If there is one medical complaint common for women of a certain age, it’s menopause. This unavoidable condition usually comes about in a woman’s late 40s, and we’ll explain what menopause is and the causes before we take a look at the best and most successful type of menopause treatment in West Palm Beach.
Menopause can affect men. However, it usually affects women.
Let’s begin by explaining what menopause is and how it is triggered in simple terms.
What is Menopause?
If you want to learn more about menopause, that link takes you to a reputable clinic that has plenty of information on the subject on its website. So, what is menopause?
Put, menopause is a time in a woman’s life where her ovaries stop producing eggs. This results in her no longer experiencing her regular period. The changes in how the patient feels can be quite considerable. This is due to hormonal changes that come about due to her reproductive system shutting down.
We’ll explain the symptoms a little later on, but first, we need to talk in more detail about hormones, what they are, and why they are essential to this subject and our overall health.
What are Hormones?
Think of the human body as a type of complex machine. Within us are many components that work together to ensure that the machine operates correctly. Unfortunately, as with any device, some of those components can become damaged or pass their natural lifespan. The ovaries, for example, are one such component that only has a limited life.
The nervous system is the central controlling part of the body, and it takes messages to and from the brain, which instruct us to perform tasks that we need to. Some of these messages are carried through the bloodstream by chemical messengers, the hormones. There are many hormones, but the one we are interested in with regard to menopause is called estrogen.
Estrogen is a dominant hormone in the female body – just as testosterone is in the male – and is responsible for the development and operation of the reproductive system. It also has a significant effect on our general development and bone density, on cognitive performance and memory, and other areas of our public health.
Menopause comes about when a woman’s estrogen levels dramatically drop, thanks to the ovaries having reached the end of their lifetime. Let’s have a look at some of the symptoms before we talk about dealing with menopause and the appropriate treatment.
Is Menopause Dangerous?
Essentially menopause is not dangerous. However, some of the symptoms can be if they are left unattended to. A woman entering menopause will generally experience the following:
- Suffering from chronic hot flashes
- Experiencing night sweats
- Having regular bouts of insomnia
- Feeling dryness and thinning of the skin, which can be especially bad in the vaginal area
- Feeling a diminished sex drive and loss of sensitivity to stimulation
- Noticing early signs of hair Loss
- Dealing with serious anxiety
- Feeling forgetful, which can be warning signs that you may have an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease
- Having depression and other mood changes
Most of those are not inherently dangerous, yet a combination of depression and anxiety is a potentially lethal. This – and the fact it can also lead to Alzheimer’s – is a reason to get a medical diagnosis as soon as is possible. How is menopause treated?
How is Menopause Treated?
Fortunately, menopause can be treated and controlled. This is done by way of hormone replacement therapy. The process replaces the missing estrogen with either a synthetic form or a bioidentical one. The latter is created in a laboratory and is identical in biology to that we produce naturally. This method is rapidly becoming the most popular one for women as it has the best effects.
The hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is performed through oral pills, creams or lotions that are put on the skin and absorbed. This is an ongoing process and will relieve the woman of the symptoms that she is undergoing because of the menopause. It is simple, successful, and risk free, and is a process that has been performed for millions of women across the world for a long time. Here are some of the benefits a woman can expect once she starts to feel the effects of HRT:
- Improved Libido and Better Sexual Performance – Our menopause patients see an increased sex drive, less vaginal dryness, and report more satisfying sexual experiences.
- Increased Energy and Stamina – Our approach to hormone therapy has been shown to increase metabolism, which boosts your ability to turn fat into energy.
- Improved Memory and Cognition – Hormone therapy for women has been shown to improve memory, focus, and concentration.
- Stronger Bones – Hormone therapy for women leads to stronger, healthier bones and decreases your risk of osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a common and serious complication of menopause.
While it is often associated mainly with loss of sex drive, it’s clear from the above that estrogen is responsible for a great deal more in a typical woman’s life.
Before we conclude, it’s worth knowing that some men also go through an equivalent to the menopause – known as andropause – which occurs when the testes stop producing the male hormone, testosterone. The effects are similar to those experienced by the woman with loss of sexual performance and erectile dysfunction to the fore. The andropause can also be treated with an HRT process using bioidentical or synthetic replacement testosterone.
You should try to stay active. There are a lot of things that women with menopause can do to stay fit.
Should I Undergo HRT?
It is imperative that, should you notice any of the symptoms we have mentioned or begin to feel different and miss a period, you should see a doctor straight away. Not only could this be a sign of menopause, but some of the associated symptoms can also be a sign of more severe problems.
Your doctor will refer you to an HRT clinic where you will meet a consultant who will talk to you about your problems and lifestyle and recommend a course of HRT to get you back on track. Soon you will feel like a new woman again, so make that call now.
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