The causes can be genetic or anatomical, but in both cases hormone replacement is strongly recommended.
In this week’s Ask the Expert we talk about premature menopause. If you also have questions about health, psychology, wellness, exercise or nutrition, please write to ana.lourenco@estadao.com or send a DM to our Instagram.
Answer Dr. Carla Iaconelli, gynecologist.
Early menopause is menopause it happens before the age of 40. And we will discover that the woman is there only when she passes a year and she no longer has her period. It is only after this period that we consider that you are in ovarian failure and you will no longer menstruate.
We consider menopause to be the last period of a woman’s life, just as menarche is the first. Different from climacteric, that the period this menopause occurs. It begins before menopause, can last five to ten years and is characterized by changes in hormone levels, especially estrogen.
Estrogen comes from the ovary and only the ovary that can produce follicles can produce estrogen. Therefore, in menopause and climacteric, the levels of this hormone are decreasing and this is important because there are widespread estrogen receptors throughout the body. And it has influence on the density of bones and muscles and on the distribution of body fat. That is, the fat is distributed differently than when the woman was ovulating. So if before she gave priority to the butt, when she stops ovulating, the distribution will give priority to the abdomen, the famous visceral fat. What accordingly increases the risk of stroke and cardiovascular events.
What are the symptoms of early menopause?
Also, the early symptoms of menopause, which are the same as normal menopause, are related to aging. Thus the production of collagen decreases a lot, it affects memory, cognition and sleep: women during this period sleep badly and feel very hot.
Of course, that said, not all women will go through menopause the same way. Everyone will have a stronger symptom, but in general they are problems that are annoying, however much they are expected. For this reason it is very important to have at least one annual frequency with the gynecologist for a complete check-up.
What are the causes of premature menopause?
The causes of premature menopause can be genetic or can have an anatomical factor, when, for example, the woman needed an operation and her ovaries were removed due to endometriosis. We know that surgeries related to the reproductive system can lead to an early menopause.
It is also possible that it is related to Turner syndrome (a chromosomal disorder in which a woman is born with only one X chromosome). But the patient’s lifestyle also has a strong influence on the diagnosis, especially smoking.
This, incidentally, is the first place we work when there is a chance to reverse the situation. So having a healthy lifestyle: don’t smoke, don’t drink, exercise, eat well and do weight training, which strengthens muscles and bones, is essential.
When premature menopause occurs around the age of 30 (the average is 1 in 1000 women), it is usually a genetic factor and the advice is to evaluate the cycle. And it is important for patients of this age to check their ovarian reserve, research how their ovaries are doing and ask their mothers and grandmothers if there are any cases of premature menopause in the family. Your doctor needs this information.
Changing the packaging of contraceptive pills, in this sense, is dangerous, because while not affecting the menopause, it deprives the patient of the possibility of controlling the quality of her menstruation. The ideal is to be, from time to time, three months without the pill to have this knowledge.
How to cure menopause?
When the patient has an early menopause, it is important to take hormone replacement therapy until at least the age of 45. This makes her feel the symptoms not so acutely. Remembering that it is not to put more hormones into the body, but to replace what is missing for the body to function properly. There are promising studies, but for now this is the best treatment.
The tests that confirm menopause are also the ones we do at the check-up: blood tests that evaluate the levels of estrogen, SSH and LH; the anti-Müllerian test which evaluates the ovarian reserve of the woman, in addition to imaging tests, such as transvaginal ultrasound which allows us to see the follicles in function, whether the ovaries are atrophied or not, if they have a normal volume, any cysts, however .
* Question inspired by the doubt of the reader Mariana Kobal, from São Paulo.
Source: Terra
Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.
