Table of contents:
- What happens at menopause?
- Changes in the body during the three stages of menopause
- Perimenopause
- Menstrual periods start to be irregular
- Decreased female fertility
- The vagina feels dry
- Menopause
- Hot flushes
- Sleep problems
- Mood swing
- Postmenopause
- Porous bones
- Skin changes
- Changes in teeth and gums
Every woman must experience menopause after reaching a certain age. This means that at this time women can no longer have children because their bodies have not released eggs and will not experience menstruation again every month. Sometimes, some women are very worried about this because menopause causes some changes in her.
What happens at menopause?
The number of eggs a woman has is there from birth, in a limited number. These eggs are stored in the ovaries (ovaries), where they begin to be released every month when the woman begins to reach puberty. In addition to storing eggs, the ovaries also produce the hormones estrogen and progesterone. These two hormones function to control ovulation and menstruation every month.
Over time, of course, the supply of female eggs will run out. When a woman's ovaries don't release eggs every month and a woman's menstruation stops, this is what is known as menopause.
Women usually go through menopause at the age of over 40 years. Most women will experience menopause at the age of 50 or older. However, a small proportion of women may also experience premature menopause, which is menopause that occurs before the age of 40. Usually early menopause occurs as a result of surgery (eg hysterectomy), damage to the ovaries, or chemotherapy.
Changes in the body during the three stages of menopause
There are three stages of menopause, namely those that occur before, during, and after menopause.
Perimenopause
Occurs several years before menopause occurs, when the production of the hormone estrogen by the ovaries has begun to decrease. Usually in the 1-2 years before menopause occurs, the hormone estrogen is reduced drastically.
By this time, many women are already experiencing menopause signs, such as:
There is a change in a woman's menstrual pattern every month. Some women may have periods every 2-3 weeks, and others may not have periods every month.
Because during this perimenopausal period, the production of the female hormone estrogen decreases, so her fertility will decrease and the chance to get pregnant will also decrease. However, at this time you are still able to get pregnant.
Some women may experience dyspareunia (painful sexual intercourse) due to vaginal dryness. This makes women feel uncomfortable during sexual intercourse and can cause a woman's sexual desire to decrease. In addition, vaginal atrophy occurs, which is caused by tissue thinning and shrinking, and decreased mucus production. All these things can happen because the production of the hormone estrogen decreases.
Menopause
Occurs when a woman has had no more menstrual periods for one year. At this time, the ovaries really do not release eggs and have stopped producing the hormones estrogen and progesterone.
At this time, most women will experience:
Happens when you feel heat in your upper body suddenly. Can occur on the face, neck, and chest, and can spread to the back and arms. Your skin in this area may also turn red. You may also sweat and your heartbeat may be faster or irregular.
You may have trouble falling asleep at night and sweat a lot while sleeping, making your night's sleep less comfortable. This makes you feel tired quickly during the day.
Due to the discomfort of sleeping at night, maybe this will affect the changes in mood You. Other than that, mood swing it can also be caused by stress, changes in family, or fatigue. You may find it easy to get angry or cry.
Postmenopause
This happens after one year of your menopause. At this time, signs of menopause, such as hot flushes, over time it will disappear. However, the health risks associated with the hormone estrogen increase in women after menopause.
Some of the health risks caused by low levels of estrogen in the body are:
Low levels of estrogen in the body cause a decrease in bone mass, so that the risk of experiencing bone loss is greater. Even worse, this can increase the risk of osteoporosis.
Low levels of estrogen in the body can cause reduced levels of collagen, which is the tissue that makes up skin. Thus, women who have menopause usually have thinner, drier skin and wrinkled skin. In addition, the lining of the vagina and urethra will also thin and weaken, and this is what causes you to feel uncomfortable during sexual intercourse. This will also increase your risk of developing vaginal infections and urinary tract infections.
Like collagen tissue, low levels of estrogen in the body will also cause reduced connective tissue. This puts you at a higher risk of losing your teeth or developing gum disease.
