Menopause can affect women who are entering the infertile stages of their lives. The decrease in sex hormones within a female’s body brings on this occurrence and is a regular process in the life cycle. Usually it affects women between the ages of 40 and 50 but it can occur earlier and even during childhood in very rare cases. When this process occurs a woman will stop going through her usual menstrual cycle and will become unable to achieve pregnancy. In some cases menopause can be brought on in unnatural ways to due invasive surgery or other abnormal factors.
While the main side affect is the inability to produce children there are also a number of according symptoms that can prove to be very unpleasant. Some of these symptoms are known to be host flashes and extreme dryness within the vagina which can make sex very unpleasant and uncomfortable. This can lead to a drastically reduced sex drive and a risk for women to contract brittle bone disease. In many cases doctors advise women to deal with the symptoms as best they can on their own in order to not deal with the side effects that can be brought on by menopause medication. It is only in serious cases that doctors will willingly subscribe to hormonal therapy.
A common treatment for menopause is hormone replacement therapy. This therapy can reduce the effects of the side effects and make the whole process a lot more bearable. The main hormone used is estrogen but that alone can lead to an increase in the risk of contracting cancer. So in most cases oestrogen is given in doses along with progesterone to decrease the likelihood of a patient developing cancer. Even though the drug treatment can help it can also lead to other symptoms such as headaches and mood swings.
While it is more common for menopause to occur in middle aged women it can affect young girls in some cases. This can be due to growth hormone issues and is referred to as premature menopause. This is much more serious than normal menopause and needs to be treated right away to avoid further complications. In some cases when premature menopause is dedicated a woman can choose to freeze her eggs so that she still has the ability to produce children later on in life. This new technology is going a long way to reduce the misery that can be inflicted due to premature menopause.
Premature menopause is usually a man made problem and can come about when ovaries are removed or manipulated through surgery or as a side effect to other drug treatments such as chemotherapy. If a woman has gone through chemotherapy before or other serious drug treatments then they are often denied the use of hormone treatment to combat menopause. In these situations the patient has to deal with the symptoms in a natural way and can only be prescribed painkilling medication.
© Insider Health
While the main side affect is the inability to produce children there are also a number of according symptoms that can prove to be very unpleasant. Some of these symptoms are known to be host flashes and extreme dryness within the vagina which can make sex very unpleasant and uncomfortable. This can lead to a drastically reduced sex drive and a risk for women to contract brittle bone disease. In many cases doctors advise women to deal with the symptoms as best they can on their own in order to not deal with the side effects that can be brought on by menopause medication. It is only in serious cases that doctors will willingly subscribe to hormonal therapy.
A common treatment for menopause is hormone replacement therapy. This therapy can reduce the effects of the side effects and make the whole process a lot more bearable. The main hormone used is estrogen but that alone can lead to an increase in the risk of contracting cancer. So in most cases oestrogen is given in doses along with progesterone to decrease the likelihood of a patient developing cancer. Even though the drug treatment can help it can also lead to other symptoms such as headaches and mood swings.
While it is more common for menopause to occur in middle aged women it can affect young girls in some cases. This can be due to growth hormone issues and is referred to as premature menopause. This is much more serious than normal menopause and needs to be treated right away to avoid further complications. In some cases when premature menopause is dedicated a woman can choose to freeze her eggs so that she still has the ability to produce children later on in life. This new technology is going a long way to reduce the misery that can be inflicted due to premature menopause.
Premature menopause is usually a man made problem and can come about when ovaries are removed or manipulated through surgery or as a side effect to other drug treatments such as chemotherapy. If a woman has gone through chemotherapy before or other serious drug treatments then they are often denied the use of hormone treatment to combat menopause. In these situations the patient has to deal with the symptoms in a natural way and can only be prescribed painkilling medication.
© Insider Health
