Every month, your menstrual cycle burdens you with cramps, bloating, and whatnot. While it’s a natural process, sometimes you wish you didn’t have to go through it every month. After a certain age, you no longer menstruate, and the medical term for it is called menopause. Scroll through this article to learn about menopause symptoms, age, and more.
What Is Menopause?
Menopause is described as the time when a woman passes 12 consecutive months without menstruating. As the female body starts reaching the end of its reproductive years, several hormonal changes contribute to menopause. Every woman faces unique consequences while undergoing menopausal transition.
Stages of Menopause
The menopausal transition is gradu
al and occurs in three stages:
Perimenopause
The perimenopause stage usually begins 8 to 10 years before your last period. During this stage, the ovaries gradually start producing less estrogen. Typically beginning in the 40s, the perimenopause stage continues till menopause.
The amount of estrogen production reduces significantly during the last two years of perimenopause. Several menopause symptoms start showing up at the perimenopause stage. But since you still get your period during this stage, you can still conceive.
Menopause
At this stage, a woman stops getting her menstrual periods. By the time a woman reaches the menopausal stage, the ovaries stop producing most of the estrogen. The ovaries also stop releasing eggs at this point.
Postmenopause
This stage basically describes the rest of your life after menopause. Usually, menopausal symptoms like hot flashes will get better. But some women continue to experience the symptoms even after a decade or an even longer period after menopausal transition. Due to the low estrogen level, women in the postmenopause phase are at a high risk of health conditions like heart disease and osteoporosis.
Normal Age for Menopause
The typical menopause age for women all over the globe is around 45 to 55 years. Women can experience the effects of menopausal transition for up to 7 years or even longer. The women’s menopause age is influenced by a wide range of lifestyle factors.
For instance, women who smoke will get their menopause earlier than those who don’t. Stress is another factor that largely influences the menopause age. Women with extreme stress often experience the signs of menopause at 40.
In some cases, women also experience late-onset menopause. A few reasons behind delayed menopause include obesity and thyroid disorders. Late pregnancy can also cause delayed menopause.
Signs or Symptoms of Menopause
Some of the prominent signs of menopause visible in women are as follows:
Changes in the Menstrual Cycle
Usually, a primary sign of menopause is changes in your menstrual cycle. You might notice irregularity in your periods. The duration and intensity of bleeding during your cycles will either increase or decrease.
Hot Flashes
Hot flashes are one of the signs of early menopause and can last for many years. The changing levels of estrogen in the body are highly likely to cause a sudden feeling of heat in the upper part of the body. At times, hot flashes are so intense that they wake you up in the middle of the night. Usually, hot flashes last for 30 seconds to 10 minutes and can occur multiple times in a day.
Sleeping Trouble
Sleeping issues are a major concern among women nearing menopause. Facing challenges in falling asleep or waking up too early are also symptoms of menopause. Women also experience night sweats that wake them up, and they find it extremely challenging to fall back asleep.
Mood Changes
Feeling moody or irritable frequently can be one of the major early menopause symptoms. Mood fluctuations during menopause can be a result of stress, a history of depression, or a feeling of exhaustion.
Loss of Bladder Control
Once a woman starts nearing menopause, she loses bladder control. Moreover, urinary tract infections become highly common around the time of menopause.
Vaginal Dryness
A woman nearing menopause is highly likely to experience vaginal dryness. It can make sexual intercourse really uncomfortable and even painful.
Change in feelings about sexual activities: Menopause can make you less or more interested in sexual activities. But the risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases remains even after menopause.
Multiple Physical Changes
Menopause can cause several physical changes in your body. For instance, it can make you gain fat and lose muscle. On the other hand, menopause might also cause you to lose weight.
Memory problems and difficulty in focusing on something are also commonly associated with menopause. Additionally, women start experiencing stiffy and achy joints and muscles during menopause.
Some women also experience symptoms like aches and pains in the whole body. Heart palpitations, dry skin, dry mouth, and dry eyes are also linked to menopause. Additionally, breast tenderness and hair thinning or loss can be some symptoms of menopause.
Why Does Menopause Happen?
Menopause is usually a natural cause of aging. It is the medical term for a woman going one year without menstruating. After menopause, a woman never gets her period again.
At times, surgery, birth control pills, or radiation can temporarily prevent a woman from menstruating. That’s not what can be described as menopause.
The reproductive cycle starts functioning continuously once a woman hits puberty. But the reproductive cycle starts slowing down and begins to stop with growing age.
With menopause knocking at the door, the ovaries reduce their production of the estrogen hormone. Due to this reduction in estrogen levels, your menstrual cycle will undergo a lot of changes. It will stop being regular and eventually come to a halt.
As your body starts adjusting to the varying levels of hormones, several physical changes show up. All menopause symptoms are a result of the body trying to adjust to the different levels of hormones.
How Is Menopause Diagnosed?
Women usually understand that they are experiencing menopause due to symptoms like hot flashes. A woman rarely needs to seek medical consultation during menopause. But if you go to a doctor while experiencing menopause symptoms, they will ask you to get some diagnostic tests done. A few tests that will help confirm that you are experiencing menopause are as follows:
- The PicoAMH Elisa test is often used to determine whether a woman is experiencing menopause.
- Over-the-counter urine tests and saliva tests are also useful for determining whether a woman is experiencing menopause.
- Blood tests to measure levels of estradiol and FSH are also used to diagnose menopause. Consistent blood levels of 30 mIU/mL or higher in a woman who hasn’t menstruated for a year usually confirm menopause.
Your healthcare professional might also recommend some other tests depending on your menopause symptoms and overall health history. These additional tests help determine whether the symptoms are due to some other underlying health conditions. The prescribed tests usually include the following:
- Liver function tests
- Thyroid function tests
- Blood lipid profile
- Kidney function tests
- Some hormone tests
Don’t stay away from seeking medical attention if your menopause symptoms are preventing you from performing your day-to-day activities.
Can Menopause Be Treated?
Menopause is a natural biological process affecting every woman at a certain age. Therefore, you don’t need treatment for menopause. But you might need to seek treatment to handle certain menopause signs and symptoms.
Usually, the treatments required are as follows:
- Hormonal treatments for tackling hot flashes and other symptoms
- Any menopause medication or supplement to prevent osteoporosis
- Lubricants for vaginal dryness
At times, women start experiencing symptoms like hot flashes, sleeping trouble, and bone loss during perimenopause. Healthcare professionals often recommend perimenopause supplements to tackle these issues.
Does Menopause Cause Weight Gain?
Increasing weight can be one of the side effects of menopause. The weight gain after menopause is primarily evident around the abdomen area. The declining estrogen levels and loss of muscle tissue due to increasing age can be largely attributed to weight gain after menopause. Food habits and an inactive lifestyle can also lead to weight gain after menopause.
Premature Menopause
Premature menopause marks the end of menstrual cycles before age 40. Usually, women start experiencing premature menopause symptoms because of the following reasons:
- Radiation therapy or chemotherapy to treat cancer
- Hysterectomy (surgical removal of the uterus)
- Surgical removal of the ovaries
- Chromosomal abnormalities like Turner’s syndrome or Fragile X
- Chronic fatigue syndrome or myalgic encephalomyelitis
- AIDS or HIV
- Autoimmune diseases like thyroid, Crohn’s disease, or rheumatoid arthritis
- Family history of early menopause
- Smoking cigarettes
- Getting the first period before the age of 11
- Mumps and similar infections
In a majority of cases, no particular cause exists behind premature menopause.
What Are 4 Foods to Manage Menopause?
A proper diet is necessary to manage menopause symptoms. The top four food items that a menopausal woman must have in her diet are as follows:
Yoghurt
Yoghurt is a probiotic with active cultures to improve your gut health. It helps with the better absorption of calcium and magnesium in the colon. The rich source of protein also contains calcium to support bone health. Since most menopausal women experience osteoporosis, foods to improve bone health are necessary. Moreover, incorporating the right amount of yoghurt and other dairy-based products in the diet can help menopausal women with sleeping issues.
Nuts
Nuts like pistachios, almonds, and walnuts are packed with healthy fats and plant-based proteins. Moreover, nuts can offer the right amount of fiber and antioxidants to postmenopausal women. These healthy snacks can satiate hunger pangs and help with weight management. While every nut offers a different benefit, walnuts are highly beneficial for women during this time. Women who consume walnuts regularly after menopause have a minimized risk of heart disease and depression.
Quinoa
All whole grains are ideal for women undergoing menopause. But quinoa is more beneficial because it contains protein, fiber, magnesium, and vitamin B. Moreover, the gluten-free grain comes with higher nutritional values than most other grains. The fiber and protein in quinoa can also give you a feeling of fullness for a prolonged period.
Lean Protein
If you want to prevent weight gain after menopause, incorporate more lean proteins into your diet. Fish, chicken, legumes, and beans are all fantastic sources of lean protein. With a high lean protein consumption, you will remain for a long time. It will help control your urge to overeat and reduce the risk of weight gain.
Final Words
Menopause is natural in women as they begin to age. As the female body starts coping with hormonal changes during menopause, several symptoms start showing up. Combining a balanced diet with physical activities can help manage most of the symptoms of menopause. But if menopausal symptoms are affecting your quality of life, don’t refrain from seeking medical attention.
FAQs
A woman stands the chance to get pregnant during the perimenopause stage. At this stage, the ovaries continue to produce eggs, which means that the woman continues to menstruate. But after a woman stops menstruating, it is not possible for her to get pregnant naturally.
Some long-term health risks associated with menopause are as follows:
- Cardiovascular diseases: Declining estrogen levels in the body increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
- Osteoporosis: The first few years after menopause lead to a rapid loss of bone density. It can increase the risk of osteoporosis. Therefore, postmenopausal women are highly susceptible to spine, hip, and wrist fractures.
- Weight gain: Since metabolism slows down after menopause, women are highly likely to gain weight. Therefore, proper exercise and diet remain necessary after menopause.
- Urinary incontinence: Menopause causes the tissues in your urethra and vagina to lose elasticity. Therefore, women get stronger, sudden, and more frequent urges to urinate. It can be followed by involuntary urination or loss of urine with cough or laughter. Urinary tract infections are also a frequent occurrence after menopause.
- Decreased libido: Decreased sensation after menopause reduces the desire for sexual activities. Vaginal dryness is also a common issue due to decreasing moisture production. Moreover, the loss of elasticity might trigger slight bleeding and discomfort during sexual intercourse.
Insomnia is often a common symptom of menopause, which prevents women from getting enough sleep. Therefore, menopause is often associated with having trouble falling asleep. Even if you fall asleep, you are likely to wake up frequently. Sleep disturbances during menopause primarily occur due to hot flashes or night sweats.
If you want to get pregnant after going through menopause, you will have to rely on fertility treatments. IVF is a reliable method to get pregnant after undergoing menopause.
As a woman nears menopause, the body stops producing adequate levels of estrogen. But the body continues to secrete the same amount of testosterone. This hormonal imbalance can trigger several characteristics commonly found in males. Therefore, facial hair growth during menopause is not something uncommon. Medications to balance your hormonal levels can help cure the issue of facial hair growth during menopause.
Severe mood changes are often one of the side effects of menopause. Therefore, menopause can be associated with a high risk of depression. But usually, depression caused by menopause gets better after two to four years of a woman’s last period. Several treatment options are available to tackle mood disorders and stress levels associated with menopause.
Menopause is not any disorder that needs to be cured. It is natural and happens to every woman at a certain age. But treatment options are available to alleviate the symptoms of menopause to help women live healthy lives. For instance, some women need to undergo hormone therapy to get relief from menopause symptoms like hot flashes.
Since menopause is a natural process, it cannot be avoided for life. But maintaining a healthy weight, consuming a nutrient-rich diet, and balancing stress can help avoid premature menopause. Moreover, proper diet, sleep, and exercise can help women enjoy an active and healthy lifestyle in their menopausal and postmenopausal years.
Menopause means your ovaries can no longer release eggs. Therefore, getting pregnant naturally after menopause is impossible. But fertility treatments like IVF can help women get pregnant after menopause. Even in the case of IVF, your ovaries won’t be able to release eggs after menopause. In that case, women who get pregnant after menopause need to get donor eggs. Women who have frozen their eggs in the past can use them after menopause to get pregnant through IVF.
Lemon water is a great natural medication for menopause symptoms like hot flashes. The bioactive compounds in lemon water can also protect your heart and blood vessels from the side effects of menopause.