Menopause signals an important phase in a woman’s life. Studies have shown the median age of the onset of symptoms typically occurs around the age of 54 but the process can begin much earlier in some women.
You are officially in menopause when your periods stop completely for at least twelve months. On average, menopause lasts close to seven years but may take longer in some cases.
Apart from the absence of menstruation, menopause comes with other effects. Unfortunately, it’s not a walk in the park and can be extremely harsh when you start experiencing the symptoms. Some may go unnoticed, but most of them will be uncomfortable.
Negative Effects of Menopause
A lot of changes occur in a woman’s body as they enter menopause. First, the ovarian function declines, and ovulation occurs irregularly. Eventually, ovulation stops completely, leading to low levels of progesterone and estrogen.
While you no longer get your periods and hence cannot get pregnant, a decrease in the primary female hormones comes with other effects on the body. They include:
1. Vaginal dryness
Your body is no longer in a reproductive status, which means less natural lubrication and therefore vaginal dryness. This may result in painful sex in some women.
2. Hot flashes
Hot flashes are sudden temperature spikes. Apart from feeling flushed, your face reddens, and they may be accompanied by night sweats making it intolerable.
3. Mood swings
Menopause may affect your mood in general. For example, one day you wake up feeling yourself, and the next, you are down completely. And in some, the mood swings cause irritability.
4. Night sweats
You may experience excessive perspiration at night. Even worse, they may coincide with hot flashes awakening you at night in a drench of sweat.
5. Reduced sex drive
A decrease in estrogen plus vaginal dryness combined with other discomforts may interfere with your libido.
6. Frequent urination
If you are having frequent bathroom trips, this could result from a drop in estrogen levels, leading to frequent urination.
7. Problems sleeping
Changes in hormones combined with hot flashes and night sweats may interfere with your sleep. Estrogen helps to control your sleep, and with the disruption from night sweats and uncomfortable flashes, you may not sleep at night, resulting in unproductivity during the day.
All these symptoms sound scary and may make your life uncomfortable. Luckily, you can ease all of them through hormone replacement therapy.
What is Hormone Replacement Therapy?
This is basically a medication containing female hormones. As you approach menopause, your progesterone and estrogen levels decrease, leading to adverse effects, so easing them means taking medication to replace the hormone levels.
Hormone therapy often eases almost all menopausal symptoms, including the loss of bone density which can lead to osteoporosis. However, there are risks associated with the treatment, so you need to visit a professional doctor to get a tailored prescription and reduce health risks.
The common types of hormone therapy include estrogen therapy and combined progesterone and estrogen therapy. As the name suggests, estrogen therapy includes medication to raise the level of estrogen, while combined therapy includes medication to raise both estrogen and progesterone levels.
The medication comes in different forms. While some come in oral tablets, others are in cream form, vaginal rings, or vaginal tablets. Dosing schedules also vary. Tablets may be taken daily for several weeks, creams used several times a week, while rings may be replaced after three months. The schedule depends on the product and specific factors relating to your body.
Everything comes with a risk, and hormone therapy is not an exception. The known risks of the therapy include raising the chances of stroke, blood clots, breast cancer, and heart disease. However, the benefits typically outweigh the risks, so it’s worth a try.
Final thoughts
Menopause can be extremely harsh at the start and may end up affecting your daily routine. From hot flashes to night sweats which disrupt your sleep schedule, to a reduced libido which can affect your relationship. Fortunately, hormone replacement therapy can ease all these symptoms and give you a normal, comfortable life as you undergo this natural cycle.