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Understanding the hormonal cycle and how hormones affect the body
is an important part of treating Menopause. If you can visualize
what your body is going through, in short, if you are body conscious,
then you will have more success at treating and coping with Menopause.
There are thousands of tiny sacs within each ovary called follicles.
When a woman experiences her first period, she has close to a ½
million follicles, each of which are filled with eggs. Early in
each menstrual cycle, one egg will begin to prepare for the journey
to the uterus. At mid-cycle, the follicle will burst open, and the
egg will then pass into the fallopian tube, and on into the uterus.
This process is called ovulation. If it meets sperm along the way,
the egg may be fertilized, and the resulting fertilized egg soon
begins to divide and differentiate into multiple cells while continuing
its journey to the uterus. The lining of the uterus has become thicker
and enriched with blood and nutrients. When the fertilized egg reaches
its destination, it can easily implant itself into the uterine wall
and begin to grow into an infant. If the egg is not fertilized,
it still continues its journey into the uterus. In the absence of
a hormonal message fertilization has occurred, the uterus ends its
preparations for pregnancy and discards the endometrial lining it
has built up, as well as the extra blood and nutrients it has amassed.
This familiar event is known as menstruation. Once menstruation
starts to lose its regularity this may mean the body is entering
perimenopause. A cessation of periods completely means that the
body has entered the state known as menopause.
As the body enters the state of menopause, first passing through
perimenopause the ovaries begin to produce hormones in smaller amounts.
Estrogen and progesterone are the most significantly affected, but
androgen is also affected though not to the extent of the other
two. Estrogen and progesterone in their reduced levels are often
the cause of shorter, irregular cycles and the beginning of perimenopause.
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Estrogen is a combination of three primary estrogens: Estriol,
Estradiol, and Estrone. Estrogen is responsible for the development
of most the female specific traits, i.e. breasts, vulva, etc. Estradiol
is the strongest of the estrogens, responsible for ovulation and
menstruation. Estrone is more important after the menopause and
Estriol is manufactured from the placenta and fetus during pregnancy.
Estrogens lower the risk of cardio vascular disease and help prevent
osteoporosis. Conversely, too much estrogen can present a heightened
breast cancer risk and a carcinoma of the cervix.
Progesterone is the dominant reproductive hormone during the last
portion of the menstrual cycle. A lack of progesterone can cause
a wide range of problems. The primary task of this hormone is to
prepare the body for reproduction. Progesterone stimulates the growth
of the endometrial lining and prepares breast tissue for the production
of milk. Progesterone receptors are found mostly in reproductive
organs. While estrogen continues to be produced at significant levels
throughout a woman’s’ entire life, progesterone is drastically
reduced after menopause. Progesterone counteracts many of the effects
of Estrogen and is therefore often used in concert during Hormone
Replacement Therapies. Progesterone helps mitigate the effects of
Hot Flashes and PMS.
Androgens are believed to contribute to sexual desire along with
enhancing energy levels and a sense of well-being. They also contribute
to bone growth and the functioning of the brain and eye along with
a variety of other functions. Androgen also accentuates several
characteristics during menopause such as facial hair and deeper
voice. While androgen levels drop during menopause they do not drop
as significantly as estrogen, thus accounting for their increased
presence in comparison to other hormones.
Hormone Replacement Therapy has been used for close to four decades
now. While it seems to help the body towards a natural state of
equilibrium and seems to counteract some of the more debilitative
effects of perimenopause, there are a significant number of side
effects to such treatments.
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Most
have PMS-like side effects and additionally often are accompanied
by an increased risk of stroke, breast and ovarian cancer, high
blood pressure, weight gain and fluid retention, mood swings and
depression. There are many different medications and therapies available,
some concentrating solely on estrogen replacement, others offering
combinative treatments involving estrogen, progesterone and androgen.
Certain risk factors such as high blood pressure, hypoglycemia and
other factors should be taken into account before embarking on any
replacement therapy and definitely a primary healthcare provider
should be involved in the decision making process.
If the prospect of adding more chemicals, pills, creams, gels and
other foreign additives into the swirling mixture of your body’s
chemistry which already seems chaotic at best, then there are alternative
methods use to help relieve and accentuate the body’s natural
losses. The intent of these procedures is just the same as that
of Hormone Replacement Therapy; to assist the body towards a state
of equilibrium it will reach at menopause and to make that transition
as smooth as possible by alleviating the suffering caused by side
effects. There are many creams do reduce vaginal dryness, along
with hypertensive drugs that should reduce hot flashes. Incontinence
can be treated through electrical stimulation or collagen implants.
Bone loss can be treated with medications ranging from Fosamax to
calcitonin. Also Bisphosphonates can be used also for bone loss.
In closing, an understanding of the major parts hormones play throughout
the life of a woman, from puberty through all phases of her life
up to and including post menopause is vitally important. A body
well managed will help to alleviate some of the pressure the menopausal
woman will experience as her body moves through the journey towards
the state of menopause.
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