Menopause Research Paper Example
Menopause is a time in a woman’s life when the functioning of the female reproductive organs worsens. The notion “menopause” means the end of menstrual cycles. However, this is only one of the symptoms of a gradual transition from the reproductive period to post-reproductive one. “Climax” is a term that better explains numerous changes in a woman’s body that are experienced during several years. In fact, menopause is an adverse process to the adolescent period (Svejme, Ahlborg, Nilsson, & Karlsson, 2012). Similarly to the first menstruation, one of the multiple interrelated processes taking place in adolescent period is ceasing of menstruation. It is a sign that a woman has entered the other stage in life. In this regard, menopause is characterized by numerous changes that are a sign of her entering a new phase in life accompanied by worsening of the organs’ functioning.Menopause Research Paper Example
Menopause is a normal process of life. It is not an illness but a natural biological process of aging which at times is misinterpreted. In fact, the symptoms of menopause often can be a source of discomfort, inconvenience and surprise. Furthermore, in some cases menopause is associated with pain, which is often misinterpreted. However, menopause cannot be prevented, that is why it should be perceived as a natural part of a woman’s life (Moilanen et al, 2012). For this reason, its symptoms should not be treated as a usual disease, and a woman should not be afraid of the on-going process. Women should rather focus on enhancing their knowledge about the symptoms of menopause and the ways of mitigating its effects in terms of physical and emotional states.Menopause Research Paper Example
Menopause brings about many changes in a woman’s body which leads to other conditions and these conditions have to be addressed. This still can be a full and productive life in a woman’s life if addressed properly. Menopause is associated with hormonal fluctuations and worsening of reproductive organs’ functioning caused by the shutdown of the ovaries that are responsible for producing most of the hormones. As female and male hormones play a great role in the vital processes taking place in a woman’s body, it leads to a condition when too little or too much of these hormones make the period of menopause go wrong (Hormones & Better, 2015). For instance, estrogen and progesterone perform a function of controlling menstruation. Thus, when the levels of these hormones go awry, the menopause symptoms including irregular menstrual cycles and spotting can be observed.
As in all areas of our lives, menopause is inevitable and knowledge is power. Knowing all of one’s options is the best way to prepare for what is to come. In fact, symptoms of menopause may be a reason for discomfort and inconvenience experienced by a woman. However, if addressed properly, for instance, living an active life, avoiding alcohol, getting enough sleep and changing eating habits, menopause will not cause any discomfort. Furthermore, a woman can live a normal life even with menopause if she starts taking herbal medicines that are becoming more and more popular. Such medicines are usually related to the endocrine system ensuring stable levels of hormones.
OBJECTIVE: The objective of current paper is to find out what exactly menopause is and with what processes it is associated. This issue will be discussed in detail in the following research.Menopause Research Paper Example
Menopausal symptoms
Mood swings and sexual activity
As mentioned above, menopause is associated with numerous symptoms that are often mistaken for some disease. In fact, menopause is directly related to such states as uncontrollable mood swings and worsening of sexual activity (Sanchez-Rodriguez et al, 2012). Mood swings are associated with instability of mood that is expressed in rapid changes from tearfulness to excitement and vice versa. In order to cope with this symptom, it is important to get enough encouragement on behalf of the close people of a woman and take some herbal medicines in order to control this process. It is important to remember that menopause is a natural process that has to be undergone by all women. As for sexual activity, women should know that lack of sexual desire is caused by menopause, but not some kind of disease (Perez-Lopez et al, 2012). This will help women cope with this symptom.
Cognitive disorders
Cognitive changes are another symptom of menopause. It is evident that estrogen related hormone therapy does not have a desired effect on the cognitive state of a woman; however, surgery may improve cognition and memory of a woman who suffers from menopause. Furthermore, cognitive changes are also associated with Alzheimer symptoms (Hormones & Better, 2015). During this period, there is a high risk of dementia among middle-aged and older women. It should be noted that cognitive changes in women during menopause are not yet investigated to full extent, so that there are a number of biases in relation to menopause and consequently cognitive changes.
Hot flashes and vaginal dryness
Vaginal dryness and hot flashes during menopause are among the symptoms of this condition. Hot flashes are expressed in the rise of body temperature followed by a feeling of chill (Sanchez-Rodriguez et al, 2012). This symptom causes much inconvenience to a woman, as she starts frequently sweating and then feeling cold. As for vaginal dryness, this symptom can be dealt with by means of relevant medicines. Overall, these two symptoms cause much discomfort to women being among the most serious consequences of menopause.Menopause Research Paper Example
Depression
Depression is another symptom of menopause. It is revealed in frequent changes of mood, tearfulness, lack of interest to life and inability to take control over emotions (Stolk et al, 2012). Depression caused by menopause can be dealt with by means of medicines or herbal therapy. Besides, it is important for a woman suffering from depression to live a more active way of life. This involves going for a walk, swimming or other kinds of activity. All this will help a woman overcome depression during menopause.
Sleep problems
Besides, menopause is associated with sleep problems. Women suffering from the symptoms of menopause often cannot sleep well and enough. Most of women start suffering from insomnia, which may consequently lead to worsening of cognition (Cuadros et al, 2012). It is important to understand that women suffering from sleep problems during menopause should avoid taking serious medicines as this will only worsen the situation. Women should instead go for a walk more frequently, start going in for sports or get involved in other activities to deal with the problem of sleep disorder.
Weight gain
One more symptom directly related to menopause is weight gain. It reveals in rapid gain of weight associated with changes of eating habits, although sometimes weight gain is observed without any perceptible reasons for such condition. Some women start eating more due to hormonal disorders, while others simply do not lead a sufficiently active way of life (Davis et al, 2012). Weight gain can be caused by a number of factors, but in order to deal with this problem, a woman has to change her way of life in terms of eating habits and engagement in various activities. This will help avoid negative outcomes of weight gain, as it has long been considered an unhealthy condition.Menopause Research Paper Example
Quality of life during the period of menopause
Home remedies
There are a number of home remedies aimed at relieving the symptoms of menopause. This includes getting enough sleep, avoid drinking coffee and eating spicy food in order to deal with hot flashes, practicing relaxation techniques, eating healthy food, avoiding smoking and doing regular physical exercises (Sanchez-Rodriguez et al, 2012). All this will help manage various effects of menopause.
Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
Another way of dealing with menopause related disorders is hormone replacement therapy. This is needed for regulating the hormone level in the woman’s body (Moilanen et al, 2012). It will help deal with various outcomes of menopause associated with the hormonal changes taking place in the woman’s organism. However, hormonal replacement therapy is also associated with such risks as breast cancer, heart stroke or heart disease (Moilanen et al, 2012). Some kinds of this therapy are associated with higher risks depending on the health history and lifestyle of a woman. Thus, before making a decision to undergo hormonal therapy, it is important to analyze all benefits and drawbacks.
Natural Progesterone
One more aspect that needs to be discussed in relation to menopause is the changes of hormonal levels. This is associated with the swings of female and male hormones, which are estrogen and progesterone. If there is too much or too little of these hormones in the female body, it can result in mood changes and emotional instability leading to either exaltation or tearfulness (Sanchez-Rodriguez et al, 2012). All this is caused by hormones fluctuations and can be overcome by means of herbal medicines that do not cause harm to a woman’s body. Natural Progesterone is used to effectively deal with hormonal imbalance taking place in a woman’s body during menopause. It is an effective remedy aimed at solving the problem of hormonal swings and preventing various negative outcomes of this symptom (Schmidt, 2012). Natural progesterone is intended for women who suffer from hormonal imbalance leading to such consequences as mood swings, hot flashes, vaginal dryness and other conditions.Menopause Research Paper Example
Natural alternatives
Women suffering from the effects of menopause are advised to use natural alternatives that involve taking herbal medicines (Bedell, Nachtigal, & Naftolin, 2014). It is evident that it is always better to use natural alternatives instead of hormonal medicines. This will help avoid various undesirable outcomes. Natural alternatives will help manage with a number of symptoms caused by menopause. This is the best way to relieve the symptoms of this condition.
CONCLUSION
To conclude, it needs to be mentioned that menopause is a natural process that every woman has to experience in her life. However, this process is associated with a number of negative effects that are analyzed in the current research. This includes mood swings, hot flashes, vaginal dryness, hormonal disorders, weight gain and many others. In order to deal with the negative symptoms of menopause, a woman has to take certain measure. In order to prepare for menopause, a woman has to start leading a more active lifestyle, change eating habits and take care of health among others.Menopause Research Paper Example
Some women complain about frequent headaches, especially migraine that can be accompanied with sleep problems as stated in the above research. All of these symptoms are not always related to hormonal disorders. The symptoms of menopause can be caused by emotional and psychological stress. Before menopause occurs, a woman should take measures that will help mitigate the symptoms of this condition. Most of the symptoms take place in the initial period of menopause making a woman fear various changes that are likely to take place (Sanchez-Rodriguez et al, 2012). However, all fears can be managed if a woman takes proper preventative measures, so as to avoid undergoing medical or surgical treatment.
In such a way, all problems associated with menopause can be effectively solved if to prepare for this period in the life of a woman. The most important aspects of the preparation for menopause involve active way of life, changing of eating habits, getting enough sleep, consulting with a doctor and taking herbal medicines among others. All this will help mitigate the effects of menopause on women’s life and health.Menopause Research Paper Example