Recognizing menopause: How to correctly interpret the first signs
After the 40th birthday they start at some point, the menopause. The term menopause is often thrown up at the same time, and many equate it with menopause. However, this is a mistake. We will explain the midlife phase to you in detail, name the symptoms and examine the hormonal changes.
Menopause and menopause: This is how the terms are related
The terms menopause and menopause are often mentioned in the same breath. However, they do not mean the same thing. The menopause stands for the entire period in which the hormonal change takes place. Menopause, on the other hand, is only part of this period.
Menopause : The term menopause or climacteric refers to a few years before and after a woman’s 50th birthday. No one can predict exactly when that time will come. Menopause starts earlier for some and later for others. This is to be seen individually. During this time, numerous hormonal changes take place in the organism. This process does not start suddenly overnight, rather you will find this process to be very gradual. There are numerous signs pointing to things happening. Suffer from insomnia sometime between 40 and 50or hot flashes, this is a clear sign that your body is starting to adapt. If your menstrual cycle changes as well, you can be sure that you are in menopause, although there are many more symptoms. It then takes a few years for the menopause to end.
Menopause : Menopause is something that takes place during menopause. Translated from the Greek, the term actually means the end of the month. From this it can already be deduced that this part of the menopause takes place at the very end. If you are going through menopause and have not had a period for a full year, then menopause has occurred. After that there is no more ovulation . For you, this means that there is no more menstrual bleeding and you can no longer become pregnant. The ovaries no longer produce any follicles due to the changed hormone situation. The ovary thus loses its actual task, which results in the end of menstrual bleeding.
Premature Menopause : There are some women who experience early menopause, well before the age of 50. So far, science has not been able to clearly explain why this is so. However, there are some factors that should favor this circumstance. Women who have not had children or who have a genetic disposition can be among those affected. Diseases of the thyroid gland, rheumatism or undergone chemotherapy can also be responsible. These circumstances cannot be influenced, but smoking can, which can also be seen as a factor.
Hormonal changes during menopause
Your female cycle is controlled by numerous hormones as long as you are of childbearing age. The required hormones are formed in different parts of your body. The diencephalon, the pituitary gland and the ovaries are involved.
The follicles in the ovary are stimulated by a hormone every month so that they can mature into a follicle. This function is performed by FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone). The egg cells, on the other hand, produce estrogen. This hormone builds up the uterine lining. If this is high enough, ovulation is triggered with the participation of the brain.
The corpus luteum remains. In turn, it produces progesterone. This hormone causes the uterine lining to prepare for a possible pregnancy. If no egg cell has been fertilized and consequently has not implanted itself in the lining of the uterus, progesterone production stops. As a result, menstrual bleeding begins.
The older you get, the less sensitive your ovaries become. They are, so to speak, blunted against the hormonal stimulation that takes place every month. This decreasing sensitivity means that ovulations are becoming less frequent. This in turn means that less estrogen is produced in the follicles.
These effects result from the altered hormonal situation
The less FSH stimulates the follicles, the more irregular the menstrual cycle can be. Either the cycle becomes longer or shorter, it can also occasionally stop completely. You can consider these as the first signs of the onset of menopause, if you are not already feeling other symptoms.
From the mid-30s, your fertility drops significantly with each additional year of life. It is actually almost impossible to get pregnant naturally from the mid-40s. Such late pregnancies usually only occur in women who have had several children before.
Since this is a transition phase, in which more is possible in one month and less in the next, you should pay special attention to contraception. If you take the pill , your gynecologist will no longer prescribe you after your 50th birthday. However, the menopause does not have to have taken place by then. So get good advice from your doctor on this topic.
Am I already in menopause?
If several of the following typical symptoms apply to you, you can roughly estimate whether you are already going through menopause. However, this cannot replace a visit to the doctor. If you suffer from the fluctuating hormones, you should definitely make an appointment with your gynaecologist. In a personal consultation, the doctor can record your symptoms and, through further examinations, determine what health restrictions are present. He can treat you specifically so that your quality of life increases again.
These are the typical symptoms of menopause
Throughout the menopause period, including menopause, there may be some symptoms that tell you it’s time. If the hormones in your body change, some signs occur more often and in many women, so that they are also referred to as the most common symptoms. These include, among others:
- Hot flashes : A hot flash is usually followed by shivering.
- Sweats : These can appear anywhere on the body. Night sweats are also possible.
- Menstrual cycle fluctuations : First, the menstrual periods become a little less, then one stops every now and then. Finally, you enter menopause.
- Dry mucous membranes : It can happen that your eyes get a little drier or you suffer from dry mouth. Since the vagina is also lined with mucous membrane, a dry vagina can also affect sex life.
- Sleep Problems : This is less about problems falling asleep and more about waking up in the middle of the night and then having a hard time falling asleep again. It is not uncommon for severe heart palpitations to be involved. Nightmares are also possible.
- Mood swings : They occur more often in those who have already reacted very moodily during menstruation.
- Weight gain : During menopause, both energy consumption and fat distribution change. This can cause you to gain weight and change your body shape. The fat is now increasingly stored in the abdominal region. Even if you significantly reduce your calorie consumption , you will probably just manage to maintain your weight.