For most women, this is a period that can last on average three to ten years.
Summary
Menopause is a period characterized by unknowns about its onset, different symptoms and specific phases, which can last from 3 to 10 years.
Suddenly everyone is talking about menopause, with such a wide range of symptoms that it is difficult to even define what this moment is. The period is marked by unknowns about when it begins, what symptoms to expect, how long they last, among others.
“Many people wonder when menopause happens, and the truth is that it can be very different for every woman, both in terms of duration and symptoms. In general, the first sign that you might be entering menopause is irregular periods. You may also start to experience some symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats and mood changes – but there are more than 50 different symptoms associated with menopause,” explains the gynecologist. Igor Padovesimenopause specialist and member of the North American Menopause Society (NAMS) and the International Menopause Society (IMS).
Are there phases?
“Yes, every woman goes through phases ranging from childhood, puberty, the reproductive period, the transition to menopause (or perimenopause) until menopause. It is during puberty that the main female hormones (estrogen and progesterone) begin to be produced, providing the cycles that each woman leads to ovulation and ends with menstruation,” says the doctor.
For most women between the ages of 40 and 45 (and for some as early as 35-40), a period of hormonal fluctuations begins that characterizes perimenopause or the transition to menopause. During this phase, most women still menstruate, but hormone levels are no longer the same, the menstrual cycle may change, and symptoms begin to appear.
“This transition phase towards menopause, when the vast majority of women feel different, but usually do not realize they are in perimenopause, can last on average from 5 to 10 years,” says the specialist.
And menopause is the complete cessation of menstruation: when the production of sex hormones by the ovaries is completely exhausted. Since most women go through a final period of perimenopause in which periods may begin to space out, months apart, menopause has been conceptually defined as after one year without menstruation.
After that, the woman will remain in menopause until the end of her life. And many symptoms can appear at a later stage, such as osteoporosis and genitourinary syndrome of menopause, which affects, to a greater or lesser extent, 100% of older women without treatment (causing genital dryness and urinary changes).
What symptoms appear exactly?
There are actually many symptoms associated with perimenopause and menopause. According to Dr. Igor, the most common are: sleep symptoms (difficulty falling asleep, light sleep, and waking up at night); vasomotor symptoms (hot and cold flashes, night sweats, palpitations); mood changes (irritation, anxiety and nervousness, mood swings, decreased ability to cope, sadness, panic attacks, crying, and difficulty calming down); weakness, lack of energy and disposition; brain changes (forgetfulness, difficulty concentrating and making decisions, lack of attention, dizziness, vertigo); headaches (tension headaches and migraines); sore breasts (mastalgia); dryness (dry skin, itching, acne, and dry eyes); vaginal changes (dryness, vaginal itching and vulvar pain) and urinary changes (urine loss with straining such as coughing, sneezing or skipping, changes in frequency and increased urinary urgency); digestive symptoms (bloating, heartburn, nausea, constipation, diarrhoea and abdominal pain); pain (joint and muscle, back, leg, neck, shoulder and joint and muscle stiffness); worsening of libido and painful sexual intercourse (pain during penetration, decreased vaginal lubrication, increased difficulty in reaching orgasm and feeling of arousal).
“Doctors must pay attention to the clinical signs reported by the patient, which are much more important than the measured hormone levels, since these can vary greatly during perimenopause,” says the specialist.
Are there tests to detect it?
“This is a very important point: in the perimenopause phase, hormonal variations are large and the tests are generally normal (or they can show changes and then return to normal). It is not a linear change, on the contrary: perimenopause is characterized by large hormonal fluctuations”, explains the doctor.
“The diagnosis of perimenopause is clinical and based on a set of signs and symptoms and not on laboratory measurements. If the doctor waits for hormonal changes to start treatment, he will miss years of perimenopause symptoms during which the woman would already benefit greatly from a specific therapy to improve her quality of life,” he adds.
How long does perimenopause last?
According to the doctor, the variation is wide, and in the order of years: on average from 3 to 10. “I usually explain it by comparing it to the flu virus: for some people it can be asymptomatic or give symptoms of a mild cold. For others, it can lead to hospitalization in intensive care. Each organism responds differently and in the case of the transition to menopause, in addition to the very variable duration, the spectrum of possible symptoms is also very broad,” says the gynecologist and menopause specialist.
What treatments are recommended for menopause?
According to him, there are several ways to alleviate the symptoms. “The most widely used and proven therapy is the replacement of hormones that are missing in the woman’s body, in the so-called hormone therapy of menopause. The main one is estrogens, which can be used in different ways of application, but the most recommended are non-oral routes such as gels, transdermal patches or even subcutaneous implants (popularized as hormone chips, a method that is still quite controversial, but the demand for which has increased significantly worldwide in recent years). Estrogen replacement in tablets is still the cheapest and most available form, but it is used less and less since all the latest studies indicate non-oral routes as safer options,” says Igor.
The menopause hormone therapy specialist also emphasizes that current treatments are very different from those of the past, as they favor the use of isomolecular (or “bioidentical”) hormones, the same ones that the woman’s body produces, instead of synthetic hormones. The therapy aims to maintain female hormone levels at values close to those found during a woman’s reproductive life.
“These are very safe treatments, as long as they are prescribed and monitored regularly by a doctor,” comments Igor Padovesi. “There are also adjuvant treatments, with diets, physiotherapy, mental hygiene, physical activity, meditation, phytotherapy and others. This is a period of life in which women go through profound transformations and need a global understanding of their new phase, which can be much better than the previous ones if well treated.”
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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.
