By Adebukola Aluko

Do you know what Menopause is?

There is more to Menopause than what you think it is.

For every beginning, there will surely be an end, so is the life of every individual. Every woman possesses a reproductive organ that is responsible to carry life to a maturation period. The onset of maturation of this reproductive organ capable of performing various functions is the menstrual cycle.

However, Menopause is the time that marks the end of a woman’s menstrual cycles.

A random sampling was taken among women in their 40s and 50s. They were asked about their knowledge of menopause. Their responses were:

Respondent1: I dont know anything, all I know is that you stop seeing blood

Respondent 2: I believe that when women reach certain age like late 40s, they cannot give birth again, and I know some people shrink and reduce in size and weight.

Respondent 3: I think it’s a period of ceasure of menstrual cycle in women and it’s preceded by some symptoms such as nervousness, loss of sexual drive and dryness.

Respondent 4: Menopause is the ceasation of monthly flow of a woman, it can start as early as 30s depending on the nature of individual

From these responses, it can be deduced that majority of the women population do not really have a deeper knowledge of the concept of menopause let alone the coping strategies to deal with the condition, should any woman find herself in such a situation.

An Assistant Director of Nursing, University College Hospital UCH, Mrs Oluseyi Owoade shed more light on what Menopause is all about.

“Menopause is a natural process that begins with a decline in the reproductive hormones produced in the ovaries. In a woman, there are two ovaries, one on each side of the body. It is from these ovaries that eggs are produced which brings about menstrual cycle and fertility.

From these ovaries, two hormones are produced which are called estrogen and progesterone. When menopause is about to begin, these hormones, i.e., the estrogen and progesterone reduce in the level of their production, and this reduction comes with age.

There are quite a number of eggs that each ovary will produce in the life cycle of an individual. When this number of eggs is about to be completed, the rate of the release of this egg reduces and this in turn affects the hormones that are produced in the ovaries, and at this point, on the average, a woman starts missing her period for 1 or 2months. Hence her cycle becomes irregular, but this is not the menopausal stage”.

Mrs. Owoade explained further that, ”Menopause is attained after an individual has gone 12 months without a menstrual period, this shift in hormones can happen in persons between the ages of 40s and 50s. This can be early or later depending on the individual and genetic makeup.

Ecosh

Menopause is a natural biological process, presenting some physical symptoms such as fatigue, hot flashes, bone density reduction which leads to fracture, change in Libido, because there is dryness due to the reduction in estrogen production”, She added.

According to the Assistant Director of Nursing, sleep may be altered, although this vary from person to person, and all these gradual changes may result in anxiety and can affect a woman psychologically and later may lead to depression.

Everyday Health

Mrs. Owoade counseled women to prepare themselves psychologically in other to cope with the challenges of menopause.

“In a situation when the changes are overwhelming for the individual and cannot be tolerated, there is the need to speak with the health care professional so that cases can be managed and addressed accordingly.

Also support of loved ones is very important.

There are many effective treatments available from lifestyle adjustments to hormone therapy”. She concluded.

Remember Health is Wealth

Join the author next week for part 2 of “ Coping with Challenges of Menopause

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