What is menopause?

As part of the aging process, the ovaries begin to produce less estrogen and progesterone. This is a signal that the female reproductive time begins to run. Eventually, menstruation stops and a woman is unable to conceive. Normally, this transition takes place in two stages.

• Perimenopause

At this stage, women begin to experience symptoms of menopause Symptoms of menopause - when the desire is weakening in his eyes Even if they still have ovulated Ovulation - How to determine as accurately as possible?   and there are monthly. In this phase, there are hot flushes and irregular periods are, but it may take four to five years before you install the full menopause.

• Postmenopause

When is the twelve months total absence of menstruation, so the woman has reached menopause complete. The ovaries produce much less estrogen Estrogen - the key to bone health   and progesterone and no longer produce eggs, resulting in pregnancy becomes impossible.

How to diagnose

In most cases, women are adequately aware of all of your body, notice the signs of the beginning of menopause. If irregular periods and hot flashes are getting out of control, talk to your doctor to discuss their problems and to pick up some treatments to alleviate the symptoms of menopause too manifest Symptoms of menopause: forewarned is forearmed .

In some cases, doctors conducted a survey of blood. Basically they check the level of follicle-stimulating hormone and estrogen. Follicle-stimulating hormone increased, reduced estrogen in early menopause. On top of that, you can check the thyroid gland, as decreased thyroid function can cause the same symptoms as menopause.

Complications

Some chronic medical problems can develop after menopause:

• Diseases of the cardiovascular system. When the level of estrogen drops sharply increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. Heart disease - the main cause of death among women and men.
• Osteoporosis. This problem stems from the fact that the bones become more brittle and weak, thereby increasing the risk of fracture. During the first few years after menopause, you can lose bone density very quickly, putting themselves at risk for osteoporosis. Post-menopausal women are particularly susceptible to fractures in the hip, wrist and spine.

Estrogen Dominance

The typical form of hormonal imbalance - estrogen dominance syndrome. Estrogen dominance begins when the level of progesterone produced in a cycle is insufficient to balance the effects of estrogen. Symptoms include swelling of the breasts, eating disorders, heavy menstrual bleeding and growth of fibroid tumors.

Estrogen Dominance Estrogen - the key to bone health   often occurs in women in the period before menopause, and women suffering from hypothyroidism or subclinical deficiency of T3 during this period. Other potential causes of estrogen dominance - oophorectomy, tubal ligation or exposure to chemicals. In women before menopause, estrogen dominance - a common cause of PMS.

Treatment of women with PMS with antidepressants, and treatment of women with recurrent migraines migraine drugs only hides the problem of hormonal imbalance. If it works at all. Sometimes these problems are caused by lack of serotonin or irregularities, but the production of serotonin itself, due to the activity of the thyroid gland. Thyroid hormones are more base than estrogen and progesterone in the sense that it depends on the correct functioning of the ovaries from the thyroid gland. The same can be said about the proper functioning and development of the brain neurotransmitters, such as serotonin.

The mistake often made with this type of symptoms of PMS and menopause with severe mood swings Mood swings in women - bad character or a disease?   - Hang the label of "bipolar disorder" and treated with lithium. Long-term intake of lithium carries a potential risk of hypothyroidism. Instead, try adding natural progesterone, which is harmless, and if it works much better. Severe mood swings also point to the need to test for hypoglycemia and worth a try hypoglycemic diet with ingestion of protein and complex carbohydrates every three hours. Uneven development of estrogen and / or progesterone can cause a temporary hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia. (Therefore, transdermal hormone agents, such as creams or palstyri providing a uniform flow of hormones can help diabetic women during menopause).

The gradual decline in estrogen levels after ovulation and during menstruation

Another type of hormonal imbalance involves a gradual reduction in estrogen levels after ovulation and during menstruation. There are two estrogen peak and decline within two months, and even more when the cycle becomes irregular close to menopause or due to untreated hyperthyroidism or subclinical hypothyroidism. Some women are very sensitive to these downturns, which leads to recurrent migraines, anxiety, palpitations, depression Depression - a little more than a bad mood , Hot flushes. The balance can be restored by using herbs or estrogen patch for several days in the days of the month, or even daily, when approaching menopause.

Generally, treatment is hormonal imbalances are birth control pills with the so-called low dosage. This may work well for some women. But let me warn you that low dosage means "lower than before." These tablets contain still four times more hormones than tablets hormone replacement therapy for postmenopausal women. In addition, oral contraceptives contain the synthetic hormones that are not exact replica of the hormones that are produced by the body. Synthetic progestins, do not have all the beneficial effects as natural progesterone Progesterone - norm and pathology That affect mood, energy and fluid balance. In fact, a synthetic progestin birth control pills may cause more severe mood swings, fatigue and fluid retention, than they were before.

Natural hormones may be prescribed in the form of patches, creams or capsules. Progesterone creams can be purchased without a prescription.

Natural estrogen and progesterone act on the body better than synthetic analogues, especially true for women with thyroid problems. Synthetic hormones have other metabolites (degradation products), which may interfere with the metabolism that will only exacerbate the original problem. Natural hormone balancing the body and help women feel Horsch. Natural hormones enable us to comply with the physiological doses of hormone replacement therapy.