WOMAN IN THE CLIMACTERIC PERIOD.
More recently, it was believed that in the life of a woman there is a very unpleasant period associated with various suffering that cannot be avoided. This is the so-called menopause. And so the women themselves were waiting for him with fear.
WHAT IS A CLIMACTERIC PERIOD?
The climacteric period in Latin is Klimakterium or menopause. is a normal condition that every woman goes through, sometimes without even knowing it. This condition is associated with the extinction of ovarian function and with a decrease (until they completely stop hormone production. The formation of mature female germ cells gradually ceases. Thus, menopause signifies a loss of fertility and transition to infertility.
WHEN DOES THE CLIMACTERIC PERIOD START?
Menopause begins in some women earlier, in others – later, but in most cases at the age of about 45 years. Some women believe that the onset of this period and its duration are associated with the intensity of sexual activity and the number of births. They believe that childbirth “exhausts the ovaries” and therefore in women who have given birth many times, menopause occurs earlier and is accompanied by great suffering. This view is incorrect. More frequent childbirth and a more pronounced ability to conceive are likely to reflect good ovarian function and good overall health. A large number of births does not harm a healthy woman.
Based on experience, we know that promiscuous sex life, combined with alcohol abuse and smoking and an improper lifestyle, have a harmful effect on the body, which can accelerate the onset of menopause.
In addition to the external influences that we talked about, heredity affects the onset of the menopause. In some families, the climacteric period in women begins before the age of 45, and in others much later.
Early menopause.
Sometimes the menopause begins unexpectedly early, before the age of 40 years. In this case, we are talking about an early menopause. It is usually possible to establish that the mother or grandmother of this woman also had an early menopause. Women from such families usually have a late onset of menstruation, usually at the age of 18-20 years.
Early menopause sometimes begins after serious infectious diseases, diseases of the endocrine glands, after severe poisoning or other serious health conditions.
Late menopause .
In some women, we encounter the opposite phenomenon. Menopause begins much later (at the age of 50 and even 55 years). In this case, they talk about late menopause. If such a woman has no other deviations from the norm, then there is nothing to be afraid of. But we advise every woman whose menstruation comes regularly after 50 years to be examined annually by a gynecologist.
HOW DOES CLIMAX MANIFEST?
The most common sign of a beginning menopause is the increasing irregularity of menstrual bleeding. In most women, the amount of menstrual flow begins to decrease until they completely disappear. In some women, at the beginning of menopause, while maintaining the intensity of bleeding, the intervals between individual periods increase; then comes the moment when menstruation stops completely.
We are also aware of such cases when menstruation comes regularly, but once does not come, and forever. Moreover, women often suspect that they are pregnant. This suspicion may be justified, and therefore a woman should consult a doctor. In this case, without a special examination it is impossible to talk about anything with complete confidence. Any slight deviations in menstrual bleeding during the menopause are considered normal, and therefore the doctor does not affect them in any way.
Violations that sometimes occur in the menopause.
Some women have a menopause without any discomfort. Others have certain disorders. If a woman knows about menopausal disorders, she is not surprised by them and in most cases copes with them well.
In some women, during menopause, so-called hot flashes are noted . Hot flashes usually occur unexpectedly. Initially, a woman feels heat in her face, which spreads to the neck and other parts of the body. Then the heat is replaced by a feeling of cold and then sweat appears. In this case, the face turns red. Tides occur not only during the day, but also at night, and then the woman wakes up all in sweat, and in some cases with a strong heartbeat.
The unpleasant sensations described above arise as a result of a disturbance in the activity of the nervous system and, above all, the autonomic nervous system. This nervous system that regulates the functioning of blood vessels, heart, endocrine glands, genitals, digestive tract, etc., does not obey our will. She is very sensitive to changes in the level of hormones in the body. Therefore, its activity is so sharply disrupted in the menopause, when the hormonal function of the ovaries progressively decreases.
If the discomfort associated with the tide does not go away for a long time even after washing with cold water, we recommend that you consult a gynecologist. Especially you should not hesitate to visit a doctor in cases where the flushes are accompanied by a dull headache, which may be caused by high blood pressure, which requires special treatment. But this question is decided by the doctor after the examination.
One of the unpleasant phenomena with menopause in women is too frequent or too heavy bleeding. And in these cases it is not necessary to postpone visiting the doctor for a long time. Sometimes it is necessary to marvel at the frivolity of women who, with prolonged bleeding, go to the doctor only a few weeks after the start of the bleeding, that is, when their mental and physical strength has been exhausted. But because of excessive blood loss, dangerous anemia can occur, which in most cases requires a blood transfusion, and this prolongs treatment in a hospital.
The decrease in the production of female sex hormones observed in the menopause can temporarily affect the activity of the nervous system and even the brain. Memory may deteriorate, physical and mental performance may decrease, nervousness, irritability, increased sensitivity and vulnerability, tearfulness, etc. may develop. All these disorders are temporary and usually disappear after menopause.
Under the influence of hormonal changes, changes occur in the tissues of the mammary gland . Some women in the menopause feel painful tension in them, especially in the area of the nipples. Sometimes small painful nodules form in the tissue of the mammary glands, which disappear over time and then reappear. A woman who has discovered such nodules in herself thinks she has a tumor. In such cases, you should definitely consult a gynecologist.
A lot of chagrin for some women in the menopause is caused by an increase in body weight. Fat is deposited mainly on the hips and abdomen. The reason for this is not so much in hormonal changes as in the mismatch between the amount of food consumed and the energy expenditure, which during this period decreases due to a decrease in physical activity. At the same time, women are saddened not only by the fact that they cannot wear their dresses, but also by the fact that they lose their harmony and flexibility. If you take the necessary measures in time, you can get rid of excess body weight. You need to eat right and increase physical activity.
Why do many women do not have any disturbances during menopause? Doctors, studying this issue, came to the following conclusion: most often menopause women with good health, calm, balanced character, women satisfied with family life and work can easily tolerate menopause. This also applies to women who have given birth to many who have not had a difficult birth, as well as to women who have not seriously suffered from childhood and adulthood. In most cases, these are women in whom an abundance of vital interests did not leave time for lengthy reflection on their life problems.
DOES A WOMAN EXTEND THE SEXUAL SENSE?
Some women fear that menopause means the end of sexual activity, that during this period sexual feelings cease. This is not true. With the onset of menopause, the childbearing period ends, and sexual life continues, since it is not associated with the presence of hormones and the ability to conceive in humans. In most women, after the climacteric period in sexual life, almost nothing changes. Only in exceptional cases during this period, some parts of the genitals are reduced so much that sexual intercourse becomes painful, and this leads to a woman losing her sex drive.
In some women, sex drive may decrease under the influence of thoughts that she has become very old and that at her age, sexual intercourse is immoral (as pious women often say). Such a woman believes that at her age you need to take care of children and grandchildren, and not think about “sexual entertainment.” These incorrect (and unnecessary) thoughts can significantly reduce sex drive, especially in those women in whom it was poorly developed from the very beginning.
In most women, sexuality in the menopause and at its completion practically does not change.
Can a woman in a menopause become pregnant? Even before the onset of menopause, the woman’s ability to conceive is significantly reduced. However, as medical practice shows, one cannot fully rely on this. There are many cases when women became pregnant during menopause. Therefore, one should reckon with the possibility of pregnancy and use contraceptives throughout the menopause.
HORMONE TREATMENT AND CLIMACTERIC PERIOD.
They write and talk a lot about hormones as a treatment method. With a number of diseases, they give good results. But there are women who still believe that with the help of hormones you can stay youthful for a long time. They come to the doctor and ask them to prescribe hormones. Most often, these women are in the initial stage of menopause. In this regard, we would like to explain what the use of hormones in menopause actually leads to.
With the help of hormones, it is impossible to extend the childbearing period, just as it is impossible to preserve the appearance of a young look. The menstrual bleeding that can be caused in the menopause with the help of hormones is not really a true menstruation, since it is not preceded by the release of an egg from the ovary.
The use of hormones in the menopause without a doctor’s prescription can lead to some undesirable and unsafe complications, which, for example, include massive uterine bleeding. Hormones can also contribute to the onset of tumors.
Provide a solution to the question of whether you need hormones, a doctor. Now there are many tools that help to cope with violations in the menopause, which act better than hormones. The right way of life allows you to avoid many disorders or at least easier to tolerate them. First of all, you should remember about daily stay in the fresh air and sufficient physical activity, especially women who have to sit or work at work in poorly ventilated areas.
Daily exercise is needed by people at any age, but with menopause they become simply necessary. They contribute to better blood circulation, improve breathing and ensure normal bowel function. However, women with hot flashes should not do slopes or other exercises that increase blood flow to the head. Daily rubdowns with cold water not only refresh, but also beneficially affect the skin circulation. Cold shower before bed in most cases eliminates sleep disturbance.
Those women who have a tendency toward fullness in the menopause should exclude sweet foods and fatty meat from food, limit the consumption of flour dishes, as well as sauces and seasonings containing flour. Food should not be too spicy or salty. The basis of food should be fruits, vegetables, milk, cheese, lean meat. Women with hot flashes are contraindicated in coffee, alcohol, and smoking. The easiest way to reduce excess body weight is to introduce one or two “fruit” or “vegetable” days a week. On such days, you should eat only vegetables or fruits (up to 1 kg).
It is necessary to ensure that the chair is regular. First of all, this is achieved by developing the habit of emptying the intestines at the same time of day. With a tendency to constipation, regular exercise or drinking a laxative mineral water have a good effect.
Of the sports, hiking, swimming and skiing are most acceptable. Long sun exposure is not recommended, especially for women with hot flashes. An important place should be occupied by rest, both daily and at weekends. Rest should be active: walking, gardening, picking up mushrooms, etc.
There is a big difference between the need for rest in youth, when a person is full of strength, and in the menopause, when these forces become much less. Therefore, you need to have a reasonable rest. And do not forget at least once a year to undergo an examination with a gynecologist. Hypokinesia.
The development of household appliances (home appliances) and the construction of dwellings with amenities (elevator, central heating, water supply, sewage) reduce the need for movement and physical activity. Currently, the need for physical labor is gradually approaching zero. However, it would be naive to blame the achievements of technology and social progress that make life easier in the now widespread coronary heart disease, obesity, peptic ulcer, diabetes mellitus or various mental disorders. It would be absurd to urge humanity to renounce the benefits of technological progress. Thanks to them, working time was reduced and free time was extended, which is rightly considered social wealth.
Lack of movement and the associated lack of muscle activity have a dramatically negative effect on the body. Even patients are not allowed to lie motionless in bed for a long time. All because of the same danger of hypokinesia and physical inactivity. Physical underloading affects 80-90% of the working population. Lack of movement negatively affects the compensatory ability of the cardiovascular and nervous systems.
A person who is not used to physical exercises should start carefully and with small loads, which can be increased as physical abilities develop. For self-monitoring, you should monitor your heart rate. The optimal frequency during physical exertion of the pulse is considered to be 120-140 beats per minute, the maximum allowable – 160 beats.
An important indicator that regulates the load is well-being. Exercise should be fun and satisfying. But if 10 minutes after the end of the workout, shortness of breath and heartbeat do not go away, if after 2 hours the feeling of fatigue and weakness persists, if the next night the sleep is restless, then the load was too great and should be reduced.
In order to avoid a lack of movement and to attach the body to physical activity, only the determination to begin and the willpower to continue is required. To a completely healthy person, you can draw advice for classes from the relevant literature. If your health is already undermined, it is useful to consult a doctor. It would be wrong to completely abandon physical exercises, because they cannot be replaced by anything else. Physical education is sometimes the only way to improve the body and get rid of chronic ailments.