Posts Tagged ‘Menopause treatment’

The Impact of Menopause on Existing Chronic Illnesses Such As Diabetes

Monday, July 6th, 2009

The stage of menopause in every woman’s life is a different experience for each one. Even with the same characteristic of having one’s estrogen levels lower and coupled with the cessation of reproductive processes, each individual who undergoes this has a different story to remember and probably tell on how they cope up with it. Many factors come into play with this, among which are perceptions, internal factors, environment, body coping mechanisms, and even both acute and chronic illnesses.

In A Nutshell

When a woman undergoes menopause, the different body systems, as well as the altered feedback mechanisms go through an overhaul as it tries to compensate for the loss of estrogen. The body tries to achieve homeostasis even with something lacking. In the event that there are other internal factors that further complicate things such as an existing sickness or a chronic illness, the imbalance within may further develop and worsen the current health state of the person.

When Diabetes Is Present

Diabetes is a chronic illness common to many people. It may be developed such as Type II diabetes or acquired during fetal development such as Type I diabetes. Both types have one thing in common: that the body is unable to produce enough insulin effect to synthesize the existing sugar in the blood, which therefore increases the overall amount flowing through the body systems.

What To Expect

Menopause and diabetes may work hand in hand in amplifying the negative effects currently present. For one, changes in blood sugar level may be more evident and fluctuating. Since estrogen and progesterone affects the way cells react to insulin, any fluctuations in the levels of the former would also directly affect the way blood sugar is synthesized. A woman having both health statuses may experience abrupt fluctuations.

Infections are also expected to rise because of the added fact that bacteria and yeast are able to invade and enter the vaginal area more easily as there is a decrease in estrogen which protects it from them in the first place. Having diabetes complicates things further by lessening the immune system’s responses to such attacks.

Another thing to consider is having sleeping problems. As this is evident to many women having post menopausal symptoms, the much needed sleep may aggravate the blood sugar regulation as people who lack sleep have a harder time managing their sugar levels.

No Easy Way But Strict Monitoring

These may have to be part of some women for a lifetime and there is no way out. However, those who are about to be in this situation, as well as those who are already in this, it would just be wise to observe proper diet and maintain proper hydration and health practices. It may be unfortunate that therapeutic regimen would have to be administered throughout, but saving one’s self from further complications would definitely be better than not.

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Menopause at a Glance - Diagnosing and Dealing With the Situation

Monday, July 6th, 2009

Menopause is simply the condition where a woman’s fertility and function of their reproductive system comes to a total stop. There is nothing we can do about it but wait for it to happen. This is part of nature that we have no control of.

Even if the pangs attributed to this condition are unavoidable, it is possible to undergo proper diagnosis to determine its exact stage, as well as finding a solution to deal with the situation properly to lessen the burden that comes with it.

Proper Diagnosis

In most cases, it is hard to diagnose menopause considering that most of the signs and symptoms of condition can be seen when a person reaches 50 and above. Though it is quite possible to simply term it as menopausal due to the signs and symptoms cropping up within a specific age; there has always been a possibility that other causes might trigger the overt signals.

Properly diagnosing a menopausal woman is mostly done by a health care provider. There are kits available that you can use to determine whether you’re already in that stage or not. But accuracy requires in-depth blood examination to determine exact hormone levels, as well as comparing it with physical and emotional signs and symptoms. Aside from this test, women may be advised to undergo other examinations as well, such as fecal and urine test, x-ray, and the likes.

Common Signs

One way for a woman to diagnose whether they are in this condition or not is through their menstrual cycle. You should have a general idea on when your period takes place; any abnormalities to this natural cycle may be attributed to the gradual change in your reproductive system — which is the first sign of menopausal.

Other signs and symptoms that can be used to diagnose if a woman is under menopausal or not are: hot flashes, mood swings, sleeping disorders, unusual emotional and behavioral patterns, lack of sexual appetite, infertility, and so on.

Dealing With It

There are plenty ways to deal with the burden that comes with menopause. You can ask your doctor for prescribed medications or therapy to counteract hormonal imbalance, as well as some supplement to help you cope with the changes in your body.

Emotional and behavioral changes may be applied with proper mental and stress-related exercises to keep a close eye on how you react to certain situations and avoid sadness, anxiety attacks, or even depressions.

Many consider it a big help to have someone close to you to talk to when under the pangs of menopausal. Family members, friends, or even your partner can easily lend a hand to help you cope with the problem and make it easier to deal with.

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Bioidentical Hormone Therapy For Menopause

Sunday, July 5th, 2009

Hormone replacement therapy has been one of the major means of treating women suffering from signs and symptoms brought about by menopause. During this treatment, estrogen, progesterone, and a cocktail of other inactive components are injected into the woman to provide the much needed levels of hormones lost because of the physiological state of menopausal characteristics.

However, there had been times when synthetically engineered hormones have proven fatal. Even if there was the same match of estrogen per se, the preparation and synthetic ingredients to hold the hormones in its active state may have proven too dangerous to ingest in several accounts.

Make It Bioidentical

Scientists have released bioidentical hormones for therapy of hormone slumps during menopause. These bioidentical hormone preparations are standardized copies of chemical composition of those of humans. The effect therefore is a less intrusive and potential aggravating formula that delivers the intended purpose of hormone replacement. There are also come pharmaceuticals which prepare a more defined and custom bioidentical hormone formula to suit the individual’s needs.

Though there are some setbacks for custom bioidentical hormone preparations such as non approval by the FDA, or perhaps untested results, scientists and researchers are optimistic that the limitation of having a custom formula would have to be with lessening some other agents or natural ingredients used in the creation of the standard formula. This is to address the issue of some hyper reactivity and allergic risks by a few individuals to some of the components.

Forever Therapy?

Even with the theory that if the bioidentical hormone used is the same one produced and used by the body during premenopausal stage, it does not necessarily mean that the bioidentical therapy would be optimal for an indefinite time. Even naturally occurring and produced components in our bodies sometimes contribute to a wide range of complications, mood swings, anomalies, and discomforts.

Nevertheless, the use of the bioidentical composition lessens the added factors that may contribute to unexpected reactions by the body. Studies and researches have not been extended to attacking the effects of using hormones and determining how to use these HRT methods as a means of a curative agent.

So Far So Good

Not promoting or brushing aside any opinion regarding this method, it would still be wise to seek first the advices of doctors and approved physicians to order this type of drug and prescribe the correct dosage for menopause. Nevertheless, it would be so bad either to include the method of natural means such as meditation, mind setting, activity diversions, and the like. Having these alternative drugs are intended for a good purpose of helping women cope up with this stage in life and therefore should be met with positive concern rather than doubt.

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Facts About Perimenopause - How it Affects You

Friday, July 3rd, 2009

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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Changes to Expect and Do After Menopause

Monday, June 29th, 2009

Usually at the age of as early as the late 30’s to the late 50’s, women are prone to having their reproductive capabilities checked and halted with the onset of menopause. During this time, certain changes both internal and external occur both for the body and mind. Women are subjected to mood swings brought about by the fluctuating hormonal levels in the body. Coping strategies are compromised because of both lowered estrogen levels and altered feedback mechanisms.

Easier said than done, coping with it and having some tips on how to handle them may help one enjoy living through this stage in life without much complications.

Learn To Accept First

The very first thing that anyone should do is to learn to accept that having menopause occur to the self is a natural thing. Even if the normal norm for such a stimulus would be to deny then accept things, any woman has a lot of time to deny during normal reproductive days. By having to formally accept that this stage is bound to happen, the mind would be set to anticipate things associated with it such as the different signs and symptoms evident.

Being in this stage is not that difficult and worrisome as most people would say. Simply put, this stage is when the body just steps down in being a reproductive existence. The stage of productivity was during the long years of menstrual cycles. At this stage of non productivity, women should then focus more on late stage parenthood rather than on the self. It may be easier said than done, but then again, there are different ways to take the mind off these troubling thoughts.

Disengage To Engage

One of the hardest things for any woman to do during an onset of signs and symptoms of menopause is to disengage from the thought of having to deal with them. Practicing the attitude of quickly disengaging with the perceived symptoms would be good, but having something else to engage in would be better.

Diversionary tactics such as being engrossed in hobbies and anything that catches the fancy of each individual undergoing different menopausal symptom is a good and highly successful way of alleviating the current discomfort.

Practicing may take some time and may be frustrating at times. However, it would be nice to have the support of the family in helping out with this challenge, or perhaps an emotional support group of other women having the same trials to cope up with.

This stage in life is something that should not be totally dismissed and ignored during early life. Women of younger generations should find themselves fortunate enough that many studies and researches have been allocated to understanding this phenomenon, and have come up with ways on helping deal with them.

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

Monday, June 29th, 2009

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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When Menopause Strikes - Distinguishing the Signs and Symptoms

Saturday, June 27th, 2009

There are many thoughts that come into play when the term menopause is stated. Many misconceptions and errors regarding the facts supporting the whole idea of this stage in a woman’s life are being entertained as valid facts and figures. These may ultimately mislead women into the wrong way of thinking about this phenomenon, and actually may have biases prior to the actual event.

Physiological Alterations

The actual phenomenon is only considered as such after a full year of the last menstrual period. At this time, it would then be safe to determine that there has been a consistent alteration in the reproductive system in which the capability to produce and support life through conception.

There are several signs and symptoms which would indicate that the fateful day is fast approaching.

Bleeding Duration And Frequency

Probably the most common sign to look out for in an upcoming menopause is to check for the bleeding pattern of menstruation. A persistent irregularity in menstrual pattern from a previously regular interval and duration is a strong indicator that the person is on her way to being in that stage. Some bleeding patterns include episodes of excessive bleeding, bleeding between periods, and decreased bleeding output.

Hot Flashes And Chills

Another common pre emptive symptom is the mild hot flashes. Unlike the full blown hot flashes experienced once it has fully set in, these mild hot flashes are slight feelings of internal warmth originating from any part of the body, and are potentially spread to nearby body areas. Furthermore, another difference would be that the duration of such sensation occurs only from a few seconds to a few minutes as opposed to several minutes. Chills, which occur after the main episode of a full blown hot flash, are not expected to be present during the preemptive stage’s similar symptom.

Reproductive System Slowdown

Vaginal changes are becoming more and more evident as one reaches menopause. For one, the changes in hormonal levels at this stage are altered. One of the most important hormones responsible for a sound menstruation is Estrogen. Since its production is significantly lessened, the activity of the reproductive organs such as the uterus, ovaries and the vagina are allocated with less focus. This in turn would cause the uterus to shrink a bit in size, the ovaries to stop working and producing egg cells, and the vagina having a harder time producing lubrication.

There are other symptoms which may also occur such as bone loss, increased cholesterol levels, weight gain, and the popular mood changes. However, these are not directly and solely linked to this condition, and are considered to be more of lifestyle related outcomes.

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Symptoms of Menopause - Changes You Feel When Under This Condition

Saturday, June 27th, 2009

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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Benefits of Hormone Supplementation on Women in Menopause

Friday, June 26th, 2009

Women in perimenopausal stages may seek out the help and advices of doctors in preparation with the upcoming menopause. More often than not, a preemptive means of trying to address the issue of an imminent change in a woman’s life may be in the form of birth control pills. This method is usually utilized because the pills have hormones in them which may help in the overall reproductive process of a woman about to undergo menopausal syndrome. It is believed and tried that these pills help alleviate the occurrence of hot flashes, and reduces the risk of ovarian cancer and the uterus.

Encounter And Onset

As soon as the main stage occurs, women are subjected to a gradual diminishing amount of estrogen and progesterone. The real stage does not occur and may only be considered after a full year after the last known menstruation. During this stage, the reproductive cycle has totally ceased to be susceptible for production, uterine muscles shrink, and lubrication and protection for the vagina and internal areas are compromised. Any woman having this menopausal stage may experience amplified hot flashes, sleep disturbances, mood swings, and occasional discomfort.

At this time, it would be wise to seek the help of the doctor on alternative ways of trying to replace the lost hormones to achieve an optimal level for easier internal system functionality.

Hormonal Replacement Therapy

Hormone replacement therapy or HRT is an alternative solution given by doctors to women having menopause. The concept is simple in a way that estrogen and progesterone are reintroduced to the body as part of regaining the levels to what it was before. Much easier said than done, this method has met many criticisms and counter productive studies which say that this method is quite dangerous and potentially fatal.

However, much debate has been done over the past years since HRT became a known medical intervention for women of menopausal stage. There are synthetic and natural hormone replacements for estrogen and progesterone. Like any other drug, there are pros and cons.

The Benefits Of Replacement

The body is able to cope up with different stimuli and reacts in different manners. Nevertheless, it may be a good idea to consider taking HRT to lessen the complications associated with it and focus more on the other lifestyle changes to be coped up with.

During the first few years of menopause, it may be alright to use HRT to regulate the symptoms associated with it. With the sound advice and proper medication regimen, symptoms would be brought down to a minimum. However, it is advisable to slowly have HRT regimen lowered until to a complete stop until the body is able to fully cope up with all symptoms effectively.

Remember that artificial replacement of hormones is still different from the originally produced ones. Having a dependence on it may produce unexpected results or erratic body reactions if given for a very long time.

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When Menopause Starts - So Does Your Life Begin

Thursday, June 25th, 2009

Women should do well to educate themselves in menopause to know all about the signs and symptoms that come with it, as well as the discomfort and pain that is attributed to this condition. Since there is no way for you to avoid this hurdle in your life, the only way you can do is to arm yourself with the knowledge on how to live with it.

Simple Facts

Menopause starts when you reach the age between 40 and 60. The signs and symptoms are different for each individual which solely depends on how their body can adapt to these changes. This condition happens when the female reproductive system gradually slows down until it no longer functions. The process lasts for 12 months.

Women will be experiencing various signs and symptoms as they go through perimenopausal and the actual menopausal stage. Some of these symptoms can be considered as a minor irritation but sometimes can be very uncomfortable or painful. Knowing what will happen to your body during this condition will help you take the necessary steps to make it more tolerable and painless as possible.

The Changes That Comes To Your Life

Women should understand that the signs and symptoms of menopause is a one-time deal. The condition only happens once when you reach a certain age and you’re free from it forever. There will be quite a few changes to your body — physically, emotionally, and sexually; and knowing in advance these changes will help you cope with the stress that comes with it.

The hormonal imbalance that comes with the gradual shutdown of your reproductive systems does some abnormal changes to your body — especially on your mental and emotional capacity. Women who are under the throes of menopausal are known to suffer from memory loss and lack of concentration — far from amnesia, women become forgetful or spacing out in the middle of conversation without them knowing about it.

Emotional change is very noticeable as well. Women under this condition are prone to suffer from anxiety attacks, sudden bouts of sadness, irritability, unexplained anger, and depression. In most cases, women become a risk to themselves, as well as to those around them at this point in time.

There were instances wherein menopausal women become suicidal when they cannot explain why they are having these emotional changes and known to become violent to anyone in the vicinity.

A woman’s sexual behavior also changes when under menopause. They show less enthusiasm to the activity due to a drastic decrease in their libido and having a hard time reaching their climax during intercourse. Partners are advised to understand that this phase is temporary to avoid misunderstanding and ruining the relationship.

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