Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Early Menopause - Symptoms and Solutions

By Jean J Baker

Several uncomfortable symptoms appear when menopause happens. Women should not despair though because there are many menopause treatments available today. In fact some treatments are very simple things you can do on your own without a doctor. There are also naturally based substances that can be taken. Of course there is the hormone replacement therapy (HRT), which is one of many menopause treatments.

It's not always clear why menopause happens early which of course can make you feel frustrated and even annoyed. Often, however, there are reasons why it has happened at an earlier time of life and we'll explore these reasons now...

When women have to have a hysterectomy it throws them into menopause immediately. Women have had to have hysterectomies for various reasons early in their lives sometimes cancer is at fault and sometimes they have fibroid tumors bad enough to need them. This is one reason for women having either premature or early menopause. Menopause often happens to women going through treatment for cancer. Chemotherapy kills good cells even in the ovaries along with the cancer cells. Sometimes these women only go through menopause temporarily though sometimes it can by permanent though.

Certain autoimmune diseases can cause what is known as Premature ovarian failure (POV) which leads to early menopause. A genetic predisposition can also cause this. POV will cause the ovaries to not only stop any egg production but they also stop producing hormones.

The symptoms for early menopause are identical to regularly occurring menopause. But because this type of menopause is usually brought on due to illness, surgery, or even genetics, the severity of the symptoms are much worse. These symptoms are mood swings, night sweats, insomnia, headaches, joint and muscle pain, and hot flashes. Weight gain is common during this time too along with water retention.

Along with mood swings, women can get quite depressed, forgetful, and have cravings. Hormone levels changing in the woman's body cause this. When menopause is brought on early, women go through these symptoms much faster than in natural menopause. Women suffer a severe rapid loss of estrogen and this leads to all the symptoms mentioned.

Treatment for early menopause is the same for natural menopause. Many women have benefited from hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Some women choose the patches over taking the pill form. The patches gradually deposit estrogen into the body through the skin. Also, women should have a support group to help them through the bad days. This group can consist of friends, family, or women going through menopause too. Over the years, the symptoms do usually get better and most of the time women can come off the HRT.

Red clover isoflavone or Black Cohosh have been suggested as supplements to take in order to reduce hot flashes and other related symptoms of menopause. Evening Primrose Oil, Vitex Agnus Castus, and Dong Quai are also commonly used to help. Any good health food store will be able to supply you with these however you should take appropriate advice and educate yourself before taking any supplements or HRT treatment.

About the Author:

No comments: