WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT MENOPAUSE

Every woman goes will go through this phase of life called Menopause, which is a completely natural phenomenon if it happens spontaneously.

The term Menopause is used for the time when periods stop. The periods before the complete stop are usually variable both in frequency and nature. They may be less frequent or more frequent. After one year of not having a period, women are said to be postmenopausal.

This condition is natural and occurs due to lack of estrogen production from the ovaries. The egg release also stops. The average age for menopause in India is 46-48 years. Natural menopause may be early (before 45 years) or premature (if before 40 years). It can happen after your ovaries have been removed for any reason.

About 8 in 10 women may have some bothering symptoms at some point of time. However, they may be very mild.

The common symptoms are hot flushes (suddenly feeling hot for no reason), cold sweats (sweating for no reason), headaches, mood swings, tiredness, and sleep disturbances, lack of sex drive or not being able to cope. There may also be variations in the periods. Most symptoms may last between 2-5 years.

Over the long term, women may notice dry skin, hair loss, and discomfort in the private parts, bony pains due to bone loss and heart problems.

It is important to have a thorough examination and some important blood tests at this time to rule out any problems which may occur at this stage. However hormone blood tests are not usually needed to confirm menopause.

Lifestyle changes such as regular sustained aerobic exercise, wearing lighter-weight clothing, sleeping in a cooler room, reducing stress and Yoga will help in reducing the symptoms to a large extent. However, if the symptoms are very severe, there are medications that can be prescribed.

Hormone replacement therapy or HRT is using oestrogen-containing pills or vaginal creams etc, to replace the lack in the body. HRT is prescribed according to your symptoms in different forms.

HRT is a safe and effective treatment for most healthy women with symptoms, who are going through the menopause at the average age. We shall discuss the same in detail during the consultation. There may be some mild side effects after starting HRT which will reduce over time. HRT is not a contraceptive and also women on HRT will need regular checks. Some women may not be suitable for HRT.

Brittle bones can be prevented by doing regular weight-bearing exercise, eating a diet that includes foods rich in calcium and vitamin D and taking dietary supplements of calcium and/or vitamin D. HRT helps in maintaining bone health.

For more information, please make an appointment with our consultants with expertise in menopause management.

Wishing you a very happy womanhood…

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