Menopause

Menopause is a collective name for a variety of changes that occur in a woman’s body starting at the age of 42, on average. The main cause of these changes is the decrease in the secretion of the hormone estrogen, the female sex hormone which is responsible for fertility as well as many bodily functions. Except for the spleen, there is no area in the body, including the nails and the hair roots, which has no estrogen receptors. Menopause is officially defined as 12 consecutive months in which the woman does not get her period. Typical symptoms of menopause also occur earlier, in a state of early ovarian failure or in a case where the woman undergoes surgery to remove the ovaries.

Menopausal symptoms:

The decrease in the level of the hormone estrogen causes the body to feel deficient, which is manifested in physical changes known as “menopausal symptoms”, while not all women experience all the symptoms and some of them are experienced to a varied extent:

1. Hot flashes: About 80% of women will experience the phenomenon for 4-5 years. 10% of women will suffer from hot flashes even after the age of 70. This is the most common symptom and at least 30% of women who experience it turn to diagnosis and treatment. In some women, hot flashes appear near the menstrual cycle. A hot flash lasts between two and four minutes and is accompanied by sweating, an accelerated pulse, and sometimes feelings of chills and anxiety. It may appear several times a day, during the day and the night.
2. Sleep Disorders: 32-40% of women in menopause report sleep disorders.
3. Vaginal dryness and decreased libido: Many women experience a decrease in vaginal moisture. Vaginal dryness causes pain during intercourse and often leads to cessation of sexual activity.
4. Changes in the menstrual cycle: Menstrual cycles become irregular. The amount of bleeding in the menstrual cycle decreases and the intervals between cycles widen. This process lasts in a significant percentage of women for about two to three years, until a complete cessation of menstruation.
5. Urinary system: Many women suffer from burning sensations during urination, decrease in the feeling of fullness of the bladder, decrease in the flow rate, urinary incontinence and an increase in the incidence of urinary tract infections.

Other symptoms of menopause include pain and a feeling of congestion in the breasts, migraines, joint pain and mood swings. The general experience is of a lack of synchronization between systems of the body and an unfamiliar sense of imbalance.

Prof. Yoav Peled is a specialist in gynecology and obstetrics and the head of the “Menopause” Clinic at the Beilinson Hospital.

Виды лечения:

Hormone Therapy | Vaginal laser  | Gynecological acupuncture

For more information on “Menopause” click here

For more information on “Biologically Identical Hormones” click here