Can Herbs For Menopause Help Ease The Symptoms
Author: AimeeClark Total views: 12 Word Count: 580
There is a great misunderstanding about the terms used to elucidate the experience of menopause. The word itself is widely employed to describe the entire period in which women undergo symptoms due to their hormones being in flux. In reality, the word "menopause" refers simply to the final period of menstruation, in the same manner that "menarche" indicates the initial.
The period of regular menstruation cycle and before the decline of hormone levels is called by some as premenopause. The time before the last period is called by some as perimenopause.
Perimenopause includes the whole time before and after the last actual menstrual bleed - after hormone levels have started to fluctuate and before they settle, and there are no more symptoms due to this fluctuation. This is the same time span as the 'climacteric'. It is more and more usual for women to refer to this time as their menopause.
Postmenopause actually starts the day after the last menstrual bleed and describes any time after that. It includes some of the perimenopause, and a woman after her last period is described as postmenopausal, although the term will not be used until a year after the last period because no one will be sure which the last one was until a year has passed. Ninety percent of women in the perimenopause who have not had a period for six months do not have another one.
Menopause and Estrogen
Estrogen and progesterone are created and released during an approximate 28-day cycle, that is, until the onset of menopause. The production of these hormones then becomes quite variable as the number of eggs diminish during midlife, along with their quality. As menopause approaches, there is a decrease in the levels of progesterone and estrogen.
Pre-menopausal. Leading up to ovulation is when estrogen levels reach their peak, but quickly decline afterwards. During this second half of the menstrual cycle is when progesterone starts to rise. If the ovulated egg is not fertilized, levels of both these hormones drops, which in turn signals the body to start menstrual bleeding.
Perimenopausal. During perimenopause, your body is still producing estrogen, but ovulation is much less regular. This means that progesterone is not created during every cycle, and hence during these cycles there will be no bleeding.
Post menopause. Your body is not producing estrogen now, but there may be small amounts present in your system due to your fat cells breaking down androstenedione, which is better known as a male hormone.
Brittle Bones and Osteoporosis
Lower estrogen levels in blood can lead to osteoporosis and brittle bones amongst women. This is corroborated by the facts that in the Western world about quarter of women develop brittle bones around the age 60, which is just 10 years after menopause and about half the women have high degree of osteoporosis by the age of 70. There are many different treatment for menopause options that can help protect you against osteoporosis, so take time to discuss your options with your doctor or health professional.
Calcium is the mineral mainly involved in the process of bone building. Calcitonin and parathyroid hormone control the calcium levels in blood and estrogen is partly responsible for its metabolism. The osteoclasts and osteoblasts have estrogen receptors.
Most of our calcium is stored in our bones, and if blood calcium levels fall the parathyroid hormone will act to break down bone and release calcium into the blood. Low estrogen levels make bone more sensitive to parathyroid hormone, causing it to be broken down more rapidly after menopause.
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Every woman's experience of menopause is different. Most women only experience mild cases of hot flashes, night sweats and mood swing. If you know what to expect, you will recognize the menopause symptoms - and maybe prevent some from occurring. Don't reprint this exact article. Instead, reprint a free unique content version of this same article.
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