All About Menopause

Menopause is characterized by the end of menstruation, at around 45 years of age, and is marked by symptoms such as hot flashes that suddenly appear and the sensation of chills that immediately follow.

Treatment for menopause can be done through hormone replacement under the indication of the gynecologist but it can also be done naturally with the use of herbal medicines.

What happens at menopause

What happens at menopause is that the body stops producing the hormones estrogen and progesterone, and this can generate symptoms such as absence of menstruation, hot flashes and irritability but not all women notice these symptoms, for some menopause can pass almost unnoticed being only diagnosed by the doctor through a blood test that checks the hormonal issue.

Menopause symptoms can appear from the age of 35 and tend to intensify from that age. The age of menopause varies between 40 and 52 years. When it occurs before age 40 it is called early menopause and when it occurs after age 52, late menopause.

Some changes that happen during menopause are:

• Brain: mood and memory changes, irritability, depression, anxiety, headache and migraine; Skin: increased sensitivity to heat, redness, acne and dry skin; Breasts: increased sensitivity of the breast and lumps; Joints: Decreased joint mobility, stiffness; Digestive system: Tendency to constipation; Muscles: tiredness, back pain, decreased muscle strength; Bones: Loss of bone density; Urinary system: vaginal dryness, weakening of the muscles that support the rectum, uterus and bladder, tendency to develop urinary and vaginal infections; Body fluids: fluid retention and increased blood pressure.

What can be done to reduce the discomfort of menopause is to do hormone replacement under medical guidance, but to improve the quality of life the woman can follow some guidelines such as eating properly, exercising regularly and taking care of her physical appearance.

Symptoms of menopause

If you think you may be in menopause take our online test and find out now.

Symptoms of menopause usually include:

• Irregular menstruation, until the woman is at least 12 months without menstruation; Absence of menstruation; Heat waves that suddenly appear, even if the woman is in an air-conditioned place; Cold sweat that occurs soon after this heat wave; Dryness vaginal which makes intimate contact difficult; Sudden changes in mood; Anxiety and nervousness even without apparent cause; Insomnia or difficulty sleeping; Increased weight and ease in accumulating fat in the abdomen; Osteoporosis; Depression; Tingling sensation or loss of sensation in some body part; Muscle pain; Frequent headache; Heart palpitation; Ringing in the ears.

The diagnosis of menopause is based on the symptoms that the woman reports to the doctor, but in case of doubt, the hormonal decline can be confirmed through a blood test. The severity of symptoms can be assessed by the table below:

Symptom	Light	Moderate	Serious
Heat wave	4	8	12
Paresthesia	2	4	6
Insomnia	2	4	6
Nervousness	2	4	6
Depression	1	2	3
Tiredness	1	2	3
Muscle pain	1	2	3
Headache	1	2	3
Heart palpitation	2	4	6
Ringing in the ear	1	2	3
Total	17	34	51

According to this table, menopause can be classified as:

• Mild menopause: if the sum of these values ​​is up to 19; Moderate menopause: if the sum of these values ​​is between 20 and 35Serious menopause: if the sum of these values ​​is above 35.

Depending on the discomfort the woman has, she may be able to undergo treatment to reduce these symptoms, but there are women who have little discomfort and therefore can get through this phase without medication.

In addition, although menopause usually appears around age 45, it can also appear before age 40, known as early menopause, and has similar symptoms. See what causes and symptoms of early menopause in Understand what Early Menopause is.

Treatment for menopause

Treatment for menopause can be directed to eliminate the cause or just the symptoms of menopause. Hormone replacement therapy is usually indicated by doctors and consists of taking synthetic hormones for a certain period of time. However, hormone replacement is contraindicated in case of:

• breast cancer, thrombosis or circulatory problems, history of heart attack or stroke, liver diseases like liver cirrhosis, for example.

Natural treatment for menopause

Some useful guidelines for natural treatment for menopause are:

• Take soy supplements, soy lecithin or soy isoflavone to fight hot flashes; Take a shower, put your wrists in cold running water or have a cold drink to withstand hot flashes; Consume a medicinal plant called Black Cohosh ( Cimicifuga Racemosa ) to decrease vaginal dryness, in addition to applying a lubricating gel before each intercourse; Regularly consume bearberry tea to fight urinary infections.

Drinking a cup of strong sugar-free coffee to fight headaches whenever they appear is a good option to avoid taking medications.

In addition to these options, there is the possibility for women to follow homeopathic treatment for menopause with the use of Lachesis muta, Sepia, Glonoinum, Amil nitrosum, sanguinary or Cimicifuga, under the guidance of the homeopathic doctor. Or resort to phytotherapic treatment for menopause with the use of blackberry tincture of soy isoflavone or St. John's wort (Black Cohosh), under the guidance of the herbalist doctor.

Please be advised that anyone taking hormonal medications prescribed by the doctor should not use these medications at the same time.

Remedy for menopause

Some examples of remedies for menopause are:

• Estradiol and Didrogesterone - Femoston; Estradiol valerate and cyproterone acetate - Climene; Venlafaxine - Efexor; Gabapentin - Neurotin; Natural tranquilizers such as passionflower, valerian and St. John's wort; Brisdellee.

The gynecologist will be able to indicate the most suitable remedies depending on the symptoms that the woman presents, and therefore the treatment of menopause may be different from one woman to another.

Food in menopause

Eating during menopause can also help to relieve the typical symptoms of this phase, so it is indicated:

• Increase consumption of foods rich in calcium such as milk and its derivatives, sardines and soy to help strengthen bones; Increase consumption of foods rich in vitamin E such as wheat germ oil and green leafy vegetables; Give preference to: citrus fruits, whole grains, fish. Flaxseed supplementation can be indicated to improve intestinal transit and control cholesterol. Avoid: spicy dishes, acidic foods, coffee and alcoholic beverages, foods with a high sugar and fat content, such as processed foods, in addition to fatty meats and dairy products.

After the beginning of menopause, women have a greater tendency to gain weight because the metabolism slows down and to avoid this weight gain, it is indicated to decrease the daily calorie intake, giving preference to the consumption of light foods. Food is also important to control diabetes in menopause, as it becomes more difficult to control blood sugar at this stage of life. See What to do to control Diabetes in Menopause.

Check out the video by nutritionist Tatiana Zanin to find out what to eat to relieve symptoms and feel better:

How to prevent and treat dry skin at menopause

Some useful tips to prevent and treat dry menopausal skin are:

• Moisturize your skin daily using body creams and face creams; Use liquid soap or moisturizer; Avoid sun exposure especially during the hottest times of the day; Use sunscreen whenever you leave home; Drink about 2 liters of water per day; Take a vitamin E supplement.

For the woman to find well-being in menopause in addition to circumvent the symptoms caused by the hormonal drop. She may resort to beauty treatments such as botox application, chemical peeling, facial lifting, laser treatment for varicose veins or liposuction, depending on the need.

Exercises in menopause

Regular exercise during menopause helps keep your weight under control and strengthen your bones. Some examples of exercises indicated for this phase are: aqua aerobics, yoga and Pilates as they cause less sweating and promote breathing control, which can also combat stress. To improve your mood, exercising early in the morning in the sunlight is best.

The indicated is to perform at least 30 minutes of exercises daily as this also helps to tone the muscles, thus avoiding the decrease in muscle mass and the consequent exchange for fat.

After menopause the risk of bone fractures is higher, so know when it is necessary to take calcium supplements at this stage of life.