Menopause is closely associated with aging, of course we all know that. Women nearing their menopause phase are most likely to find it scary, if not embarrassing since menopause denotes a somewhat awkward stage their reproductive system has to undergo. Some may even refuse to acknowledge the fact that menopausal symptoms are now knocking on their doors! On the other hand, some aging women are comfortable enough to discuss health concerns that come with menopause with their doctors.
At age 40, you are bound to experience menopausal symptoms once in a while although at this point, nothing is permanent. You will notice changes on your menstrual cycle—erratic, to be exact. There will be three to five years of transition before you finally hit menopause. This transition period is called as perimenopause. Inside the body, estrogen levels are gradually falling and your ovaries may not produce eggs on what was once a regular basis. Menstrual bleeding varies from one month to another, it can be heavy bleeding this month and shortened, light bleeding the next. However, it is important that you seek help from your doctor during perimenopause as it needs to be monitored. Be especially aware of heavy bleeding—it should be reported to your doctor at once—as well as bleeding nonstop for about two weeks or if you experience bleeding right after sex. Do note that heavy bleeding may indicate other health problems as well such as cyst and even cancer.
Once you hit menopause, your odds of getting pregnant is significantly lower however, during perimenopause, you must still practice precaution as you can still get pregnant. While it is still possible for a woman to conceive during perimenopause, the risk of having a miscarriage is higher thus carrying the child to fullterm requires much more medical care than a normal pregnancy.
During perimenopause, aging women will experience some of the usual things common to menopause such as hot flashes and vaginal dryness. Headaches and mood swings are also expected during this time. However, do note that premature menopause can be induced either by surgery which is basically upon removal of ovaries or by treatments and drugs, for example, radiation treatments or chemo drugs.
If you are now experiencing perimenopause, you might want to load up on calcium as well since menopause is closely associated with calcium deficiency—even osteoporosis. Also, if you are thinking about hormone replacement therapy to alleviate symptoms, discuss this with your doctor first to know its pros and cons.
