Menopause

The menopause marks the end of a
woman’s menstrual cycle and may occur
any time between the ages of 40 to 55
(although the onset is commonly between
the ages of 47 and 50). However, the period
leading up to menopause (pre-menopause)
can go on for years before there is a
noticeable stopping of menstruation.
The precise mechanism underlying the
menopause is not fully understood, but it
seems that the ovaries become
unresponsive to the gonadotropic
hormones secreted by the pituitary gland.
Therefore, the blood level of circulating
oestrogens fall significantly, resulting in
many changes.
There are wide variety of symptoms that
occur throughout this period, ranging from
difficulty sleeping, poor memory, mood
changes, headaches and night sweats.
Perhaps up to about 70 per cent of
menopausal women experience “hot
flushes”. Those are produced by vascular
disturbances and are characterised by a
feeling of warm in the face, neck and chest;
they may be accompanied by blushing or
sweating.
Vaginal dryness is also commonly
associated with the menopause, which may
make sexual intercourse more difficult and
painful. Apart from the physical changes of
the menopause, many women experience
psychological problems. Nervous tension,
Irritability, loss of interest in sex, and
depression are common.
Recent evidence has suggested that
oestrogen replacement therapy for the
suppression of hot flushes and
uncomfortable vaginal dryness increases
the risk of cancer of the womb as well as
breast cancer.
In holistic lifecare, the best prospect of
controlling menopause is in going back to
nature, in terms of intake of a generous
amount of fruits and vegetables, regular
exercise and herbal therapy. While
decreasing hormones is one of the most
noticeable causes of ageing in both men
and women, there are other symptoms and
tendencies as well such as cardiovascular
disease, osteoporosis, arthritic and
rheumatic problems.
Some of the natural remedies being
advanced for total control of menopause
include the extracts of local herbs such as
Allium sativum, Cymbopogon citratus,
Harungana madagascariensis and
Entandrophragma utile.