment of women suffering from menopausal acne. It is advised for women to avoid direct sunlight as this will also be an irritation. A woman should also consider a Vitamin D supplement if she is avoiding extended exposure to the sun as it is the bodies only means of producing this hormone.

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