Have you ever wondered how menopause happens? Basically, it’s a simple part of the aging process. The ovaries produce hormones during the reproductive years however as a woman ages her ovaries gradually begin producing less and less of various hormones. As a result, women experience menopausal symptoms.

Most women begin to experience a decline in hormone production during their mid thirties. Gradually, the body will begin producing less and less and eventually a woman’s periods will stop altogether. When this occurs the woman is menopausal. During the perimenopausal years, however, women are fertile and still may become pregnant. That’s why it is important to continue to use birth control during this time because a pregnancy may occur. Most women will experience a complete cessation of their periods by the time they reach their mid 50s, however this is different for every woman. The reduction of estrogen is what causes the common menopausal symptoms like hot flashes, depression, headaches, insomnia, mood swings, and more.

There are many things that play a role in menopause and how and why it begins. However, what should be kept in mind is that menopause is very natural and it occurs differently for every woman. The onset of menopause as well as its duration and the severity of its symptoms will range significantly for all women. That’s why it is important for each woman to approach menopause as a personal experience and understand that it may not be the same for her as it was for her mom, sister, or her best friend.

There are various treatment options for menopause form hormone replacement therapy, HRT, to alternative and complementary treatments. Some natural options are preferred by women who are concerned about the increased risk of cancer with the use of hormone replacement therapy. However, some women need relief from their symptoms and prefer to risk the side effects of HRT.

As women age it is natural that the vaginal walls become less elastic, thinner, and dryer than earlier in life. The risk of infection also increases. As these changes occur women may find that it is uncomfortable to engage in sexual intercourse and that it might even be painful. Lubrication may help and the best lubricants are those that are water soluble. The reason these are preferred is because they reduce the risk of infection. If you experience significant problems of the urinary tract during menopause it is important to schedule an appointment with the doctor.

With age, the urinary tract tissues begin to change. This may result in incontinence especially for women who also suffer from urinary infection or chronic illnesses. Urine may leak as a result of pressure on the bladder, which could be caused by lifting, laughing, exercising, or even coughing. This condition may be exacerbated as a result of not getting enough exercise. Incontinence is not normal and should not be considered part of growing older. Incontinence is treatable and women especially should keep this in mind and seek treatment. There are some options like bladder training, medications, and surgery.

About five years after the last menstruation it is more likely that women will experience more urinary tract and/or vaginal infections. If the frequency of infection is high or very painful then it is important to seek medical care. Antibiotics are great at treating infections, but regular infections need to be evaluated by a medical professional.

The bones are weakened and can suddenly fracture as a result of the disease, osteoporosis. This means that the bone is literally “porous” and can result tin the bone mass and its strength being reduced significantly. Many times women will experience osteoporosis and have no idea because there is no pain or symptoms.

In many cases, osteoporosis is not diagnosed in women until there is a sudden fracture in the hip or back. The downside to this discovery is that once a woman experiences an osteoporosis induced fractures has a much higher risk of developing another one. These fractures can be very difficult to recover from. Luckily, there are ways that women can care for themselves to help reduce or even eliminate the risk of osteoporosis. Those who already have osteoporosis can slow the loss of bone mass by seeking aggressive treatment.

Osteoporosis is related to menopause because when the body begins to stop producing estrogen then osteoporosis may begin to develop. Bone loss may result from any prolonged period of time when hormone levels are very low and there are no menstrual periods.

Osteoporosis is most common in women over the age of 50. Bone mass usually begins to decline in women after the age of 30, which is a natural part of the aging process. Women are much more likely to develop osteoporosis than men and this is partially because of the thinner and lighter bones of women as well as their long life spans. Interestingly, Caucasian women and Asian women are more likely to have osteoporosis. Although, women of color who experience a hip fracture are more likely to die from it.

Women who are lighter and have smaller body frames are more likely to develop osteoporosis than women with larger body frames. Family history and genetics also play a role in osteoporosis. There are even some medications that will play a role in osteoporosis. It’s important for menopausal women to take calcium with vitamin D and to get plenty of exercise to try and combat osteoporosis. It’s easier to keep bone mass from decreasing than it is to increase bone mass after it has already been lost.

When the ovaries stop producing estrogen then menopause is a result. Menopause may start naturally as the ovaries gradually shut down estrogen production or it might occur after the ovaries are surgically removed. When estrogen production is slowed or stopped then the rate of bone loss speeds up considerably. When bone mass is being reduced the risk of osteoporosis is much higher. Less bone is made than lost so bone mass just decreases.

It has been shown that when women take estrogen supplements during menopause they are able to protect their bone mass and reduce the loss of bone mass. This in turn helps protect women against future fractures. The amount of calcium consumed during menopause does not necessarily have anything to do with eh amount of bone loss that occurs. However when women are 60 and older it is important to pay close attention to the amount of calcium being consumed because bone density can be increased at this age. Women who take supplemental calcium in addition to Vitamin D are more likely to reduce their risk of fractures as compared to women who do not take care of themselves.

It is considered safe to take calcium and vitamin D and it helps prevent osteoporosis in both men and women. However, before beginning any type of supplementation it is important to talk with your doctor to ensure there are no counter indications that might exist.

These are just a few of the things you will want to keep in mind before you choose not to supplement with vitamin D and calcium. Also, it’s important to get physical activity as well to help promote strong bones and muscles and to recover and bone mass that might have been lost.

An interesting question is whether or not all women go through menopause. In general, all women do go through menopause and there is really no way around it. In a very rare case if a young girl had her ovaries removed before she went through puberty then there is the possibility that she would not go through menopause. In most cases, when a woman’s body stops having periods she goes through menopause. However, in some cases women have surgery and this can cause a sudden onset of menopause. The symptoms like hot flashes, mood swings, and insomnia are some of the symptoms women may experience as a result of the decrease in hormone production by the ovaries.

Of course, while the vast majority of women do go through menopause they do not all experience the same symptoms. Most women will experience some form of symptoms as a result of the body decreasing the production of estrogen. However, each woman is different and so is the way they will experience menopause. Many things play a role in how a women experiences menopause including her age, lifestyle, fitness level, diet, culture, and even her weight.

When women first begin to experience menopausal symptoms, which is during perimenopause, many women wonder how long these symptoms will last. Each woman experiences menopause on her own schedule and the end is different, too. The timing of menopause varies significantly for each woman due to genetics, diet, lifestyle, stress, cultural perspective, overall healthy, and more. The symptoms vary in severity for each woman, which makes it difficult to answer what appears to be a simply question.

Women may begin to experience menopausal symptoms as early as their 30s however some women may not begin to experience these symptoms until they are in their 50s or even later. In general,the most common time to experience menopausal symptoms is during the mid to late 40s. The first signs are usually a changed cycle, which could be shorter or longer. Other symptoms include hot flashes, mood changes, and more. Some women won’t experience any of these common symptoms other than the eventual cessation of the period. Then, some women will experience all of these symptoms very severely. There is no way to predict how your menopause will be, but if your mother, sisters, and/or aunts had a mild or severe menopause you might as well. There are no guarantees, of course, but that is one consideration to keep in mind.

Some women will experience symptoms for as little as a year while others may experience symptoms for three years or even as long as a decade. Symptoms that may persist include vaginal dryness, hot flashes, urinary symptoms, and more. In most women, the symptoms will be completely resolved within five years although it can be a difficult time period to get through.

If you want to base your opinion on what the average woman experiences then you should expect your menopause somewhere between mid 40s to mid 50s with a duration of 2 to 10 years. If your menopause begins earlier or later or lasts shorter or longer that does not mean it is not healthy. There is no “normal” menopause onset, duration, or even set symptoms simply because ever woman is so unique and different. If you have symptoms of anxiety or depression as a result of your menopause then you may want to consider discussing these with your doctor.

Unfortunately, the statistics for women with heart disease are not good. For example, more than half of all women who are 50 or older will succumb to heart disease. It may be surprising, but menopause plays a large role in heart disease.

Women have monthly cycles that are regulated by the female sex hormone, estrogen. This hormone also plays other roles in the body including protecting the heart from lipids. Women’s cholesterol levels are managed to some degree by estrogen. Cholesterol is made up of good cholesterol (HDL) and bad cholesterol (LDL). The amount of HDL is increased by appropriate levels of estrogen in the body. This helps keep arteries from building up with plaque and other fatty deposits. IN turn, blood can flow more freely to the heart.

However, estrogen is no long produced during and after menopause. This results in a decrease of LDL in the blood and the good cholesterol is no longer able to work against the bad cholesterol. Heart disease and cholesterol are linked to one another very closely so it’s possible for the arteries to begin to thicken and for blood pressure to increase.

Women going through menopause naturally will not have their risk of heart disease and stroke increase dramatically but rather slowly over time as the body will stop producing estrogen slowly. However, when a woman is forced into menopause as a result of surgery then the risk of heart disease and stroke increase rapidly. The reason why is because the level of estrogen falls off very quickly.

When heart disease is caught early there are many different treatment options. Still there has not been a cure for heart disease but women who seek treatment are able to reduce their risk factors significantly. There are drugs available that can help women lower their high cholesterol. There are also drugs that can lower high blood pressure. Other heart disease problems may be addressed with nitrates or beta blockers.

The most important thing for women going through menopause is to talk with their doctors regularly, get regular checkups and screenings, and make the best decisions possible regarding the medications they take to treat the symptoms of menopause as well as those used to treat heart disease.

There are many benefits of hormone replacement therapy however there is some concern that hormone replacement therapy, HRT, could be a risk factor for cancer. The cancers that are most common with hormone replacement therapy include endometrial cancer, ovarian cancer, and breast cancer. This is especially the case when this type of therapy is taken for a long period of time, like 10 years or more.

Endometrial Cancer

Endometrial cancer is a concern with hormone replacement therapy especially when the estrogen replacement is given without supplementing progestin as well. During the 1940s through the 1970s it became obvious that women experienced a considerably higher risk of endometrial cancer when they did not receive progestin in addition to the estrogen. However, women who have had hysterectomies do not need the progestin supplementation and will not experience a higher level of endometrial cancer when taking only estrogen.

Ovarian Cancer

Many studies show there is a link between hormone replacement therapy and ovarian cancer. Some studies suggest that the increased risk occurs when hormone replacement therapy is taken after menopause and not necessarily during it. Regardless, there have been enough studies to show there is a correlation between hormone replacement therapy and ovarian cancer.

Breast Cancer

There have not been enough studies to show the correlation between breast cancer and hormone replacement therapy. However, many women believe they will likely develop breast cancer if they use hormone replacement therapy. It is known that a woman’s exposure to estrogen and other naturally occurring hormones increases her risk of breast cancer. Adding these hormones to the body as a form of treatment of menopause could very likely play a role in breast cancer.

Not all women who take hormone replacement therapy will develop one or more of these cancers. However, there are a sufficient number of women who will develop cancer as a result of hormone replacement therapy that it is important to weigh the benefits and risks of supplementing with these drugs.

There has been a great deal of hype regarding hormone replacement therapy and the benefits women may reap from taking this type of supplement. However, there are many drawbacks that must also be considered before going ahead with this type of treatment for menopause. The following are some of the cons of hormone replacement therapy that you will want to consider before going ahead with this treatment option.

Con #1 Risk of Endometrial Cancer

One of the drawbacks of hormone replacement therapy is that it increases a woman’s risk of endometrial cancer. This is especially the case with women who still have their uterus. In this case it is important to take progesterone as well as estrogen with the hormone replacement therapy. Women should talk with their doctor regarding any risk factors for endometrial cancer in addition to the benefits they may experience from taking hormone replacement therapy.

Con #2 Increased Blood Clots and Stroke

Another risk factor from taking hormone replacement therapy is the increased risk of blood clots. Women may experience a higher rate of blood clots than other women not taking hormone replacement therapy. If there are other risk factors for blood clots then this should be evaluated and weighed before going ahead with this type of treatment for menopause. There is also an increased risk of stroke in women who take hormone replacement therapy for their menopausal symptoms.

Con #3 Increased Blood Pressure

Women who take hormone replacement therapy for their menopausal symptoms have a higher than normal risk for increased blood pressure. Women with other risk factors for high blood pressure or who already have high blood pressure must carefully review the risks before going ahead.

Con #4 Increased Risk of Breast Cancer

Women who take combination HRT have a higher risks of developing invasive breast cancer.

There are of course benefits to hormone replacement therapy as well including a reduction in menopausal symptoms as well as osteoporosis. Women and their doctors should weigh the benefits and risk factors before determining whether this is the right course of treatment.

Before beginning any type of treatment for menopause it is important for women to evaluate the pros and cons of the treatment they are considering. For example, hormone replacement therapy is beneficial in a variety of ways but it also has its drawbacks. That’s why the following pros of hormone replacement therapy during menopause should be weighed against the drawbacks before making the decision to use this type of treatment.

Pro #1 Prevents Bone Loss

One risk of menopause is the loss of bone mass. Many women lose bone mass as they age and not getting enough exercise is also an issue. However, supplementing with hormone replacement therapy is a great way for women to reduce the risk of osteoporosis due to bone loss.

Pro #2 Relief of Symptoms

Another benefit of hormone replacement therapy is the fact that it can help reduce the symptoms of menopause. Many women experience symptoms like headaches, hot flashes, insomnia, and more when going through menopause. However, when taking hormone replacement therapy many women are able to reduce their symptoms enough to make them bearable.

Pro #3 Reduced Colon Cancer Risk

Another benefit of hormone replacement therapy is the fact that it lowers women’s risk of colon cancer. This is a huge benefit and one that should not be overlooked by women.

Pro #4 Reduced Risk of Macular Degeneration

Another benefit of hormone replacement therapy is that it reduces the risk of macular degeneration in women who use it. Macular degeneration takes place when the retina begins to deteriorate.

Of course, the plus side of hormone replacement therapy should not be considered without talking to one’s doctor about the best treatment methods as well as the cons of this type of therapy. Many menopausal women are only concerned with getting their symptoms resolved in the short term; however it is important to consider the long term effects of hormone replacement therapy to determine if this is the right treatment method.