Menopause is the moment when the life of an adult woman takes a turn, as she stops menstruating and enters the vital stage known as climacteric.
Generally, this situation occurs between the ages of 48 and 54, with 51.4 being the average age at which women experience this change. Ninety percent of women go through this stage.
During menopause, women begin to experience a progressive loss of their ovarian function and consequently of female hormones, estrogen and progesterone, which in turn produce various very annoying symptoms.
What symptoms are experienced in menopause?
– Insomnia and hot flashes
These are the most characteristic and well-known symptoms of menopause. Hot flashes are caused by a sudden anxiety, accompanied by a feeling of incessant heat that causes an increase in blood flow and sweating. However, they can be easily solved by means of the treatment indicated by the gynecological specialist. As for insomnia, the episodes usually coincide with hot flashes, so we could say that they go hand in hand.
– Irregular menstrual cycles
Irregular cycles are usually the first warning sign of menopause. However, this symptom occurs several years before entering menopause, so they would be part of premenopause.
– Weight changes
Women tend to increase their body fat levels during menopause due to metabolic changes. In addition, if the person leads a sedentary life, this process is accelerated. However, it does not always result in weight gain, since in some cases it only focuses accumulations of fat where there was none before. Finally, it is also worth considering the risk of cardiovascular disease or diabetes that this could entail, in addition to the purely aesthetic factor.
– Decalcification
From the age of 40 onwards, the amount of bone mass we have gradually decreases due to decalcification. In women, this is increased due to the loss of female hormones, since these act as a protective barrier. For this reason, elderly women suffer bone fractures very easily. This should be treated early and with the appropriate treatment to prevent the onset of osteoporosis.
– Changes in sexuality
The lack of estrogen produces vaginal dryness, discomfort, itching, burning that can reach the urinary bladder, causing repeated infections and favoring urinary incontinence.
In addition, many women at menopause experience a decrease in libido, receptivity and sexual response. All these changes have also been related to the lack of hormones, characteristic of menopause. And it is very important to discuss this in the gynecological consultation. Sometimes we think that all this that happens to us is normal and we do not say anything. Even if the gynecologist asks us, we say that we have the “normal” dryness of this time, and the “normal” pain when having sex.
Nothing could be further from desirable. There are multiple treatments to improve the lives of women with menopausal symptoms. Gynecologists specializing in menopause assess together with the woman what treatment may suit her best. For local discomfort, local treatments can be administered. And not only with creams. For some years we have been trained in techniques that other specialties have been using for years.
The fractional laser, which applied in gynecology ostensibly improves vaginal dryness, pain with intercourse, laxity and mild urinary incontinence. The infiltration of hyaluronic acid, which moisturizes and volumizes the vulvar area. The Platelet Rich Plasma, which generates new tissue in the area where it is infiltrated, carboxytherapy … and every day new techniques are being incorporated into our specialty.
If a hormone replacement treatment is necessary, it is currently available with natural products similar to those produced by our body. They can be administered vaginally or injected under the skin where they will last for several months (pellets). With this treatment, women regain their libido, the vital energy they had before menopause and hot flashes disappear.
Cardiovascular care
The state of the cardiovascular system is one of the most important aspects of women’s health and life expectancy in the postmenopausal period.
Estrogens act as protectors against possible cardiovascular diseases, acting on the maintenance of vascular flow, developing a vasodilator action and controlling the levels of, for example, total cholesterol or triglycerides. We should not forget that risk factors linked to lifestyle habits such as smoking, a sedentary lifestyle, obesity or stress also play a very important role in the appearance of cardiovascular complications.
Recommendations during menopause
The correct functioning of the endocrine system is vital for health and well-being. The resulting hormonal balance is imperative for the body to perform its functions correctly.
Undoubtedly, living with low hormone levels, as occurs during menopause, destroys that balance and is the cause of the physical, emotional and mental deterioration of aging, along with the chronic diseases that accompany it. The key is hormonal balance. And at this stage, in addition to the usual recommendations -healthy diet, moderate physical exercise, adequate intake of calcium and vitamins, no tobacco, alcohol or drugs-, we seek to restore that balance with hormonal treatments that are similar to the hormones that our body produces. Therefore, if you have discomfort since your period has gone, or since the previous months, seek a doctor specializing in menopause, who can indicate a treatment so that at this stage of life we maintain the quality standards we had so far.