Menopause basics:

Menopause is a natural phenomenon in women over the age of 45 during which the ovarian follicles deplete causing decline in hormones like estrogen and progesterone.Hormonal changes due to menopause can cause uncomfortable physical and emotional symptoms. Globally, it affects all women, with average onset around 51 in Western populations and slightly earlier (49-50) in India due to genetics, nutrition, and socioeconomic factors. It stops menstrual cycles permanently causing infertility. If women over the average age of menopause miss 12 consecutive cycles, along with certain symptoms, it can be deduced as menopause. 

Stages of menopause:

Perimenopause: it begins in women over 40 years of age, usually eight to ten years before menopause. The ovarian production of estrogen gradually declines, it can last till a few weeks to months with symptoms like hot flashes, irregular periods, mood swings. 

Menopause: during this stage the ovaries do not produce anymore eggs or estrogen, there have been 12 consecutive cycles without menstruation. 

Postmenopause: this occurs after menopause, causing risk of several health conditions. Menopause that occurs at 40 or younger is considered premature menopause. When there’s no medical or surgical cause for premature menopause, it’s called primary ovarian insufficiency.

Symptoms:

Symptoms include hot flashes, night sweats affecting 75-85% of women, lasting 7-10 years on average. Genitourinary syndrome includes vaginal dryness, discomfort during sex, and recurrent urinary tract infections, mood changes, sleep disruption, and cognitive fog are prevalent. Long-term risks rise like osteoporosis, bone density loss accelerates 2-3% yearly postmenopause, cardiovascular disease, and potential dementia links via estrogen's neuroprotective role. In South Asia, cultural stigma delays care, compounding mental health burdens like anxiety and depression. Features such as breast tenderness, decreased sex drive, headaches, worse premenstrual syndrome, muscle and bone pains,weight gain, racing heart, urinary urgency are not uncommon. Surgical removal of your ovaries will result in menopause if your surgeon removes both ovaries. 

Diagnosis and management:

If a woman over 50 has missed 12 consecutive cycles, consult a doctor for hormonal profiling, blood tests for confirmation. Lifestyle modifications include taking a balanced diet focusing primarily on calcium and vitamin d along with regular exercise and cessation of smoking if any can go a long way.Limiting the amount of caffeine consumed daily and cutting back on spicy foods can make hot flashes less severe. Menopausal hormone therapy can be done under certified doctor’s guidance, hormone replacement therapy in premature menopausal cases can be suggested. Every menopausal experience can be unique and different, it is important to recognise that and if mental health conditions worsen, seek help from informed mental health professionals.