Understanding menopause
When we understand the natural cycles of a woman we also understand menopause as menopause is just one of the natural cycles of a woman. Menopause can occur at any age after menstruation commences. The word menopause describes the symptoms and changes women deal with before and after she stops having a menstrual period. It is a landmark at which women’s fertility ends.
A woman is fertile while her ovaries have the ability to store the number of eggs she was born with and while she has the ability to produce oestrogen and progesterone. These are hormones that regulate the fertility cycle. When menopause occurs, the ovaries are unable to produce those hormones in the quantity that they once were, and the egg is not released each month. As a result, a woman's menstruation stops. Although menopause can occur at any age, it is considered to be a typical part of the aging process when it occurs after age forty. If a woman experiences earlier menopause, it is usually the result of medical interventions like a hysterectomy or damage to the ovaries due to something like chemotherapy or exposure to environmental toxins that interfere with the natural hormone system of the body. Regardless of what causes this earlier menopause, it is considered to be premature menopause.
Although menopause is not seen until symptoms occur, the actual natural menopause process actually begins to occur several years prior to menopause. As a natural part of the aging process a woman’s ovaries gradually produce less estrogen. As a woman approaches menopause this reduction in oestrogen levels increases dramatically, causing the onset of menopause symptoms.
Symptoms may include, but are not limited too, irregularity in menstrual periods, lack of sleep, difficulties with mood regulations, bladder control problems, and difficulty with sex drive regulation. Menopause is said to occur with the final period, although a woman does not know that it is a final period until some time – usually 12 period-free months have elapsed). During the years after menopause, most of a woman's symptoms begin to ease, though her body can suffer some ill effects from the loss of oestrogen.
Once you start experiencing menopause symptoms you may decide you are entering menopause, but it is important to get your self-diagnosis confirmed by your health care practitioner. She or he can run a blood test to check your follicle stimulating hormone count and your other hormone levels. Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) rises dramatically as your ovaries begin to shut down. The pituitary gland sends more and more FSH to your ovaries to get them to release the stimulate the follicle but nothing happens. Eventually the body realises it has stopped and will stop producing FSH. Your health care practitioner can also do a pelvic exam to check for vaginal atrophy. She or he will need to help you determine if you are on the verge of menopause to decide what steps you should take to deal with the health problems that come after menopause.
Osteoporosis is one of the most common health problems associated with post-menopausal women. Because the oestrogen levels in your blood decrease dramatically, it is not uncommon for your bones to feel that loss. Not taking good care of your body through proper nutrition and exercise can accelerate this bone decay. Osteoporosis is a crippling disease, but if you identify your risks for it early, you and your doctor can work together to prevent it. Supplements that can help are the essential glyconutrients and dioscerea. Mannatech has the patent in many countries for the formulation of these essential glyconutrients. Their products Ambrotose and Advanced Ambrotose contain the eight essential glyconutrients. This product is designed to support cellular communication, maintain general well-being and help restore good health. Scientists have learned that glycoproteins (a combination of protein chains and glyconutrient chains) - found on the surface of all cells - play a key role in all cellular communication. Glyconutrients such as Ambrotose support the body’s overall immune function.
Mannatech’s PLUS is a phytogenins product that is designed to promote general well-being. It is a formulation of dioscorea and essential glyconutrients. This product offers the ‘raw materials’ for a person’s body to manufacture the hormones (regulators and modulators) needed for a strong body and balanced emotions. Hormones regulate growth, energy metabolism, fat metabolism, bone and tissue integrity, body rhythms, sexual function and health, and our sense of well being directly linked to emotional health. This product helps relieve nervous tension, stress, and mild anxiety, as well as providing relief of menopause symptoms.
It is important to remember that menopause is a natural part of life and with a nutritious, organic balanced diet, with essential supplements, and healthy lifestyle can make this time of life easier for most women.