Unlike men, women have what they call a “biological clock.” This means that they only have a certain period when they could be able to conceive and bear a child. This is because once a woman reaches a certain age her ovaries would stop producing egg cells. This is brought about by a decline in the amount of estrogen in the body, causing a woman to experience what is called as menopause.

Causes of Menopause

Generally, women experience menopause by the age of 50 years. By this time, all of the egg cells in the ovaries of the woman have been released and stops producing any more egg cells.

Recent studies have shown, however, that this is generally not the case. This is because some women continue on menstruating until her 60s while other women would begin to experience menopause as early as in her 30s.

There are a number of reasons for the early onset of menopause among women. One reason is through the surgical removal of the women’s ovaries as a form of treatment of ovarian cancer. Because the woman no longer has her ovaries, even when she is still in her 30s or even in her late 20s, she would begin to experience the same symptoms and signs for menopause to occur.

In line with this, a woman who has been diagnosed with ovarian cancer would often be required to undergo chemotherapy and radiation therapy in order for the doctor not to remove the woman’s ovaries. However, these forms of treatments may greatly affect the ability of the ovaries to produce egg cells. So, even if the patient has survived ovarian cancer without having her ovaries to be removed surgically, having these forms of treatments would have the same effects as though the ovaries have been removed.

Symptoms of Menopause

Some of the symptoms of menopause are:

• Irregular patterns of vaginal bleeding that do not resemble menstruation
• Hot flashes and night sweats
• Vaginal dryness and itching
• Pain during sexual intercourse
• Frequent occurrence of urinary tract infection (UTI)
• Fatigue
• Problems memorizing things
• Rapid and extreme mood swings
• Weight gain
• Changes in skin texture

Treatment for Menopause

Going through menopause can be a frustrating event in the life of any woman. Although menopause is not considered as a disease, there are a number of treatments that can be given to allow women to cope with the symptoms.

The most common form of treatment is hormonal replacement therapy (HRT). This involves the woman taking in dosages of synthetic estrogen. Medical experts have determined that many of the symptoms experienced by a woman undergoing menopause are due to the decrease of estrogen hormone levels. This form of treatment cannot be used over a long period of time. Recent studies have discovered that prolonged HRT has caused many women to experience severe health complications like the increase for the chances to have a heart attack, stroke or breast cancer.

Posted under Menopause
Tags: causes of menopause, health, Menopause, urinary tract infection, uti.