Are you reaching Menopause?

Menopause is defined as stopping of your menstrual periods, permanently. The menopause signifies the end of the fertile reproductive period of life which commenced at adolescence in the early teens. It is a perfectly normal event which occurs in the mid or late forties to early fifties.

Menopause may be considered an end to woman’s fertility but certainly not to her virility. It generally does not decrease a woman’s physical capacity or sexual vigor or enjoyment.

What is Perimenopause?

It is the period of transition from normal menstrual periods to no periods at all. This may be the most difficult period during menopause. The transition can, and usually does, take up to ten years. During the perimenopausal transition you may experience a combination of PMS and menopausal symptoms, though some women may be fortunate to see no symptoms at all.

How may Menopause impact your life ?

In a really healthy woman, the menopausal change takes place without any unpleasant symptoms. The only sign that “change” taking place is the cessation of menstrual flow. There are, however, many women who do not enjoy good health due to imbalanced diet and a faulty style of living. In these cases, the menopausal change often leads to all kinds of distressing physical, emotional and nervous symptoms and manifestations.

Many hormonal changes occur during menopause. Primarily as a result of decreases in estrogen, postmenopausal women are at higher risk of heart disease and osteoporosis.

It could be accompanied with several unpleasant symptoms. Some, such as loss of vaginal lubrication and decreased sex drive, result from the lack of estrogen. You may experience that change as a sensation of itching or dryness. Besides that general discomfort, these symptoms may make intimacy uncomfortable or even painful.

Others, such as hot flashes, are caused by more complex hormonal changes. Hot flashes are temporary episodes of flushing with a sensation of heat. Some women may also feel irritated, annoyed, or frustrated during a hot flash.

Night Sweats are hot flashes that occur at night and may leave you wet with perspiration. They may interrupt your sleep, and those disturbances can, in turn, leave you tired or irritable. Up to 42% of women experience moderate to severe night sweats during the first few years of menopause.

Some women experience depression, anxiety, or insomnia during menopause.

During the menopause, the entire chain of endocrine glands is disturbed, particularly the gonads, thyroid and pituitary.

The severity or otherwise of the symptoms: depend on a variety of factors such as general health, previous surgery and radiation. Menopause and its problems are usually over when menstruation stops.

What are the recommended Natural Treatments of Menopause?

• Diet is a very important factor in treatment of menopause. The problems at menopause are often much more severe than that at puberty largely because the diet has been deficient for many years prior to its onset, in many nutrients such as protein, calcium, magnesium, vitamins D, E and pantothenic acid.
• Flax seed oil is a good source of essential fatty acids. Essential fatty acids must be taken in the diet as the body can not make them. Flax seed oil is rich in ( GLA ) gamma Linolenic acid used by many for PMS and breast tenderness.
• Vitamin B6 levels can be low in depression or in women taking estrogen, in the form of birth control pills or hormone replacement therapy. Pyridoxine, folic acid and vitamin B6 deficiencies have been associated with osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. Food Sources which have good quantities of Vitamin B-complex are whole grains, bananas, potatoes, nuts and seeds, cauliflower.
• Asparagus (Asparagus racemosus) plant contains triterpene saponins - Shatavarin I - IV, which are phytoestrogen compounds. Regular use is recommended in traditional indian medicine for increasing production of estrogen in the body. Its extracts can be taken with other herbs to improve menopausal symptoms
• Asoka (Saraca indica ) extract The bark of Asoka tree contains the estrogenic compound ketosterol. It also has a stimulatory effect on the ovarian tissue and may produce an oestrogen-like effect on the body.
• Black cohosh can be effectively used for women with hot flashes associated with menopause.
• Beet juice has been found very useful in menopausal disorders. It should be taken in small quantities of 60 to 90 ml at a time thrice a day. It has proved much more permanently helpful than the degenerative effects of drugs or synthetic hormones.
• Another traditionally recommended remedy has been Carrot seeds. A concotion made up milk with a teaspoon of carrot seeds boiled for 10 mins or so can be taken every night before sleeping.

No Comments yet »

RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI

Leave a comment