women s health issues
Menopause
Introduction
Menopause is the permanent end of menstrual periods, ovulation, and fertility. For up to several years before and just after menopause,estrogenlevels fluctuate widely, periods become irregular, and symptoms (such as hot flashes) may occur. Menopause is diagnosed when a woman has not had a period for 1 year; blood tests are usually not necessary to confirm it. Certain measures, including hormone therapy or other medications, can lessen symptoms. After menopause, bone density decreases. During the reproductive years, Menstrual Cycle usually occur in approximately monthly cycles, with an egg released from the ovary (ovulation) in the middle of the cycle (about 2 weeks after the first day of the previous period). For this cycle to occur regularly, the ovaries must produce enough of the hormones Menopause occurs because as women age, the ovaries stop producingestrogenandprogesterone. During the years before menopause, production ofestrogenandprogesteronebegins to fluctuate, and menstrual periods and ovulation occur less often. Eventually, menstrual periods and ovulation end permanently, and pregnancy can no longer occur naturally. A woman’s final period can be identified only later, after she has had no periods for at least 1 year. (Women who do not wish to become pregnant should use birth control until 1 year has passed since their last menstrual period.) The aging of the female reproductive system before and after menopause is described in stages: Reproductive stageincludes the time from a woman's first menstrual period through the menopausal transition. Menopausal transitionis the phase that leads up to the final menstrual period. It is characterized by changes in the pattern of menstrual periods. The menopausal transition lasts from 4 to 8 years. It lasts longer in women who smoke and in women who were younger when it began. Research shows that, on average, Black women experience more years of menopausal transition than White women. Perimenopauseis part of the menopausal transition and refers to the several years before and the 1 year after the final menstrual period. The number of years a woman is in perimenopause before her final menstrual period varies greatly. During perimenopause,estrogenandprogesteronelevels fluctuate widely and eventually decrease significantly, but the changes vary in other hormones (such astestosterone). These hormone fluctuations are thought to cause the menopausal symptoms experienced by many women in their 40s. Postmenopauserefers to the time after the final menstrual period. In the United States, the average age for menopause is about 51. However, menopause may occur normally in women aged 45 (or even 40) to age 55 or older. Menopause may start at a younger age in women who Smoke Live at a high altitude Are malnourished Have an autoimmune disease Menopause is considered premature when it occurs before age 40. Premature Menopause is also called premature ovarian failure or primary ovarian insufficiency. Symptoms of menopause can start years before menstrual periods end. The average age for menopause is about 51, but anywhere between age 40 and 55 or older is considered normal. 