by Richard H Ealom

INTRODUCTION: Menopause is the time in a woman’s life when menstruation stops permanently, signifying the end of her ability to produce children and is diagnosed when a woman has gone without a period for 1 full year. It is considered premature if it happens before the age of forty, or artificial if radiation exposure, chemotherapeutic drugs, or surgery induces it. Menopause is something that happens to every women as they get older.

HOT FLASHES: Hot flashes are probably the most bothersome symptom associated with approaching menopause and are experienced by a majority of females during the transition period (no pun intended). An ancient Chinese therapy gives some menopausal women another treatment option for their hot flashes.

For others however, the decreasing levels of estrogen associated with menopause may cause more distressing symptoms that include: Mood swings – Decreased sex drive – Hot flashes – Sweating – Racing heart (palpitations) – Headaches – Vaginal dryness and soreness – Trouble sleeping and Bone thinning (osteoporosis). These symptoms can last from a few months to up to 10 years.

HORMONES: Known as the “change of life”, It is the last stage of a gradual biological process in which the ovaries decrease their production of female sex hormones–a process which commences about 3 to 5 years before the last menstrual period. When you are in your mid-30’s, your ovaries start to change how much estrogen and progesterone (two female hormones) they create.

During this time, known as perimenopause, which can last anywhere from 5 to 15 years, the brain continues to send out hormones in an attempt to stimulate the development of ovarian follicles, and it is common for a woman’s ovaries to respond erratically, so that her hormones fluctuate considerably from month to month. It continues to create hormones even after ovulation ceases, producing some estrogen and also androgens (male hormones) including testosterone.

To best understand what occurs during menopause, it is helpful to know about the physiology of menstruation and the hormones that are involved in your monthly cycle. Changes in hormones are a major factor in that sense of physical, mental, and emotional imbalance that may characterize a woman’s experience of menopause.

A lot of women discover that the right combination of herbs, exercise, nutritional support, and natural hormones helps them to control most of their symptoms. Eventually your ovaries stop creating estrogen and other hormones.

CANCER: Your risks for heart disease, cancer, and bone thinning (osteoporosis) increase after menopause. You should be checked for colon, rectal and skin cancer. If you have a family history of breast cancer, check with your doctor about your risk. If you have a uterus and decide to take estrogen, you must also take progesterone to prevent endometrial cancer (cancer of the lining of the uterus).

“There’s been much experimental evidence and patient experience showing estrogen given alone can lead to endometrial cancer,” says FDA’s Smith. Endometrial cancer is not the only risk from estrogen use. It is not known whether estrogen use increases the risk of breast cancer, or what effect adding progestin would have on this risk. In recent years, many studies on breast cancer and estrogen use have been conducted, with conflicting results, says Smith.

TREATMENT: Menopause has become increasingly medicalized, which means it is viewed as something that requires intervention and treatment rather than as a natural life transition that may benefit from support. You don’t need treatment for it unless your symptoms bother you. Be sure to talk to your doctor about your possible health risks before you start a treatment for menopausal symptoms.

There are also “natural” treatments for the symptoms that can be bought without a prescription. You can commence or end the treatment at any time.

CONCLUSION: Menopause is a normal process and not a disease. It is a normal part of life just like puberty. Part of the stigma is its association with aging, but we age no more quickly in our 50s than in any other decade of life. In the US, the average age is 51, with the majority of women usually reaching natural menopause sometime between 40 and 58 years of age. If you’ve never been an exerciser, it is a great excuse to start.

About the Author:
Richard H. Ealom is the Author of this article and the creator of “Free Articles On Diseases: How To Prevent and Cure Them”. Want more information Please visit us at our websites@Diabetes & Cancer Secrets OR Go To Heart Disease & Obesity Secrets. You have full permission to reprint this article provided this box is kept unchanged.