How does Menopause affect the Aging Body?

Menopause is a biological process that occurs naturally that occurs in a woman’s life when her menstrual cycle come to an end. It usually is confirmed when a woman goes 12 months without having a cycle. Menopause can occur in your 40s or 50s, but the worldwide average is 51.

Natural menopause is the permanent cessation of menstruation that does not occur as a result of any medical condition. The entire process is gradual and divided into three stages:

• Perimenopause: Perimenopause is a period of transition that can start almost a decade before menopause sets in, when your ovaries slowly lessen its release of estrogen. This less estrogen-producing stage accelerates in the last one to two years of perimenopause until it reaches menopause, when the ovaries quit producing eggs. Period skipping is typical and anticipated. Many women start to experience menopausal symptoms at this point. Menstrual cycles frequently skip a month and then return or skip many months and then restart monthly cycles for a few months. Periods often also occur in shorter cycles. Pregnancy is possible despite irregular periods; you can consider taking a pregnancy test during this time, if it has skipped a few months.

• Menopause: Menopause is the phase in a woman’s life where they no longer have menstrual cycles for almost a continuous period of 12 months. The ovaries do not produce eggs anymore and estrogen also stops being generated. This is when you should go to a healthcare practitioner and let him diagnose if menopause has set in.
• Postmenopause: This is the term used to describe the period-free period of a year (or the rest of a woman’s life following menopause). Menopausal symptoms, such as hot flashes, start to slowly improve at this time. However, some women continue to have menopausal symptoms for a decade or more, following menopause. People in the postmenopausal period are more likely to develop osteoporosis and heart disease as a result of their decreasing estrogen levels.

As you near your twilight years, the reproductive cycle slows down and eventually stops. After puberty, the menstruation cycle becomes active in all women. But as they near 50, the ovaries produce less estrogen. When this happens, their menstrual cycle begins to shift. It starts to grow erratic and then stops slowly.

Physical changes also occur when the female body adjusts to altered hormonal levels. Menopausal symptoms (perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause) are all part of your body’s response to these changes.

How long can you have menopausal symptoms?

Menopause symptoms might last up to ten years. However, most women stop showing them after five years.

The following symptoms can be seen in the months or years preceding menopause (perimenopause):

• Hiccups in periods
• Night sweats
• Vigorous mood swings
• Dryness of the vaginal cavity
• Heat Flashes
• Insomnia
• Gaining weight
• Slowing metabolism
• Hair loss and dry skin
• Decline of breast tenderness

What are hot flashes?

One of the most common symptoms of menopause are the hot flashes. Aside from the sudden sensation of heat, hot flashes can be accompanied by a red, flushed face, excessive sweating and a cool sensation after the brief hot moment passes. The severity, frequency, and duration of hot flashes range from person to person. Hot flashes usually get less acute with time.

When should you visit the doctor?

You can always frequent your gynae appointments for prevention of medical issues both throughout and after menopause. As a woman ages, the doctor usually puts them up for a number of screening tests like a colonoscopy, and mammography. Triglyceride screening  and thyroid testing are also some of the different varieties of preventative healthcare that they are asked to do as per their medical history or if they have breast and pelvic inspections.

Menopause usually has a few causes:

• Naturally diminishing reproductive hormones: As you enter your late 30s, your ovaries begin to produce less estrogen and progesterone, the chemicals that govern menstruation, and your fertility begins to diminish.
• Surgical removal of ovaries (oophorectomy). Your ovaries create hormones that regulate your periods, such as estrogen and progesterone. Menopause occurs immediately after surgery to remove your ovaries. Your periods end, and you’re more prone to suffer hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms. Because hormonal changes occur quickly rather than gradually over time, the symptoms could turn out to be severe. A hysterectomy, which removes your uterus but not your ovaries, typically does not result in quick menopause. Even if you no longer have periods, your ovaries continue to generate eggs as well as estrogen and progesterone.
• Chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Getting chemo will not lead to permanent stopping of menstruation or make you infertile, so do not skip taking your birth control. These treatments can however, trigger menopause, resulting in symptoms such as hot flashes during or immediately after treatment. Radiation treatment only has an effect on ovarian function when it is focused on the ovaries. Other regions of the body, such as breast tissue or the head and neck, will not be affected by radiation therapy.
• Primary ovarian insufficiency. Premature menopause affects about 1% of women before the age of 40. It can be caused by your ovaries’ inability to generate normal amounts of reproductive hormones, which is most likely a result of hereditary causes or an autoimmune condition. However, in many cases, no reason for early menopause can be identified. Hormone treatment is often suggested for these women until the natural age of menopause in order to safeguard the brain, heart, and bones.

Complications

Menopause can lead you to fall under risk of certain medical conditions.

 Examples:

• Heart and blood vessel (cardiovascular) disease. Your risk of cardiovascular disease rises when your estrogen levels fall. Heart disease is the main cause of mortality in both men and women. As a result, it’s critical to do regular exercise, consume nutritious food, and keep a healthy weight. Consult your doctor for advice on how to safeguard your heart, such as how to lower excessive cholesterol or blood pressure.
• Osteoporosis. This disorder causes bones to become brittle and weak, increasing the likelihood of fractures. You may lose bone density at a high pace in the first few years following menopause, increasing your risk of osteoporosis. And if you already have the affliction, then you become even more susceptible to hip and spine injuries.
• Urinary incontinence. You can get frequent urges to pee, followed by urge incontinence or loss of urine with coughing, laughing, or raising as the tissues of your vagina and urethra lose suppleness. Urinary tract infections may become more common. Such incontinence symptoms can usually be relieved by doing kegel exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles or by applying a topical vaginal estrogen. Hormone therapy is also an effective therapeutic option for those who suffer from urinary tract and other vaginal problems that might lead to incontinence if neglected.
• Sexual function. Vaginal dryness caused by reduced moisture production and lack of suppleness can cause pain and minor bleeding. Reduced sensations also lower your desire for sexual action (libido). Vaginal moisturizers and lubricants based on water are highly beneficial for this. If the lubricant isn’t enough, many women benefit from local vaginal estrogen therapy, which comes in the form of a vaginal cream, pill, or ring.
• Weight gain. Because metabolism slows down throughout the menopausal transition and following menopause, many women gain weight. To maintain your present weight, you may need to eat less and exercise more.

Fortunately, many of the signs of menopause are just signs of transitioning. You can in the meantime, use these remedies to deal with the symptoms:

• Cool hot flashes. Try to be somewhere cooler, drink cold water, or layer your clothing. Try to figure out the cause for your hot flashes. Hot liquids, caffeine, spicy meals, alcohol, stress, or simply a warm environment can be a trigger for many women.
• Decrease vaginal discomfort. Try an over-the-counter vaginal lubricant with a water base (Astroglide, K-Y jelly, Sliquid, etc.) or something with a silicone base (Replens, K-Y Liquibeads, Sliquid, etc.). If you are sensitive to glycerin, you could consider choosing a product without it as it might burn or irritate your skin. By boosting blood flow to the vagina, you can engage in sexual activity normally. It will reduce vaginal pain.
• Get enough sleep. Try to limit your consumption of caffeine and alcohol because both of them happen to make it difficult for you to sleep. Exercise during the day, if you want to keep your body active, and it will also help you sleep.
• Practice relaxation techniques. Menopausal symptoms can be alleviated by methods including progressive muscle relaxation, guided meditation, deep breathing, and timed breathing. Numerous books and online resources are available that can help you find out about various relaxation techniques.
• Strengthen your pelvic floor. Exercises for the pelvic floor muscles, or “Kegels,” can help some types of urine incontinence.
• Eat a balanced diet. A variety of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains should be consumed during this time. Limit your consumption of sweets, oils, and saturated fats. To help you fulfill daily requirements, inquire with your provider if you need calcium or vitamin D supplements.
• Don’t smoke. Smoking raises your chance of developing cancer, osteoporosis, heart disease, a stroke, and a number of other illnesses. Additionally, it could intensify hot flashes and hasten the onset of menopause.
• Exercise regularly. Get regular exercise or physical activity on the majority of days to help ward off age-related diseases including osteoporosis, diabetes, and heart disease.

Menopause is a significant aging milestone. However, scientists have long pondered whether menopause might speed up aging by inducing changes associated with aging or whether it is only a byproduct of a body having reached a particular biological age. By analyzing the changes in a group of women’s DNA, researchers have discovered compelling evidence that menopause may actually hasten the aging process in women. They came to the conclusion that the cells of menopausal women age around 6% faster than those of non menopausal women. They examined variations in the DNA known as epigenetic alterations, which act as a gauge for the age of a cell and act as a kind of biological clock. The method is like counting the rings on a tree to deduce its age.

Because previous research suggested that women who have their ovaries removed—and thus go through early menopause—tend to display indications of aging earlier than women who don’t require the operation, the current study focuses on the epigenetic modifications. Compared to women who didn’t take the hormones, some women who had hormone replacement treatment to replace the hormones that were no longer produced as a result of surgical menopause even showed symptoms of having younger or repaired cells. Insomnia in particular can cause poor sleep and a comparable acceleration of aging. These aging-related changes can increase the risk of chronic illnesses including cancer and heart disease.

Always consult a doctor if you experience vaginal bleeding after menopause. Numerous emotional changes, such as a loss of ambition and trouble focusing, might be brought on by menopause. These can include tension, depressive symptoms, mood swings, and anxiety, irritation and aggression.

These emotional shifts can occur at any time, not only during menopause. Many of these have undoubtedly happened to you at some point in your life.

You can ask your doctor for medication, and he might suggest taking hormone therapy or an antidepressant. Counseling and support groups are helpful resources for coping with emotional changes during menopause.