Medical Questions » Menopause Questions » Question No. 665
| Question: | As I get older I am scared about the problems of menopause. My mother had a terrible time and I have no desire to follow in her footsteps. Can the menopause be controlled? |
| Answer: | I find the biggest problem with the menopause is the failure of my patients to tell me exactly what they are feeling and what effects the menopause is having on them.
The firsr step in treating someone with menopausal symptoms is explanarion.
The sex hormones are controlled by the brain, and are released from the ovaries into the bloodstream on regular signals from rhe pituitary gland, which sits underneath the centre of the brain.
Once in the blood, these hormones have an effect on every part of the body, but mote particularly the uterus, vagina, breasts and pubic areas. It is these hormones that make the breasts grow in teenage girls, give you regular periods as their levels change during the month, and cause haif to grow in your groin and armpits.
For an unknown reason, once a woman reaches somewhere between the early forties and early fifties, the btain breaks rhythm in sending the messages to the ovaries. The signals become irregular and sometimes too strong, at other times too weak. The ovaries respond by putting out the sex hormones in varying levels, and this causes side effects for the owner of those ovaries. The periods become irregular, vary in length and intensity, and may become painful.
Other symptoms can include bloating and associated headaches and irritability as excess fluid collects in the btain, breasts and pelvis; hot flushes, when hormone surges rush through the bloodstream after excess amounts are released by the ovaries; abdominal cramps caused by spasms of the uterine muscles; and depression which can be a reaction to the changes in the body, a fear of ageing or a direct effect of the hormones on the brain.
Menopause cannot be cured, because it is a natural occurrence, but doctors can relieve most of die symptoms. Hormone tablets or patches are the mainstay of treatment. One hormone is taken for three weeks per month, and a different one is added in for the last 7 to 14 days. Minor symproms can be controlled individually. Fluid tablets can help bloating and headaches, ane other agenrs can help uterine cramps and heavy bleeding. Depression can be rreated with specific medications.
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