Menopause is a natural process of ageing, in which women will stop having their monthly cycles and will lose their ability of conceiving. While this is an irreversible process, it is accompanied with the loss of the ovarian sensitivity to hormones (gohadotrophins) produced by the brain. This condition occurs at the age of 40s – 50s and is diagnosed after 12 months of your last menstruation.
Even though this is a normal physiological change in the human body, it is accompanied with a myriad of symptoms and the length of time over which these symptoms will manifest, widely differ in each individual…
1. Hot flushes
This is one of the most common symptoms of menopause and during a hot flush, the body will feel sudden warmth or heat which spreads all over the body creating a redness, which is noticeable on the face and the upper body.
These hot flushes can vary from mild feeling of hotness to a sensation of being surrounded by flames, and they occur as the body’s reaction to a reduction of levels of estrogen. If the level of this hormone reduces gradually, it will cause milder and fewer hot flushes while an abrupt fall of estrogen levels can increase its severity.
2. Night sweats
These are known as night hot flushes accompanied with sweating and also known as ‘sleep hyperhydrosis’. The severity of night sweats can vary from mild to severe and can be precipitated by environmental factors such as warm sleeping environment. As they occur at night, they disturb the sleep and also the daily activities the next day.
More symptoms on next page…
