As women enter the menopause stage of life, the body goes through an immense number of changes, including a huge fluctuation in hormone levels. Levels of estrogen and progesterone plummet and this results in symptoms such as hot flashes, insomnia, and fat gain. When hormone levels change dramatically, as they do during menopause, sexual desire, mood, and ovulation becomes affected. If estrogen and progesterone levels don’t balance, it creates a domino effect, as the gonadotrophin releasing hormone impacts the hypothalamus; which in turn, affects the pituitary gland and this causes issues with the uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries.
Menopause is ultimately the final cessation of a woman’s fertility and menstrual periods; an unavoidable symptom of aging. It normally takes place over the course of 3 years with 48 – 51 being the average age of women going through menopause. Obviously, it can happen much earlier in some women, especially if the female in question had her ovaries removed as part of a treatment, such as for cancer. The driving force of menopause is the imbalance in the female reproductive hormones and the premenopausal period that comes before it.
Although menopause takes place over a 3-year period, some unfortunate women can have symptoms, such as hot flashes and night sweats for over 10 years. These issues are caused by the rapidly falling levels of estrogen, which causes the hypothalamus (the body’s thermometer) to give out false readings. This makes the body erroneously think it is overheating and it boosts blood flow to the skin to reduce the heat. As a result, women experience intense heat along with blotchy skin and a rapidly racing heart.
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is recommended by many physicians to women experiencing menopausal symptoms. All HTR treatments contain the estrogen hormone, which replaces the hormone no longer made by the ovaries. It helps to balance hormone levels and reduces or, in some cases, eliminates menopause symptoms such as fatigue and vaginal dryness. Over the long-term, HRT is excellent for helping to prevent serious issues, such as bowel cancer and osteoporosis that can occur if a hormonal imbalance is not treated.
It is important for patients to choose bio-identical hormones as these are created to replicate the hormones produced by the body. Synthetically made hormones don’t do this and as a result, the body can reject them and cause the very symptoms the laboratory made hormones were developed to prevent!
There are also a host of non-HRT treatments that can help balance hormone levels. For example, studies suggest that active women suffer fewer symptoms of menopause, so consider regular low-impact exercise, such as cycling or swimming. Some women find that avoiding caffeine, smoking, alcohol, and spicy foods help, because all of these items can act as ‘triggers’. Clinically tested medication is also available on the market though these can be extremely expensive. Hormonal imbalance is the cause of menopause, but you don’t have to suffer permanently, think about what HRT can do for you and book an appointment with a respected clinic to find out more. If in Arizona, please click here to contact Dr. Maturo for further information.
