What is Menopause?

Hot flashes? Mood changes? Tiredness? Weight gain?

This article will explain what is menopause, the causes of Menopause, what is the best homeopathic treatment for Menopause & homeopathic medicines for menopause

Menopause is the period in a woman’s life when menstruation ceases naturally and marks the end of fertility. It’s a natural biological process, commonly beginning in females in the age group of 45-50 years. It's diagnosed after you've gone 12 months without a menstrual period. This process is natural in all women. In some women, there may not be any physical complaints, or in other words, the process is completed without any changes. But in many women, menopause causes symptoms that affect day-to-day life due to fluctuations in hormones.

Certain signs and symptoms occur during menopause, which could be:

• Irregular periods associated with increased or decreased flow
• Vaginal dryness
• Atrophy of the vagina
• Hot flushes (sudden episodes of sweating, feeling of warmth especially in upper body)
• Night sweats
• Sleep problems
• Mood changes causing irritability
• Weight gain and slowed metabolism
• Thinning hair and dry skin
• Loss of breast fullness
• Osteoporosis

Signs and symptoms are different in every woman depending upon your constitution. Skipped periods can be a common symptom of menopause, and despite the irregular periods, pregnancy can occur. So, if you skip periods and are not sure about menopausal transition, get a pregnancy test done at home, and visit your doctor as soon as possible.

What Causes Menopause?

Women are born with many eggs stored in their ovaries. The ovaries also make the hormones estrogen and progesterone, which control their periods (menstruation) and the release of eggs (ovulation). Menopause happens when the ovaries no longer release eggs and menstruation stops.

Causes of menopause:

• Decrease in antral follicle count:
  Antral follicles are the structures that contain the growing eggs in the ovary. This relates to the decreasing function of the ovaries because of natural ageing or because of having had a hysterectomy with the removal of the reproductive organs.
• Diminished levels of estrogen and progesterone:
  As your ovaries age and produce fewer hormones, FSH and LH can no longer effectively manage the regulation of estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone.
• Increase in follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH):
  FSH causes ovarian follicles to increase in size and produce estrogen. As a woman ages, follicles decrease in number and thus estrogen levels decline, as no follicles remain to be stimulated. This decline in estrogen leads to an increase in FSH as there is not enough estrogen being produced to "turn off" the brain's production of FSH.

What' is Post Menopause?

The postmenopausal phase is the time after menopause has ended. The exact age when the post-menstrual period begins varies from woman to woman. During the postmenopausal period, there is normally a decrease in the severity of symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats. Some symptoms, however, like vaginal dryness, may increase throughout this stage of a woman’s life.

Conventional treatment for Menopause

• Hormone Therapy:
  Estrogen therapy is considered one of the most effective treatments for managing menopausal symptoms. However, continuous use of estrogen therapy can carry cardiovascular or breast cancer risks.
   
• Low-dose antidepressants:
  Certain antidepressants, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), may decrease menopausal hot flashes.
   
• Medications to prevent or treat osteoporosis:
  Depending on individual needs, doctors may prescribe certain medications to prevent or treat osteoporosis.
   
• Vaginal Lubricants:
  To help with dryness, vaginal lubricants might be purchased

HomoeoCARE's Approach

Your homeopathic doctor will require a detailed history of the symptoms you experience and specific details about your constitution that differentiate you from others. Homeopathic medicines are free from side effects, and even if the menopausal period is prolonged in certain patients, these medicines will help reduce the intensity of symptoms and may also help shorten the menopausal period.

When you observe any irregularity in menses or any of the above-mentioned signs and symptoms, do visit the nearest homeopathic doctor to get cured and free yourself from trouble.