Menopause: what it is and how it occurs
Difficult to face and manage, menopause is not a disease, but a period in the life of every woman in which the reproductive season comes to an end.
In fact, menopause coincides with the end of menstruation and often this physiological change is accompanied by a series of changes that also involve the emotional, social, affective and psychic spheres in general. It is customary to speak of "climacteric" precisely to indicate all these events that precede and accompany the actual menopause which, far from onset abruptly, instead occurs gradually over a period of time between 5 and 10 years.
The climacteric
During the climacteric which, as we have said, can last several years, menstrual cycles can be interrupted for variable periods, then return in a more or less intense and frequent way. All these variations oblige each woman to actually become aware of the change in progress, not only physical but also psychological, and to take note of the new cycle of life that awaits her. If years ago menopause was faced in a more casual, disinterested and, if you like, resigned way, today perhaps we are witnessing a radically opposite phenomenon that tends to invest women with excessive anxiety, fear, obsessive search for information. Very right to arrive at this crucial moment prepared and informed, wrong to be overwhelmed by anticipatory anxiety and too much worry.
See also
Menopause: at what age
Menopause usually occurs between the ages of 50 and 52 as a world average. It is interesting to note that this age period, according to what has come down to us, has not changed over the course of time: in fact, even at the time of the Greeks and the Roman Empire, the age was around 50 years.
However, there are aggravating factors, which interfere by often decreasing the age of this event. These are mainly:
- Smoking, both active and passive;
- Power type;
- Body mass index, if it is lower than ideal;
- Alcohol abuse.
Menopause: the symptoms
In menopause, a considerable percentage of women complain of the appearance of various types of disorders, all attributable to the state of ovarian hormone deficiency and they can be of variable clinical entity. Some of them have early onset if not immediate and have the characteristic of reversibility, others appear later and undergo a progressive worsening with the passage of time. For example, it is now well known and documented that in the postmenopausal period women have to face an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, osteoporosis and dystrophic pathologies of the genitourinary system. However, the symptoms that most affect the quality of life of the menopausal women are generally the less severe ones, divided into neurovegetative disorders and psychoaffective disorders.
Neurovegetative disorders
- Hot flashes
- Night sweats
- Palpitations
- Tachycardia
- Dizziness
- Sleep disorders
- Vaginal dryness
- Genital itching
Among these, hot flashes are by far the most common disorder, which occurs in 60-70% of cases and can persist for times ranging from a few months to a few years, with a frequency ranging from numerous episodes over a period of an "hour with sporadic episodes over a month".
Psychoaffective Disorders
- Irritability
- Fatigue
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Unstable mood
- Demotivation
- Memory disturbances
- Difficulty concentrating
- Less interest in sex
Among the psychological factors, the most important is depression (the average calculated is 50% of women), even if the cause of this correlation is not well understood. However, it is also believed to be an effect of the decrease in hormones, more precisely of the decrease in estradiol, a hormone that is produced by the ovaries during the menstrual cycle.
Decreased sexual desire is also quite common. The loss of fertility, the belief of being less desirable, the first visible signs of aging associated with a different perception of one's body can create situations of psychological distress which, added to physical causes such as greater vaginal dryness and an increase in the possibility of developing local inflammations, sometimes lead to a lack of interest, almost annoyance, towards sex.
Menopause: the diagnosis
For a correct diagnosis it is good to wait 12 months from the last menstruation, but after 6 months the probability is very high, especially if the 50-year threshold has been exceeded. However, there are some pathologies - such as thyroid dysfunctions, polycystic ovary syndrome, uterine carcinoma - which should be excluded from the outset.
