WHY BE AFRAID OF MENOPAUSE?

Menopause is a fact of life that all women will eventually have to face. It, however, does not necessarily have to be something to be feared. A number of resources and options for combating the symptoms of this natural life transition are now available.

What is menopause?
Menopause is simply the permanent ending of a woman's menstrual period. This signals the end of a woman's ability to conceive children, thus marking the end of her reproductive years.

Menopause can be natural or induced. Natural menopause usually occurs in women between the ages of 42 to 58 years, with the average age being 51 years. However, it can occur to women as young as in their 30s and a few as old as in their 60s.

What causes induced menopause?
Several types of surgeries can induce menopause, including:
- Surgical removal of both ovaries, with or without hysterectomy

- Hysterectomy (or the surgical removal of the uterus or the female
reproductive organ)

- Destruction of the ovarian function by chemotherapy or pelvic radiation
therapy. Chemotherapy, a drug treatment to destroy cancer cells, can
alter a woman's hormone levels and therefore cause the onset of
menopause. Depending on the type of chemotherapy, this induced
menopause can either be temporary or permanent. In contrast, pelvic
radiation therapy, which uses high energy radiation waves to kill cancer
cells in the pelvic area, is more likely to bring on permanent menopause.

- Abdominoperineal resection (the removal of the anus, rectum, and parts
of the colon)

- Total pelvic extenteration (the removal of the uterus, cervix, ovaries,
vagina, fallopian tubes, bladder, and rectum), performed when a woman
has a recurring cervical cancer

Induced menopause may increase a woman's chances of experiencing more severe, frequent, and longer lasting symptoms of menopause.

What is perimenopause?
Perimenopause is defined as the phase before and immediately after a woman's last period. Perimenopause can last for approximately 4 years, during which a woman can have prolonged or irregular periods. During this phase, the ovaries will reduce their production of female sex hormones.

What are the symptoms of menopause?
During menopause, a woman's hormone levels rise and fall irregularly, affecting a woman's metabolism, growth, and reproductive systems. These changes manifest themselves in the following symptoms of menopause:

Hot Flashes
Hot flashes are the result of changes in a woman's estrogen hormone levels. As the levels of estrogen drop in a woman's body, her glands secrete higher amounts of other hormones. These other hormones cause the woman's body temperature to fluctuate.

Vaginal Dryness and Other Changes in the Vagina
The walls of the vagina becomes thinner, drier, and more vulnerable to infections. For some, intercourse and sexual stimulations may become increasingly uncomfortable or even painful.

Changes in the Urinary Tract
Changes in a woman's urinary tract may lead to incontinence or leakage of urine. Some forms of incontinence can be treated with medications or may require wearing an undergarment (adult diaper). For some women, an exercise to strengthen the pelvic muscle may also help (see Kegel Exercise Article).

Psychological Changes
Because of their fluctuating hormone levels, some women experience depression, fear and anxiety, mood swings, irritability, nervousness, and insomnia or sleeplessness.

Decrease in Sex Drive or Libido
Some women experience lower sex drive or libido during menopause. This may be caused directly by the changes in the woman's hormone levels and the decreased blood flow to the vagina. Furthermore, changes in the vaginal tissue and the lowered levels of the natural lubrication can make sex uncomfortable for menopausal women.

Increase in Sex Drive or Libido
On the other hand, some women actually experience increased sex drive or libido. These women should be careful to make sure that they are indeed truly cannot get pregnant before giving up their birth control precautions. It is important to keep in mind that during the transition to menopause a woman's period can become irregular. Therefore, the stopping of menstruation for a short period of time may not be a good indicator of a woman's ability (or here, inability) to get pregnant.

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