MENOPAUSE
The menopause is not, strictly speaking, a diagnosis; it's a natural event.
It is defined as
the day that menstruation stops, and is usually deemed to have occurred
when a woman has had no menstrual bleeding for a period of 12 consecutive
months. Any bleeding that occurs after this –
called post-menopausal
bleeding –
may be caused by abnormalities in the uterus and should
be investigated.
The time leading
up to the menopause –
called the peri-menopause –
is characterised
by menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes, night sweats, vaginal dryness
and, in some women, mood swings. These, together with irregularity in
the cycle, are due to increasing failure of the ovarian follicles to
secrete the hormone oestriol. This has effects in the brain, on blood
vessels and on the vagina as well as on bone, which is why post-menopausal
women may be at risk of developing osteoporosis (see the bone and joint
section).
The symptoms associated
with the peri-menopause can be modified by a number of therapies –
hormone replacement therapy, vaginal oestrogen creams, chemicals called
selective oestrogen receptor modulators, and agents that help prevent
the development of osteoporosis. As with all therapies, none are free
of side effects or contra-indications, and none can prevent the menopause,
which is due to the failure of ovarian function. It will occur in all
women, usually between the ages of 50-55. It’
s a natural event.
