Menopause - Factors relating to Stress and Therapies

Menopause - Factors relating to Stress and Therapies:

Menopause - An Introduction:

It is a known fact that a woman undergoes a menopause or a certain "change" at some point of time in her life. The transformation from a reproductive stage to a non-reproductive stage signifies menopause and how to tackle menopause and its symptoms are of immediate concern to women going through this phase.


Symptoms:

The symptoms generally differ from woman to woman. The common menopause symptoms generally comprise of hot flashes, mood swings, vaginal dryness, fatigue, hair and skin changes, menopause weight gain, etc. as this menopause is different for each woman. Osteoporosis and vascular and heart disease are the long term illnesses that occur during a menopause.

The alteration in the reproductive life involves the occurrence of menstrual cycles that are shorter or longer than customary menstrual cycles, which results from the noteworthy vacillations of the secretion of ovarian hormones during this time of the transition to menopause or perimenopause. This transition can be seen as early as late thirties or early forties but, usually at the age of 47.5. Variation can be seen from woman to woman.


Effects:

"How long does this menopause last if I have to undergo this phase?" - Many women must have definitely asked this question to themselves. Menopause usually lasts for about an average of 4 to 8 years. Before they reach the stage of menopause, women will experience a number of emotional and physical changes for a number of years. The period from the last menstrual cycle and the twelve months after this last period is the time when menopause occurs. This occurs usually at the age of about 51 years.

Menopause symptoms are due to the variations in the hormones and the unevenness in the body and the time-span it generally lasts varies from woman to woman. About 10% of the women who go through this change are affected by mood swings. Radical changes in mood over a very short period of time such as laughing at one moment then, crying or yelling the next moment and then, falling into a state of depression or despair the very next moment are generally the traits of these mood swings. Many women these days look for resolutions from conventional medicine however, more and more women are looking to natural remedies for these mood swings.

Without having some transition in their menstrual cycle, less than 10% of women definitely submit themselves to menopause. The blood flow may become lighter or heavier despite periods being shorter or longer than usual. Birth control is usually recommended to cause periods to become more regular.


Hot Flashes:

The hot flashes faced by women during this period are one of the most strenuous symptoms. During the pre-menopausal stages of perimenopause or after the woman has had her last menstruation that is when a woman experiences this condition. Women usually tend to feel tense, agitated, anxious and unsettled as well as have heart palpitations when this hot flash starts to take toll. The worst is generally during the first year following the last menstrual cycle in the case of these hot flashes. Physical transitions caused by hot flashes such as skin turning red or pink can be seen as well as constant sweating. Some women may feel chills soon after the hot flash as the severity varies from calm to very harsh. A majority of women experience these hot flashes at night which may possibly lead to insomnia whereas some other women experience sleeplessness even without undergoing these hot flashes. Most women will sleep for a few hours, wake up and not be able to go back to sleep. There are some women who experience difficulty in concentrating. Short term memory loss during this transition due to lower estrogen level may be the reason according to some while others think it is all related to the aging process.


Ways to alleviate Menopause:

This transition definitely affects women very differently and is indeed very strenuous and stressful. Some women many show mild symptoms of menopause while others may show all relevant signs. Women should find ways to lessen their symptoms and have the benefit of a full and productive life during and after menopause.

Many women are looking for natural remedies to lessen menopausal symptoms and make the transition easier to deal with, despite the availability of traditional medicines offering many resolutions. But, it should be noted that women should consult their physician before undertaking natural remedies for menopausal symptoms.


Causes of Stress in Women:

A vast majority of women experience stress these days. Difficulty at work, job change, relationship problems, loneliness, and lack of support, deadlines, financial problems, and death of a loved one, divorce, health problems, physical abuse, and mental abuse - all these factors can be contributed for stress in a woman. Another cause of stress in women is the everyday chore of balancing work and taking care of her family. Women display different signs and symptoms when they undergo stress.

You may wonder what those top symptoms of stress in women are.


Symptoms of stress in women:

The behavior of a woman changes when she undergoes stress. Overeating or eating less, over sleeping or sleeping less, postponing of assignments, isolating one's self, increased use of alcohol and cigarettes, drug use, cynicism and bitterness are some of the examples of behavioral symptoms of stress in women. Irritability, followed by anger, mood swings, and weeping are said to be some of the most common behavioral symptoms in women. Women under stress also display constant worrying.

Physical symptoms of stress can also be seen in women. Headaches or tension headaches are caused by stress. Another common stress symptom among women is insomnia. A woman will not be able to sleep properly if she experiences too much stress. Backache or stomach cramps, irregular menstrual cycle, stomach ulcers, high blood pressure, diarrhea, constipation, breathing difficulty, tightness of chest, and loss of sex drive are some of the other symptoms also some of the symptoms.

Cognitive symptom of stress in women is another symptom. Problems associated with this symptom are lack of concentration, memory lapse, misjudgment, indecisiveness, negative thinking, forgetfulness, racing or anxious thoughts, and constant worrying.

Moodiness, short temper, irritability, agitation, feeling overwhelmed, isolation and loneliness, anger, poor self-esteem, suspiciousness, guilt, loss of motivation, depression, and unhappiness are considered as emotional symptoms of stress.

Women undergoing these symptoms could fall prey to other diseases and sometimes even death. For instance, suicide could arise due to depression which in turn is caused by stress. Excessive use of alcohol and cigarettes for leisure can lead to addiction. Anti-anxiety drugs could also lead to obsession. If not looked into early, stress can have severe effects on a woman's well being.


Stress can be tackled:

An accurate diagnosis is needed for women to tackle these stress related symptoms. You need to make regular visits to your physician in order for you to achieve this. You need to learn stress respite procedures in order to diminish or eradicate stress.

However, the most imperative thing to note down is to learn to deal with stressful circumstances. To relieve stress, there are many solutions at your disposal. Some of these are even easy to do. They include exercising, playing games, doing yoga, listening to relaxing music, positive visualizations, time management, getting organized, and many others.

Do not let stress ruin your life. Learn to deal with it.


Estrogen Replacement Therapy - For women showing Menopause symptoms:

In the last one year alone, more women, almost 51 percent, than men have died of cardiovascular disease. Estrogen replacement therapy ought to be taken into consideration for the deterrence of the menopause disease in high-risk patients.

Let us consider that at age 50 (generally a woman's normal age for menopause), a woman's bone mineral density is 100 percent. The woman will be able to keep bone mineral density at an accessible point as long as she is taking estrogen, using a substitute.

At least for the two decades after menopause, there is no need to take estrogen for the remainder of her life. The risk level of menopause can be analyzed by the conduction of a physical exam, a medical history and a thorough study of bone/mineral density of the spine and the hip region. To avert osteoporosis, medium- or low-risk women need not take estrogen.

There is no need of estrogen in the case of people who don't smoke, have no family history and maintain a regular and healthy exercise. To review a woman's family risk and lifestyle risk for the two medical troubles, risk factor tables also can be used.


Menopause - Tackled:

For women approaching menopause, this question will seem relevant - "Should I take estrogen? What are the benefits? What are the risks involved in menopause? How can I make the right decision?" The following reasons ought to be taken into account for estrogen replacement therapy.

Respite from premature symptoms such as hot flashes, vaginal dryness, mild bladder problems, bad temper and mood swings should be considered as first and foremost priority. These symptoms will be mild but, infuriating for 75 percent of the people.

Much more severe medical troubles of osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease must be considered as the second priority. They materialize to be stoutly related to menopause even though these conditions crop up later. Significant mortality rates can be seen in both cases. Estrogen is believed to contain a defensive effect on a woman's cardiovascular system. Cardiovascular disease is considered as the No. 1 cause of death for women in many countries.

We cannot make changes to amend our genetic record. But, we can make transformations in our lifestyle that will augment our future. If a woman is well-informed about estrogen therapy replacement, she will be able to assume, comprehend and value the course of therapy.

The advantage of estrogen replacement therapy overshadowing the probable amplified threat of uterine and breast cancer has been agreed upon by most scientists.
Optimizing the well-being of each woman for the next 40 years must be the though of every woman. This can be mutually done amid a woman and her physician.