Menopause – the 5 W’s Who
There are approximately 40-50 million menopausal women in the US today and about 5,000 more are entering menopause every single day. A century ago most of us did not live past menopause. Today we can look forward to another 25 to 30 years–a third of our lives–which makes it even more important to support hormonal balance during this time if we want to age optimally. Since the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI 2002), a major study of post-menopausal women funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), found greater risks of heart disease, stroke, blood clots, and breast cancer among synthetic HRT users, the demand for non-synthetic approaches has skyrocketed. An estimated 2 million women have switched to more natural, bioidentical hormone* therapies (HT) for relieving symptoms and correcting imbalances identified through saliva or blood spot testing. Made from natural plant compounds, bioidentical hormones are similar in structure and function to the bodies’ own hormones, with fewer side effects or known disease risks. What Menopause is not a disease but a natural process, resulting from diminishing hormones and the end of ovulation as women age. This is the ovaries’ final act: lacking eggs and female hormones they can no longer perform their reproductive role. Menopause plays out over time. And in the years prior (peri-menopause), troublesome hot flashes and mood swings clue us in to the fact that we are entering a new phase of life. When The official start of menopause by the calendar is 12 months in a row without a period, occurring on average around the age of 51. But it is not uncommon to see symptoms appear much sooner. Acute and/or prolonged stress, for example, can negatively impact ovarian function and precipitate premature menopause in vulnerable women as early as mid-to late 30s. Menopause can also be surgically induced through hysterectomy, radiation or chemotherapy. Where The ovaries are the main producers of the female sex hormones estrogen, progesterone and testosterone, with a helping hand from the adrenal glands, throughout a woman’s fertile years. The pituitary gland produces Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and Luteinizing hormone (LH) to control egg-ripening and ovulation. Measuring levels of these hormones can be useful in determining fertility and/or menopausal status. Why As we age, the key players in the hormonal symphony begin to play out of tune as their levels change, fundamentally altering their relationship to each other: estrogen , the essential female hormone that develops our breasts and reproductive organs and safeguards their function; progesterone , the great balancer, codependent with estrogen in governing the reproductive cycle, and maintaining pregnancy; and testosterone/DHEA builders of bone, muscle and libido. Knowing what to expect in menopause can not only help us prevent chronic symptoms, but age-related imbalances that raise our risks for heart disease and breast cancer, as the protective benefits of hormones made in our prime wear off.
* Manufactured from natural plant, bioidentical hormones are equivalent in structure and function to the body’s own hormones, with fewer side effects or known chronic disease risks compared to synthetic hormone analogs such as progestins.
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