By Richard Ealom

Introduction

Menopause is the point in a woman’s life when menstruation stops permanently, signifying the end of her ability to have children. Menopause is diagnosed when a woman has gone without a period for 12 consecutive months. Menopause is considered premature if it occurs before the age of 40, or artificial if radiation exposure, chemotherapeutic drugs, or surgery induces it. Menopause is something that happens to all women as they get older.

Hot Flashes

Hot flashes are perhaps the most troublesome symptom associated with approaching menopause and are experienced by a majority of women during the transition to menopause. An ancient Chinese therapy offers some menopausal women another option for their hot flashes. But,for others, the decreasing levels of estrogen associated with menopause may cause more distressing symptoms that include: Mood swings - Decreased sex drive - Hot flashes - Sweating - Racing heart (palpitations) - Headaches - Vaginal dryness and soreness - Trouble sleeping - Bone thinning (osteoporosis). These symptoms can last from a few months to up to 10years.

Hormones

Known as the “change of life,” menopause is the last stage of a gradual biological process in which the ovaries reduce their production of female sex hormones–a process which begins about 3 to 5 years before the final menstrual period. When you are in your mid-30’s, your ovaries begin to change how much estrogen and progesterone, two female hormones, they make. During this time, called perimenopause, which can last anywhere from five to fifteen years, the brain continues to send out hormones trying to stimulate the development of ovarian follicles, and it is common for a woman’s ovaries to respond erratically, so that her hormones fluctuate a great deal from month to month. It continues to produce hormones even after ovulation ends, producing some estrogen and also androgens (male hormones) including testosterone.

To best understand what occurs at menopause, it is helpful to know about the physiology of menstruation and the hormones that are involved in our monthly cycle. Shifts in hormones are a major contributor to that sense of physical, mental, and emotional imbalance that may characterize a woman’s experience of menopause. Many women find that the right combination of herbs, exercise, nutritional support, and natural hormones helps them to manage most of their symptoms. Eventually your ovaries stop producing estrogen and other hormones.

Cancer

Your risks for heart disease, cancer, and bone thinning (osteoporosis) increase after menopause. You should also be checked for colon and rectal cancer and for skin cancer. If you have a family history of breast cancer, check with your doctor about your risk. If you have a uterus and decide to take estrogen, you must also take progesterone to prevent endometrial cancer (cancer of the lining of the uterus). “There’s been much experimental evidence and patient experience showing estrogen given alone can lead to endometrial cancer,” says FDA’s Smith. Endometrial cancer is not the only risk from estrogen use. It is not known whether estrogen use increases the risk of breast cancer, or what effect adding progestin would have on this risk. In recent years, many studies on breast cancer and estrogen use have been conducted, with conflicting results, says Smith.

Treatment

Menopause has become increasingly medicalized, which means it is viewed as something that requires intervention and treatment rather than as a natural life transition that may benefit from support. You don’t need treatment for it unless your symptoms bother you. Be sure to talk to your doctor about your possible health risks before you start a treatment for menopause symptoms. There are also “natural” treatments for the symptoms of menopause that are available over-the-counter, without a prescription. You can start or end the treatment at any time.

Conclusion

Menopause is a natural process and not a disease. Menopause is a normal part of life, just like puberty. Part of the stigma of menopause is its association with aging, but we age no more rapidly in our 50s than in any other decade of life. In the United States, the average age of menopause is 51, with most women usually reaching natural menopause somewhere between 40 and 58 years of age. If you’ve never been an exerciser, menopause is a great excuse to make the change.

Submitted by Richard H. Ealom Author of this article and the creator of “Free Articles On Diseases: How To Prevent and Cure Them” website. 93 Disease specific websites with extensive information on Alternative and Orthodox methods and products to increase your understanding of treatment and curing diseases.Please visit http://rainydrops.com/alternative-orthodox.php

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Richard_Ealom

Technorati Tags: female sex hormones, ancient chinese therapy, male hormones, female hormones, radiation exposure, racing heart, distressing symptoms, mood swings, heart palpitations, biological process, vaginal dryness, menstrual period, perimenopause, menopausal women, ovaries, hot flashes, follicles, trouble sleeping, estrogen, ovulation

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