Articles on Menopause | Topics: menopause, menopausal
by Zera Navarro
Every woman is born with a set number of eggs in her ovaries. After puberty, these eggs start to mature, one at a time. When an egg matures, the cells in the ovary surrounding the egg start to produce hormones. Eventually the mature egg leaves the ovary and either gets fertilized to become an embryo or passes out of the body with the menstrual flow. The maturation of each of the eggs in the ovary causes the cyclical production of the hormones estrogen and progesterone that determine the menstrual cycle. As time goes by, the supply of eggs starts to dwindle. As the number of eggs gets lower, the cycles begin to get more erratic, becoming closer together or further apart. When the egg supply has been exhausted, the ovaries stop making estrogen and progesterone, and the menstrual cycles stop altogether. After a full year without menstruation, women are officially said to be in menopause.
Unfortunately, many women experience uncomfortable symptoms as a result of the changes in hormone levels. One theory of how hot flashes occurs is that the body's temperature set point, basically the thermostat setting at which the body maintains its temperature, drops temporarily. When this happens, the body thinks it needs to cool itself off. It does this by dilating all of the blood vessels in the skin, which causes flushing and drenching sweat. When the set point goes back to normal, the body feels cold, which leads to chills and shivering. Researchers believe that drops in estrogen levels cause these hot flashes, and they do tend to go away shortly after menopause as the body readjusts to its new hormonal balance.
Menopause is a normal stage of life experienced by women all over the world. It occurs typically between the ages of 40 and 60 years when the ovaries stop producing the hormones estrogen and progesterone, which are responsible for the monthly menstrual cycles. When the ovaries stop making these hormones, the menstrual cycles stop as well.
Unfortunately, for many women, the drop in hormone production can cause uncomfortable side effects, such as hot flashes and vaginal dryness. The good news is that simple dietary changes may reduce some of these menopausal symptoms. Eat more:
Cold water fish such as salmon, tuna, herring, mackerel and halibut for their beneficial omega 3 fatty acids
Flaxseeds
Soy foods
Legumes
Whole grains and seeds
Sea vegetables
Wild yams
Avoid spicy foods.
Description
Dietary Causes
Nutrient Needs
| Quote of the Day |
The menopause is probably the least glamorous topic imaginable; and this is interesting, because it is one of the very few topics to which cling some shreds and remnants of taboo. A serious mention of menopause is usually met with uneasy silence; a sneering reference to it is usually met with relieved sniggers. Both the silence and the sniggering are pretty sure indications of taboo.
| —Ursula K. Le Guin (b. 1929) |
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Nutrient Excesses
Recommended Diet
There are plenty of symptoms that go along with menopause and every woman will have her own unique set. Hot flashes, or "power surges" as some women call them, can occur at any time of the day and typically last for 3-5 minutes. For some women, however, they can last for 30 minutes or more. Most women experience hot flashes for 6 months to 2 years, but some may experience them for much longer. Symptoms of hot flashes may include some or all of the following:
A feeling of extreme warmth
Sweating that is sudden and may be drenching
Fatigue
Irritability
Headaches
Joint pain
Interruptions in sleep or night sweats
A feeling of extreme cold and shivering may follow hot flashes. Vaginal dryness, which may lead to pain during intercourse, is another symptom of menopause that some women experience. Hot flashes and other symptoms that may occur during the menopausal period are often treated with hormone replacement therapy, or HRT. HRT adds back in the estrogen and sometimes the progesterone that the body no longer makes. Premarin, the most common form, is taken from the urine of pregnant horses. HRT has long been believed to reduce the risk of osteoporosis and heart disease in post-menopausal women. Recently, however, studies have reported that HRT may not help prevent these conditions after all. In addition, the use of HRT may increase the risk of uterine and breast cancer. Common side effects of HRT include breast pain, vaginal bleeding, nausea, leg cramps, and an increased risk of blood clots, which can lead to stroke or heart attack. Given all this, it may be best for many women to seek alternative treatments for hot flashes. With the right help many women can experience a symptom free menopause.
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