WHEN YOU HAVE STARTED your PERIOD, you probably already something about this phenomenon known. Even with the lack of sexual education, information about menstruation can be considered accessible: girls are more or less prepared for it. Unfortunately, about the climax — a period in which many of us have to spend more than one year and during which the body will undergo significant changes — this can not be said. Even if you are still far from menopause (the average age of onset is forty-five to fifty-five years), it is useful to know about your body and its future in any case. Information about the menopause, in addition, will help to better understand mothers, older friends and relatives experiencing this experience now. We gathered the most important facts and asked different women about their menopause.
“It turned out to be a climax»
If the culture of “preparation for the climax” no, that’s how women find out about it early? Someone pays attention to the lost cycle, someone first of all notices strong mood swings. Julia (46 years) says that a couple of years ago she began “breakdowns”: “I just dramatically lost the ability to control my emotions. Nothing like this has ever happened to me before. At the time these failures coincide with PMS, but my period didn’t”. At first, Julia thought that there was no menstruation due to stress and antibiotics, and eventually turned to the gynecologist: “I was sent for tests, said that menopause is approaching and the transition will last a year and a half. They prescribed a hormonal drug that helped — the breakdowns stopped.”
Maria (52 years old) says that when the period began to go longer than usual, and accompanied by burning, the thought of menopause did not even occur to her: “I decided that this is probably a failure of the microflora.” The doctor Maria also did not say a word about the possible approach of menopause. “The young gynecologist suggested that we have a new husband, “incompatibility in the pair,” says Maria. — And then, at fifty, I had my last menstrual period — and how it cut off. It turned out to be a climax.”
Due to lack of information, women may attribute age-related changes in the cycle to stress or gynecological problems. At the same time, not all women go to the doctor, someone is going through this period on their own
Due to lack of information, women may attribute age-related changes in the cycle to stress or gynecological problems. Irina (46 years old) learned about her menopause recently: “the Last six years I had a broken cycle, I was tired quickly, I was shivering and throwing in the heat. I didn’t sleep well, and my efficiency was falling. Only last autumn I was sent for tests, and the words “early menopause”were heard.” At the same time, not all women go to the doctor, someone is going through this period on their own. “About two years ago I noticed that my previously uniform cycle began to fly: it lasted eighteen, then fifty days. I didn’t go to the doctor. With gynecologists I have a sad experience: “you will give Birth — will pass”, “Sex is harmful, but it is useful”, etc. I do Not want to face rudeness»
The gynecologist recommends not to neglect the visit to the doctor: “Menopause is a normal physiological process, but if you think that it is approaching or has already come, you should contact the gynecologist. The doctor will examine you and help to exclude diseases. Even if nothing bothers you, you need to visit a gynecologist every year.” Around menopause many myths, and on the Internet — and even contradictory information. How is menopause manifested, is it worth to be afraid of and what you need to know about it now?
What is the climax
If you ask Google “menopause”, you will find many terms, the meaning of which can be interpreted in different ways in different texts: “menopause”, “premenopause”, “perimenopause”, “menopause”. In 1999, the International Menopause Society officially approved the following definitions: MENOPAUSE — is a complete cessation of menstruation due to the fact that the ovaries are no longer active — they cease to Mature follicles, ovules cease to ovulate. Menopause is always determined retroactively: if the last month it has been twelve months — so this was it.
Menopause, occurring at the age of forty-five — fifty years is called “natural”, at the age of forty years — “early” (adjusted for the fact that this figure is conditional and may vary depending on the average for the region). Sometimes the so-called artificial menopause — termination of menstruation due to medical intervention: removal of ovaries, chemotherapy, radiation or medication. One to two years before natural menopause, women experience physical, psychological and hormonal changes. This period of time, experts recommend called menopausal transition. Ambiguous and came out with the word PREMENOPAUSAL. In some texts, it is used as a synonym for menopausal transition, but experts advise to separate the concepts. In their recommendations, premenopause is the entire multi-year period from the first month to the last.
MENOPAUSE is called the entire period of life since the beginning of the menopausal transition. To refer to the symptoms associated with menopause, experts suggest the term “menopausal syndrome”. Even in the course of doctors, the term PERIMENOPAUSE is a much shorter period “around” the last menstrual period. It begins at the same time as menopause, but ends a year after menopause. Finally, POSTMENOPAUSE is the period after menopause.
However, such a system of definitions is not the only one that exists: the designations used by different specialists may vary slightly. Therefore, when you read the text about menopause or discuss it with your doctor, make sure that your understanding of the terms is the same.