Pre Menopause
Pre menopause is also known as early menopause or perimenopause. Pre menopause is a stage before the actual menopause stage. Pre menopause refers to the stage when the estrogen levels in the women’s body begin to decline. In case of normal menopause the ability to produce estrogen is completely stopped. Some doctors say that pre menopause can last for as much as 5-15 years while some doctors maintain that pre menopause is just a period of 3 to 4 years before actual menopause takes place. Pre menopause happens to women between the age of 35 and 45 years and the symptoms of pre menopause are found to be more than menopause.
Some common symptoms of pre menopause are irregular menstrual cycles, vaginal bleeding and irritation in vagina, hot flashes and sleeplessness at night, depression and getting easily irritated, feelings of tension and doom, obesity and high sugar levels in the body. The period between consecutive menstrual cycles begins to shorten from 28-30 days to 24-26 days due to falling of estrogen levels. However in many cases the period between the periods may lengthen due to the inability to ovulate as frequently as expected.
If the symptoms persist for a long time it is advisable to consult your doctor immediately. Your doctor will examine your condition and then prescribe treatment accordingly. If the menopause has not reached the advanced stage then the doctor might recommend you to take herbal medicines or hormone replacement therapy to bring the levels of hormone in your body to the normal level. The different types of hormones in the body play an important role in making the body immune to diseases to a certain extent. The hormone balance of the body is very delicate and can be easily disrupted due to certain factors.
Pre menopause begins to occur in women in her mid thirties to late forties. The significant changes observed are that of irregular periods in which ovulation does not occur even though menstruation does occur. When the ovaries fail to release an egg the production of estrogen in the body begins to decline. As the level of estrogen begins to decline in the body, women may experience symptoms like tenderness in breast, water retention, sleep disturbance and obesity related issues. When the ovaries shut down completely the body begins to search for the much needed progesterone. Hence it is important to replace the levels of progesterone in the body.
Signs of Menopause
Menopause is said to occur in both men and women when the production of hormones like estrogen and androgen begin to decrease below normal levels. Lets us discuss the normal signs of menopause.
1 Irregular Periods – Irregular periods are the first sign in the early stages of menopause. If irregular periods continue for a long time then there are chances that the person is suffering from menopause. Periods become less and less regular and the time difference between two successive periods lengthens or shortens. Periods maybe followed by excessive bleeding for many days and spotting between periods may also happen.
2 Hot flashes – Hot flashes refer to an unusual feeling of warmth in the body even though the surrounding temperature is low. Hot flashes generally occur at night and subsequently lead to sleeping disorders. The face and the neck become flushed and red blotches may start to appear on the chest, arms and legs. Hot flashes may be mild or severe and they normally last from 30 seconds to 5 minutes.
3 Vaginal and gall bladder problems – Problems related to vagina and gall bladder begins to grow as the area near the genitals begins to thin down and get dry. Sexual desires gradually begin to decrease and the chances of infections in the vagina and the urinary tract are more.
4 Low Sex Drive – Low sex drive is also one of the most common signs of menopause. You might be having a lot of trouble getting an erection or getting sexually aroused and you may also feel uncomfortable around the vaginal area.
5 Fatigue and Sleep Disorders – You will get tired easily when you do work and also might be find that you are unable to sleep well at night. You might also find it difficult to get back to sleep once you wake up in the middle of the night.
6 Depression and mood swings – Because of the various symptoms you might feel depressed and doomed. Also due to insomnia you might feel sudden mood changes where you may throw a fit at the slightest hint.
7 Physical changes – There might be changes in your body like thickening of the waist region, loss of muscle mass and loss of stretchiness in the skin.
8 Other signs – Some people might suffer from severe headaches which occur frequently and also joints and muscle stiffness.
All the signs mentioned above may indicate the future occurrence of menopause.
Spotting after Menopause
Menopause is a part of the natural ageing process of a woman which begins between the ages of 35-45 years. The average age of women suffering from actual menopause is 50.2 years. The common symptoms of are menopause bleeding, menopause spotting and then postmenopausal bleeding. The best treatment for stopping menopause spotting and bleeding is hysterectomy. Every year about 6,00,000 hysterectomies are performed in the United States alone.
It is best to consult a doctor immediately if dark brown spots are spotted on the vagina after vaginal bleeding. The occurrence of spots on the vagina may also suggest the occurrence of uterine cancer. Hence you can visit a gynecologist after postmenopausal bleeding and spotting. The gynecologist may conduct several tests like scraping the lining of your vagina or a hysteroscopy by looking in your vagina by a device inserted into the cervix. Then there is the endometrial biopsy which involves taking a small sample without having to dilate the cervix or an ultrasound to measure the thickness of the uterus lining.
Treatments like Hormone Replacement Therapy and the use of steroids or high doses of aspirin can also lead to vaginal bleeding and menopause spotting. Consumption of strong drugs may lead to strong reactions. Also menopause spotting occurs when you are not fully through your menopause as yet. The best way to reduce menopause spotting is to treat menopause itself.
Your doctor will be your best advisor for treatment of menopause and menopause spotting. He may suggest medications or menopause supplements to be taken by you everyday. Natural herbal supplements like Black Cohosh are widely used for alleviating the symptoms of menopause like hot flashes and they have no side effects at all. On the other hand strong medications come with their own powerful side effects. Then there is the progesterone cream which you can use to bring your hormone levels at a certain mark. Multivitamin nutrients and formulas are essential for treating the symptoms of menopause spotting. These nutrients are made from hypo-allergenic ingredients for optimal absorption by the body.
Your diet can play a very important role for treating your menopause symptoms. A diet rich in soy products will be optimum for treating menopause spotting. as mentioned before it is very necessary to reduce stressful activities in your life as stress is one of the major causes of menopause. Light aerobic exercises like walking and jogging are also preferable.
Surgical Menopause
Menopause is a disorder when the ovaries of a woman stop producing an important hormone by the name of estrogen. Pre menopause is a phase in a woman in her mid thirties or early forties when the body’s capacity to produce estrogen goes on declining. As a result the symptoms experienced by women range from irregular menstrual cycles, irritation in the vagina, hot flashes at night and sleeplessness, psychological problems like depression and mood swings. The sugar levels in the body also increase and so does the blood pressure. Doctors often recommend hormone replacement therapy to replace the hormones in the body and bring to a certain level. However if the menopause has reached a later stage then there is no other way but to go for surgery.
Surgical menopause involves the removal of ovaries prior top natural menopause. Surgical menopause causes a permanent drop in the ovarian hormones, oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone. Surgical menopause may also include the removal of the uterus and this type of surgery is called hysterectomy. After the surgery the symptoms of post surgery may start immediately. Hence treatment should be given immediately to the patient after the surgery. There are about 10-20% women who have a hysterectomy but still retain their ovaries and may experience menopause slightly earlier than the average period of menopause.
Before going for menopause surgery the doctor will tell the patient to have certain medications few days before the surgery. The surgery lasts normally for half hour and the patient has to rest at the hospital for a day. The next day the patient may go home. The doctor will give a lost of medications to betaken for a few days after the surgery. These medications help to reduce the symptoms that women may face after surgery. Women who have undergone menopause surgery should be well supported emotionally by her family members and specially her spouse. This is because she has gone through a painful and an uncomfortable period in the last few months and hence the support of the family members is extremely essential.
Post menopause surgery the patient should take rest for a few days and the slowly return to her normal schedule. She has to take the medications prescribed to her regularly and on time. The patient will have no further symptoms of menopause after the menopause surgery and she can now relax.