Menopause

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Menopause, or the permanent end of menstruation and fertility, is a natural biological process, not a medical illness. Even so, the physical and emotional symptoms of menopause can disrupt your sleep, sap your energy and can even indirectly trigger feelings of sadness and loss.

Hormonal changes cause the physical symptoms of menopause, but mistaken beliefs about the menopausal transition are partly to blame for the emotional ones. First, menopause doesn't mean the end is near — you've still got as much as half your life to go. Second, menopause will not snuff out your femininity and sexuality. In fact, you may be one of the many women who find it liberating to stop worrying about pregnancy and periods.

Sources:
MayoClinic: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/menopause/DS00119
MedlinePlus: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/menopause.html

Premature menopause occurs when the last period occurs before the age of 40 years old. This type of menopause may be caused by hereditary factors, smoking, exposure to radiation, and exposure to chemotherapy.

Artificial menopause often occurs as a result of medical intervention. An example is the removal of the ovaries, which produces the female hormones estrogen and progesterone. Radiation to the pelvic area may also cause artificial menopause and some drugs can cause a reversible menopausal state.

Natural menopause is caused by advancing age. Most women will experience this type of menopause. It usually occurs in women around the age of 45-60 years old and spans 2-6 years. During this time, hormone levels change as the ovaries gradually or suddenly reduces its production of estrogen and progesterone. Other hormones in the body can also fluctuate during natural menopause.

Menopause occurs when a woman's ovaries run out of functioning eggs. At the time of birth, most females have about 1-3 million eggs, which are gradually lost throughout a woman's life. By the time of a girl's first menstrual period, she has an average of about 400,000 eggs. By the time of menopause, a woman may have fewer than 10,000 eggs. A small percentage of these eggs are lost through normal ovulation (the monthly cycle). Most eggs die off through a process called atresia.

Menopause, when it occurs after the age of 40, is considered "natural" and is a normal part of aging. But, some women can experience menopause early, either as a result of a surgical intervention, such as hysterectomy, or damage to the ovaries, such as from chemotherapy. Menopause that occurs before the age of 40, regardless of the cause, is called premature menopause.

Sources:
MedicineNet: http://www.medicinenet.com/fibromyalgia/article.htm
MayoClinic: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fibromyalgia/DS00079/DSECTION=causes 

It is important to remember that each woman's experience is highly individual. Some women may experience few or no symptoms of menopause, while others experience multiple physical and psychological symptoms. The extent and severity of symptoms varies significantly among women. These symptoms of menopause and perimenopause are discussed in detail below.

Irregular vaginal bleeding may occur during menopause. Some women have minimal problems with abnormal bleeding during perimenopause whereas others have unpredictable, excessive bleeding.

Hot flashes are common among women undergoing menopause. A hot flash is a feeling of warmth that spreads over the body and is often most pronounced in the head and chest A hot flash is sometimes associated with flushing and is sometimes followed by perspiration.

Vaginal symptoms occur as a result of the lining tissues of the vagina becoming thinner, drier, and less elastic as estrogen levels fall. Symptoms may include vaginal dryness, itching, or irritation and/or pain with sexual intercourse (dyspareunia).

Urinary symptoms - The lining of the urethra (the transport tube leading from the bladder to discharge urine outside the body) also undergoes changes similar to the tissues of the vagina, and becomes dryer, thinner, and less elastic with declining estrogen levels.

Emotional and cognitive symptoms - Women in perimenopause often report a variety of thinking (cognitive) and/or emotional symptoms, including fatigue, memory problems, irritability, and rapid changes in mood.

Other physical changes - Many women report some degree of weight gain along with menopause. The distribution of body fat may change, with body fat being deposited more in the waist and abdominal area than in the hips and thighs. Changes in skin texture, including wrinkles, may develop along with worsening of adult acne in those affected by this condition.

Since the symptoms of fibromyalgia are diverse and vary among patients, treatment programs must be individualized for each patient. Treatment programs are most effective when they combine patient education, stress reduction, regular exercise, and medications.

Menopause itself requires no medical treatment. Instead, treatments focus on relieving your signs and symptoms and on preventing or lessening chronic conditions that may occur with aging. Treatments include:

Hormone therapy - Estrogen therapy remains, by far, the most effective treatment option for relieving menopausal hot flashes. Depending on your personal and family medical history, your doctor may recommend estrogen in the lowest dose needed to provide symptom relief for you.

Low-dose antidepressants - Venlafaxine (Effexor), an antidepressant related to the class of drugs called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), has been shown to decrease menopausal hot flashes. Other SSRIs can be helpful, including fluoxetine (Prozac, Sarafem), paroxetine (Paxil, others), citalopram (Celexa) and sertraline (Zoloft).

Gabapentin (Neurontin) - This drug is approved to treat seizures, but it also has been shown to significantly reduce hot flashes.

Clonidine, a pill or patch typically used to treat high blood pressure, may significantly reduce the frequency of hot flashes, but unpleasant side effects are common.

Bisphosphonates - Doctors may recommend these nonhormonal medications, which include alendronate (Fosamax), risedronate (Actonel) and ibandronate (Boniva), to prevent or treat osteoporosis. These medications effectively reduce both bone loss and your risk of fractures and have replaced estrogen as the main treatment for osteoporosis in women.

Selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) are a group of drugs that includes raloxifene (Evista). Raloxifene mimics estrogen's beneficial effects on bone density in postmenopausal women, without some of the risks associated with estrogen.

Vaginal estrogen - To relieve vaginal dryness, estrogen can be administered locally using a vaginal tablet, ring or cream. This treatment releases just a small amount of estrogen, which is absorbed by the vaginal tissue. It can help relieve vaginal dryness, discomfort with intercourse and some urinary symptoms.

· Marian Saiani says, "I have been going through the perimenopausal stage for over 7 years. Before Herbalife's women's products, I suffered from night sweats, hot flashes, mood swings and erratic monthly cycles. After 6 weeks of using Woman's Advantage with DHEA, Woman's Choice and Nature's Balance Cream, my symptoms have disappeared. I feel like I did before I turned 40. My "sensual mood" has come back, too! Thank you, Herbalife! I use them once a day, Monday through Friday, and rest on Saturday and Sunday."

· Suzanne Johnston tells Herbacall, "My mother-in-law had bad hot flashes and mood swings with menopause. She was on hormone replacement therapy, but really wanted a more natural solution. She had tried other products before, but the symptoms came back quickly. After one month on a QuickStart program, she was so impressed with her energy level and 10 lb. weight loss she agreed to try Women's Choice. She went away for a week with instructions - 1 Women's Choice at night, cut HRT dose in half and take for a few days, then take 1/2 dose every other day for a few days. Well, she could not cut the HRT pill in half - so she took it every other day and NEVER had any symptoms. We were both amazed!"

· Gennene Turner said proudly, "I am writing to you in appreciation of your great products. I am a 45 year old woman going through menopause. I started suffering hot flushes and very bad night sweats...I started on the Tang Kuei tablets taking six a day for the first week. I didn't feel much difference in the first week but by the second week my symptoms were nearly halved, and I could finally get a little bit of sleep. I work in the Hospitality Industry and with its odd hours and split shifts I was feeling tired and run down, so Gennene suggested that I try the Formula 2 Vitamin B6 supplement. I did and now I sleep very well and am not as tired or run down anymore."

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