WHAT IS MENOPAUSE?
Menopause is defined in the dictionary
as the permanent cessation of the menstrual cycle. This occurs when a woman's
egg supply and ovarian function is depleted. It can occur naturally, or
surgically with removal of both ovaries. A woman is said to be in menopause
when there has been no menstrual period for 12 months. The average age of
menopause is around 50 years in the US. Perimenopause refers to the time
before menopause when the hormone levels begin to decline, the menstrual
periods may become irregular, and fertility is reduced. Perimenopause may come
before actual menopause by as much as 2-8 years, the average being about 4
years. Smoking is known to accelerate the transition phase by 2 years, as it
speeds the aging process in general.
The classic symptoms of menopause
include night sweats, difficulty sleeping, vaginal dryness, depression, and
mood swings. One US study showed nearly 60% of US women had hot flashes as
early as 2 years before menstruation stopped. Other symptoms in the
perimenopause/menopause time frame include poor handling of stress, a more
obvious pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS), weight gain, water retention and
bloating, problems with memory. These symptoms are related to the drastic
changes that are occuring in the body with reducing levels of estrogen and
progesterone.
WHAT ABOUT HORMONE REPLACEMENT
THERAPY (HRT)?
The question as to whether or not to use
HRT has now become a very complex issue. Nearly 30% of menopausal women in the
US are taking hormones, commonly given to relieve the side effects as listed
above. In the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) 16,000 women were studied for
over 5 years, but then the study was prematurely stopped when it was
discovered that the combination of estrogen/progesterone replacement therapy
resulted in an unfavorable risk to benefit analysis. There is no doubt
that the therapy did benefit women's hot flashes and risk of developing
osteoporosis. Unfortunately the study revealed definite increased risk of
developing endometrial (uterus) cancer, breast cancer, venous blood clots, and
probably a risk of stroke and heart attacks. There was also question as to
whether the use of HRT could be linked to gallbladder disease, ovarian cancer,
colon cancer and even possibly an increased incidence of memory loss and
dementia. Some of these risks were directly linked to the time HRT therapy was
taken. In other words, the longer on HRT therapy the higher the risk. Also,
there was less risk with lower dosing of HRT.
WHAT ABOUT ALTERNATIVE THERAPY?
Several naturally occuring plant
extracts have been shown to help with the symptoms of menopause and present a
natural, nutritional supplement alternative to hormone replacement therapy:
Black Cohosh--studies in Germany
have shown a decrease both in the number and level of menopausal symptoms.
RedClover--rich in
phytoestrogens, these little molecules can be extracted from plants such as
soy and have a similar structure to estrogen itself but lack the side effects
of estrogen itself.
Flaxseed--Also contains a
substance with weak estrogen activity.
Soy Isoflavones--also contain
molecules with similar structure to estrogen.
Of course you should talk to your doctor
about your choices of therapy during the menopause and perimenopause time and
what the possible side effects and risks may be to the various treatment
options.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Click
here for a more in depth audio discussion of the information presented
above.
Visit our Women's
Health Section and view our nutritional alternatives that relieve the
menopause symptoms the natural way.