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The biological stage in a woman’s life is marked by her first and last menstruation. From menarche (first rule) a woman’s body undergoes a hormonal process called the menstrual cycle, when the body prepares for a possible pregnancy.
Menstrual periods are an important stage for any woman, in the middle of them she begins her sexual activity, goes through her most fertile years, becomes a mother or not, until the complex interaction of female hormones stops.
When the end of menstrual cycles and the cessation of reproductive hormonal activity are established, it is called menopause.
“The impact of menopause can affect different areas of women in addition to their physical health, since these same symptoms, if they are very marked, interfere in their work, intimate, family and social life”
Allam flowers, gynecologist and obstetrician.
According to Dr. Allam Flores, a specialist in gynecology and obstetrics, at least one year must pass without having a menstrual period for menopause to be diagnosed. It usually occurs between the ages of 40 and 50.
The expert explains that the symptoms vary greatly in each woman. While for some they are very marked, in other women they may even be absent.
The most common are: irregular periods, vaginal or genital dryness, chills, night sweats, insomnia, sudden mood swings, weight changes, hair problems and dry skin, and loss of breast volume, Flores details.
Premature menopause
Precocious menopause refers to when the absence of the menstrual period (during a continuous year) occurs before the age of 40. It can also be called Premature Ovarian Insufficiency (POI), since hormonal activity depends on the ovaries to specify the menstrual cycle.
Flores explains that early menopause can occur in women with a family history of said clinical picture (POI), who smoke, or who suffer from autoimmune, thyroid or chronic diseases related to important metabolic changes, such as lupus or cancer.
There is also the “Surgical menopause”, when due to a complication the ovaries must be removed and therefore hormonal function is suppressed, experiencing symptoms before the conventional age.
“The impact of menopause can affect different areas of women in addition to their physical health, since these same symptoms, if they are very marked, interfere in their work, intimate, family and social life,” explains Dr. Flores.
He adds that the treatment for this stage must be personalized, according to the symptoms that each woman presents and other pre-existing conditions.
“Traditionally, hormone replacements are treated with pills and other routes, however it is important to recognize that it can be a predisposing factor in some cases to stimulate or contribute to breast cancer,” she says.
Because of this, Flores recommends using them only in special cases and treating mild symptoms specifically, together with a specialist. Dr. Flores reiterates the importance of visiting the gynecologist at least once a year.
Know your body
It is important to know that the above symptoms can occur before menopause (perimenopause). The symptoms are more associated with the term climacteric and menopause only with the cessation of Menstruation.
The climacteric is the stage of transition before the arrival of menopause, where women undergo physical and psychological changes, its duration ranges from two to eight years before menopause, and two to six years after.
During these years, in addition to the first symptoms of menopause, some health problems associated with this new stage of the woman’s life begin, such as cardiovascular diseases or osteoporosis.
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