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Possible Complications in Menopause
The most known definition of menopause is final cessation of menstruation, commonly referred to as a woman's period.
After a woman reaches menopause, several complications occur alongside realities to face and accept. First on that list would be the realizations that her average life expectancy has shortened to only 30 years. During those years, she is not worry-free. A woman faces certain health risks due to the lowered levels of estrogen. Some of these complications include accelerated bone loss. Medical studies show that the statistics for diseases for menopausal women are as follows: 46% for heart disease, 20% for stroke, and 15% for hip fracture. In addition to this, about 8% of women with menopause over 75 suffer dementia, with the statistics for postmenopausal women at risk for Alzheimer's disease at 1.4 to three times the compared to men.
The number one killer disease for women is heart disease. Studies show that in 1998, more than 500,000 women died from cardiovascular diseases. Although young women have a much lower risk for cardiovascular disease than young men, this changes once the onset of menopause arrives. After the age of 51, their risk of women dying of heart disease is very close to that of men. The loss of the hormone Estrogen is believed to play a major role in this circumstance.
The next complication that occurs in menopausal women, also connected to a significant decrease in Estrogen, is Osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a disease of the skeleton wherein the bones become brittle and more susceptible to fracture. Simplified, the bone loses density. At age 65, about 30% of women have osteoporosis, and nearly all of them are unaware of their condition. This increases as the woman ages. After the age of 80, up to 70% of women develop osteoporosis. This disease also plays a big role in spine and hip fractures. While experts are still at a loss about the extreme speed-up of bone breakdown after menopause, this has become a noted effect and complication of menopause. Similarly, Estrogen therapy has been known to help decrease the risk of losing teeth. The therapy serves as a help for gum bleeding with decreased bone loss around the teeth. Therefore, this same principle that helps prevent bone loss in osteoporosis is the one at work when bone loss in the mouth is prevented.
Estrogen also appears to affect mental functions specifically protecting against the memory loss and lower mental functioning associated with normal aging. Some of the effects of estrogen include the production of beta-amyloids, which is the source of sticky plaques found in the brains of Alzheimer's patience. The hormone may also hasten the temporary growth of nerve pathways in the part of the brain responsible for memory. It also helps relax and open blood vessels, which help the flow of blood to the brain. Estrogen is a known antioxidant, which cleans up free-oxygen radicals, unstable particles believed to play a part in the development of Alzheimer's. Some studies also show an association between Estrogen and the normal brain functions in older women with cases of women with lower Estrogen levels suffering more from dementia than women with higher levels of the hormone.
Further studies have shown that estrogen also helps prevent glaucoma and macular degeneration and helps prevent slackness and dryness in the skin and even reduces wrinkles.
Another complication that receives less stress, but is no less inconvenient, is incontinence. Experts say that the drop in estrogen levels brought on by menopause may also bring on stress and the urge to urinate. Women are at an increased risk for recurrent urinary tract infections after menopause. Researchers say that estrogen may help protect from infection through an increase in the number of lactobacilli, a microorganism that fights infection by preventing bacteria from adhering to vaginal cells. Some studies are coming up with evidence that says that vaginal creams or rings containing estrogen dramatically lessen the incidences of recurring infections. However, it is not clear whether taking oral estrogen has the same benefit.
Finally, a common symptom associated with Menopause is more sleeping problems, including insomnia and nighttime wakefulness.
Suffice it to say, at the onset on Menopause, not only do women shorten their life spans but also spend a good amount of their remaining years looking out for complications associated with the loss of Estrogen, which is the hormone that decreases during this period.
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