Menopause: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment

Menopause, or climacteric in medical terms, is a natural sexual phase in the older age of every woman. Despite typical complaints and symptoms, such as hot flashes and sweats, menopause is not a disease. The menopause is triggered by strong changes in hormone balance and by the absence of menstruation (menopause).

What is menopause?

Menopause or medically the climacteric is a transitional phase at the end of sexual maturity in women of older age. Usually it begins a few years before the last menstruation or menstrual period (menopause). Menopause often occurs from the age of 45 to 70. The menopause itself can be divided medically into four different phases. 1. premenopause: this is the period from about two to seven years before the actual menopause. Irregular menstrual bleeding occurs, which is often accompanied by mild symptoms. Menopause: Menopause is the last menstrual period in the sexually mature period of a woman. Thereafter, menstrual bleeding is not caused by the ovaries. Statistically, this phase begins in women at the age of 51. 3. postmenopause: as the name itself expresses, this phase occurs after menopause. It covers approximately ten to 15 years and ends mostly only with the 70th year of life, which is also known as Senium (the age). 4. perimenopause: within the menopause and postmenopause, a subphase, the perimenopause, occurs, which usually covers the 49th to 53rd year of life. If all phases are combined, the menopause lasts a maximum of 10 to 15 years. During this time, strong hormonal changes occur, which are responsible for complaints or accompanying symptoms. The typical signs of menopause include about 70% hot flashes, over 50% sweating and at least 40% dizziness. Increased blood pressure can also occur. Nevertheless, there are also many women who are completely free of discomfort and do not notice their menopause physically or psychologically.

Causes

The main cause of menopause is hormonal changes in the body of a sexually mature woman. Around the age of 50, the function and production of the ovaries decreases. Ovulation stops, so that no female sex hormones (estrogens) can be produced. After the last menstrual bleeding, which is also known as menopause, there is also a change in the hormone balance by the brain. Here the brain produces more follicle-stimulating hormones, which belong to the gonadotropins. Since the estrogens produced by the ovaries are less and less present in the body, but the brain produces new hormones referred to above to compensate, there is initially severe discomfort (fatigue, palpitations, hot flashes) during menopause until the body has become accustomed to the new vital hormones.

Symptoms, complaints and signs

During menopause, many women struggle with a wide variety of symptoms. For example, hot flashes suddenly appear, spreading from the face to the neck and upper body. In addition, some also complain of dry mucous membranes in the genital area, which can cause hidden infections or pain during sexual intercourse. Due to hormonal fluctuations, nervousness, inner restlessness, listlessness and depressive moods can also occur. Furthermore, the menstrual cycle changes, i.e. menstrual bleeding becomes longer or shorter, and some sufferers also have heavier bleeding than before. Since the calorie requirement also decreases in middle age, weight gain can occur. This is where plenty of exercise and a balanced diet can help. Hormone-dependent breast pain is also a symptom of menopause. These include breast tenderness, which can be felt on one or both sides, pulling or stabbing pains in the breast, or increased sensitivity to touch. Bladder problems are also not uncommon during menopause, as the urethra and bladder lose elasticity, which can make it more difficult to close the bladder. In addition, the skin also changes in middle age, hair begins to fall out and nails become more brittle. Another possible symptom is a delay in the wound healing process, so skin lesions often take longer to heal.

Disease progression

The course of menopause can be quite different from woman to woman. There are mainly strong differences in the period, as well as in the intensity of the complaints. As already noted, menopause occurs within 10 to 15 years, between the ages of 45 and 70. If there is no treatment by a gynecologist, the symptoms of menopause decrease only after approximately one to two years. Therefore, medical treatment should be sought, which can alleviate numerous symptoms with the help of hormone preparations. Typical symptoms such as nausea, headaches, weight gain, cramps and stomach pain can be treated well. Complications can occur in untreated menopause in the form of bone loss (osteoporosis).

Complications

During menopause, the risk of cardiovascular disease, adult-onset diabetes, osteoporosis, and breast cancer increases. Due to the lack of estrogen, certain biochemical mechanisms of information transmission may also no longer function ideally. This leads to a reduced supply of oxygen to the brain and, as a result, to forgetfulness, concentration problems and impaired memory. Falling estrogen levels also mean that certain neurotransmitters are no longer produced in sufficient quantities. This leads to mood swings, restlessness, nervousness and irritability. Some women develop depression and other mental disorders during this phase. This is usually accompanied by sleep disturbances. In the long term, this leads to states of exhaustion, and the risk of cardiovascular disease also increases. A typical complication during menopause is hot flashes, which cause severe discomfort and occasionally lead to panic attacks. Finally, sexual disorders can also occur during menopause. As a result, the psychological complaints usually increase and there is an increasing feeling of discomfort. Complications can also arise during the treatment of menopausal symptoms – for example, in the form of side effects caused by hormone therapy or the accompanying symptoms of painkillers and sedatives.

When should you see a doctor?

Menopause is a long process that causes discomfort in some women. Medical assistance is needed when complications arise or menopausal symptoms become too severe. Women who experience unusually early onset of menopause should inform their gynecologist. An early drop in estrogen levels can promote various diseases. These include osteoporosis and arthritis. The doctor may have to prescribe additional hormones. If bleeding suddenly returns, a visit to the doctor is also advisable. The physician must clarify whether the uterus is healthy. In individual cases, too much mucous membrane forms in the organ, which can cause pain and bleeding. A routine check-up with the gynecologist should be performed at least every six months. With increasing age, additional appointments should be made, especially if menopausal symptoms persist over a longer period of time. Bone densitometry should also be performed regularly from the age of 45. The values are an indicator of osteoporosis and other diseases that may occur in connection with menopause. For some women, these are chronic symptoms that need to be permanently checked by a doctor. Alternative physicians may be consulted if symptoms are severe. The gynecologist may involve an alternative practitioner or refer the patient to a specialized clinic.

Treatment and therapy

Treatment for menopause is not always necessarily required, as many women have no symptoms at all or only minor symptoms. Furthermore, menopause is also not a disease per se, but a natural life process. Nevertheless, it can’t hurt to get a medical checkup to prevent potential complications. However, women who suffer from severe symptoms during menopause should definitely see a gynecologist to alleviate their symptoms. As already noted, the discomfort is caused by a deficiency of the hormone estrogen. Therefore, the so-called hormone therapy is used in medical treatment. The aim of this therapy is to compensate for hormone imbalances (hormone replacement therapy) and to alleviate complaints already at the beginning of the onset of menopause.Complications such as bone loss (osteoporosis) should also be detected and treated in time. Hormone therapy is particularly effective in treating the stronger symptoms, such as sweating and hot flashes. Despite these possibilities, risks and side effects of these hormone treatments should not remain unmentioned. These include an increased risk of developing breast cancer or suffering a stroke or heart attack. It remains to be weighed up by the doctor and the patient whether a treatment is worthwhile or not. In rather rare cases, disturbances of the last menstrual periods also occur during menopause. In this case, surgery may be necessary to remove the uterus. As a natural and herbal remedy against menopause, the black cohosh has proven itself, which can bring about relief from the symptoms with the help of natural phytohormones. Likewise, plenty of exercise and sports, as well as a balanced and healthy diet with plenty of calcium and vitamin D helps against many menopausal symptoms.

Prevention

Menopause in women basically cannot be prevented, as it is a natural process in life. Nevertheless, the symptoms associated with menopause can be alleviated or prevented. This includes timely examination and treatment by a gynecologist, plenty of sport and exercise throughout life, and a healthy diet rich in vitamins and sufficient calcium. Attention should also be paid to sufficient sleep, low stress, alcohol and smoking cessation. Mud baths, sauna and cold therapies can also be supportive.

Aftercare

A woman’s fertility gradually decreases with age – this in a natural way. However, until bleeding has ceased for more than twelve months, the possibility of pregnancy should still not be ruled out. Therefore, contraceptive measures that have been started should be continued – until the absolute end of menopause. Various antidepressants can be used for depression during menopause. If sleep disorders are present at the same time, they can also be treated with the right antidepressant. Postmenopausal women have an increased risk of osteoporosis due to lower estrogen levels. The reduced bone density often leads to bone fractures – even from harmless falls. For this reason, post-menopausal women in particular should take sufficient vitamin D as well as calcium and have themselves examined at regular intervals. In addition, the risk of cardiovascular diseases (heart attacks and strokes) is likely to increase after menopause. To minimize this risk as much as possible, the focus should be on a balanced diet and sufficient exercise. In this way, blood lipids can be kept in good balance. Risk factors such as obesity and smoking should be avoided wherever possible. High blood pressure and existing diabetes mellitus should be optimally controlled. Regular examinations by the gynecologist should also be mandatory in postmenopause this includes both PAP smear and mammography.

What you can do yourself

In the course of menopause, some women experience symptoms that can greatly affect their daily lives. In addition to medical treatment through hormone preparations or other medical methods, the symptoms can be alleviated through certain self-help measures. In principle, affected women can obtain help and information for this purpose in special self-help groups or Internet forums and exchange information with other affected persons. Sports and exercise can lead to symptom relief in most cases. Above all, learning certain relaxation techniques such as Reiki or yoga is recommended. This significantly improves the quality of sleep of those affected, for example. Kneipp baths help with sweating and hot flashes during menopause. Another important factor is diet. Ideally, it should be rich in vitamins and low in fat. Omega-3 unsaturated fatty acids, which can also be taken in the form of capsules, are of particular importance during menopause. However, diets and starvation diets are not recommended during menopause, as they increase the risk of osteoporosis. If necessary, it is also advisable to stop smoking. For many women, menopause is a great psychological burden.Therefore, additional stress should definitely be reduced. Short trips or spa stays, on the other hand, can have a restorative effect.