The Biology of Menopause.
February 5, 2013
"It is sad to grow old, but nice to ripen!" Brigitte Bardot
That's a nice thought about growing older, but when I think of fruit ripening, I also think about what comes next: rotting! Not a nice thought.
So today, the biology of menopause. I'll try to not make it as dry ( pun!) as it is.
Two hormones, Estrogen and Progesterone, regulate monthly menstruation in a females. Estrogen regulates our periods, while progesterone mostly prepares our bodies for the possibility of a pregnancy. With age, the ovaries slow the production of both of these hormones and eventually shut down production completely. Most women notice that sometime in their forties their periods start to get a little irregular, coming less often and with less blood flow. A small percentage ( the lucky ones) never have a slow down, just a complete sudden stoppage. Usually when a woman hasn't had a defined period for at least a year, she is said to be in menopause. A quick side note: we've all heard of Change babies. These are pregnancies that occur when a woman who is undergoing this period/hormone shift, suddenly gets pregnant. In the vernacular, this is called a WOOPSIE! This happens more than most women would care to admit and can lead to long term problems, not the least of which is some form of chromosomal deficiency in the baby. It is generally recommended by most OB's that women who are peri-menopausal practice some form of safe sex ( i.e. birth control) until they can be assured that no more babies will be coming.
Now, with these hormone fluctuations come the lovely symptoms associated with menopause: hot flashes, night sweats, memory loss, insomnia, thinning hair, vaginal dryness ( refer to the pun at the top of this piece) and wicked mood swings. I've often thought that most women who are diagnosed as bi-polar are really just undiagnosed menopausals!
You can't cure menopause, because the only cure is for it to just end!. But you can try and control the lousy symptoms that occur with it.
Here's the biology again: Hot Flashes. These occur when estrogen levels are declining. While some women have few to none (Bitches!) many women can have them numerous times a day. I am one of those lucky ones. Currently I average one to two an hour during the day and 3-4 at night. Sometimes its the opposite and I'll go most of the day without one and then be up every twenty minutes during the night trying to cool down.
So what exactly is a hot flash? I always laugh when I hear male OB's try to describe this sensation. Really?! Like they can EVER know what it feels like! Basically, they are sudden sensations of severe and intense internal body heat that occur full body from scalp to toenails, making you feel as if you have just been thrown into a bathtub of boiling water. Profuse sweating, rapid heartbeats and a general feeling of "if I don't get cool I'll die" overwhelms you. You can't drink enough cold water to cool yourself down. Daytime occurances can often lead to embarrasing situations. Remember my Panera story? I've had women tell me that they have been in business meetings, trying to present something, all eyes on them, when a flash will overtake them. Imagine being the only woman in a room full of men in corporate suits. One minute you are making a great point during your presentation, the next the ends of your hair are dripping onto your presentation board! There's no coming back from that. Even laughter can't make that situation any better.
When hot flashes occur at night, simply called night sweats, chances are your nightwear and sometimes even the sheets need to be changed. I've taken to sleeping in a wife-beater and shorts with the fan blowing on me at full speed. My poor husband in hunkered down under flannel sheets trying to stay warm while I am butt naked and spread eagle trying to cool off! The real kicker is that following this blaze, your body tries ( feebly!)to regulate itself by having you perspire in an attempt to cool you down. This leads to chills.Teeth chattering chills. Bone breaking chills. Not fun.
So if I try to put this whole event in its most basic form, having a hot flash makes you feel like you have the worst case of flu mixed with chilblains EVER!!!
Really: not the most attractive thing to imagine is it?
On that happy note, I will leave the treatment until the next blog, because this is really enough depressing information for one day!
"It is sad to grow old, but nice to ripen!" Brigitte Bardot
That's a nice thought about growing older, but when I think of fruit ripening, I also think about what comes next: rotting! Not a nice thought.
So today, the biology of menopause. I'll try to not make it as dry ( pun!) as it is.
Two hormones, Estrogen and Progesterone, regulate monthly menstruation in a females. Estrogen regulates our periods, while progesterone mostly prepares our bodies for the possibility of a pregnancy. With age, the ovaries slow the production of both of these hormones and eventually shut down production completely. Most women notice that sometime in their forties their periods start to get a little irregular, coming less often and with less blood flow. A small percentage ( the lucky ones) never have a slow down, just a complete sudden stoppage. Usually when a woman hasn't had a defined period for at least a year, she is said to be in menopause. A quick side note: we've all heard of Change babies. These are pregnancies that occur when a woman who is undergoing this period/hormone shift, suddenly gets pregnant. In the vernacular, this is called a WOOPSIE! This happens more than most women would care to admit and can lead to long term problems, not the least of which is some form of chromosomal deficiency in the baby. It is generally recommended by most OB's that women who are peri-menopausal practice some form of safe sex ( i.e. birth control) until they can be assured that no more babies will be coming.
Now, with these hormone fluctuations come the lovely symptoms associated with menopause: hot flashes, night sweats, memory loss, insomnia, thinning hair, vaginal dryness ( refer to the pun at the top of this piece) and wicked mood swings. I've often thought that most women who are diagnosed as bi-polar are really just undiagnosed menopausals!
You can't cure menopause, because the only cure is for it to just end!. But you can try and control the lousy symptoms that occur with it.
Here's the biology again: Hot Flashes. These occur when estrogen levels are declining. While some women have few to none (Bitches!) many women can have them numerous times a day. I am one of those lucky ones. Currently I average one to two an hour during the day and 3-4 at night. Sometimes its the opposite and I'll go most of the day without one and then be up every twenty minutes during the night trying to cool down.
So what exactly is a hot flash? I always laugh when I hear male OB's try to describe this sensation. Really?! Like they can EVER know what it feels like! Basically, they are sudden sensations of severe and intense internal body heat that occur full body from scalp to toenails, making you feel as if you have just been thrown into a bathtub of boiling water. Profuse sweating, rapid heartbeats and a general feeling of "if I don't get cool I'll die" overwhelms you. You can't drink enough cold water to cool yourself down. Daytime occurances can often lead to embarrasing situations. Remember my Panera story? I've had women tell me that they have been in business meetings, trying to present something, all eyes on them, when a flash will overtake them. Imagine being the only woman in a room full of men in corporate suits. One minute you are making a great point during your presentation, the next the ends of your hair are dripping onto your presentation board! There's no coming back from that. Even laughter can't make that situation any better.
When hot flashes occur at night, simply called night sweats, chances are your nightwear and sometimes even the sheets need to be changed. I've taken to sleeping in a wife-beater and shorts with the fan blowing on me at full speed. My poor husband in hunkered down under flannel sheets trying to stay warm while I am butt naked and spread eagle trying to cool off! The real kicker is that following this blaze, your body tries ( feebly!)to regulate itself by having you perspire in an attempt to cool you down. This leads to chills.Teeth chattering chills. Bone breaking chills. Not fun.
So if I try to put this whole event in its most basic form, having a hot flash makes you feel like you have the worst case of flu mixed with chilblains EVER!!!
Really: not the most attractive thing to imagine is it?
On that happy note, I will leave the treatment until the next blog, because this is really enough depressing information for one day!
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