Natural Vs Surgical Menopause: What Most Women Don’t Know

Menopause is a topic not all women are comfortable talking about. Some women feel embarrassed about it while others are just scared of going through it. As a woman, however, you need to know everything about it as it is a natural occurrence.

Below is everything you need to know about natural and surgical menopause.

What Is Natural Menopause? 

Menopause naturally happens in women around 45 to 55 years old. Some women can have it at 60 years of age, particularly if late menopause is common in the family.

There are three stages of menopause.

Perimenopause refers to the stage where a woman starts running out of eggs. It usually lasts between 4 to 6 years, but there are women who have it for one year or even 10 years.

During this stage, a woman’s period becomes less regular, lighter or heavier or finishes quicker than it normally would.

For most women, the perimenopausal stage is a time where hormones go crazy. Their hormone levels, particularly estrogen, starts swinging erratically.

At this point, you may experience hot flushes, mood changes, forgetfulness, bloating, more pain, and sore breasts. You may also experience changes in the patterns of your monthly period. 

For example, you may experience menstruation for as long as 8 days or you can have periods that are so painful and heavy that you’d need to stay at home. You may also experience bleeding after sex.

Managing the perimenopausal stage will depend on your medical history as well as your symptoms. Usually, however, women at this stage will be given menopausal hormone therapy, combined oral contraceptive pills or a progestin-releasing intra-uterine device. Some doctors recommend natural therapies.

If you are sexually active, seeing your doctor and discussing your options is important, particularly if you aren’t planning on becoming pregnant. This is because an egg can be released twice in a single cycle. 

Menopause, on the other hand, is considered as your final menstrual period. At this point, your periods are irregular and you can have months without them. You’ll know if you’ve had your final menstrual period if you don’t have it for a whole year or 12 months.

Postmenopause refers to the time after your menopause and it’s the point where you may experience menopausal symptoms. The length of this stage varies.

Diagnosing Natural Menopause

Generally speaking, there is no best way to predict menopause other than using your symptoms as a guide.

You can take blood tests but they won’t be able to tell you when your final menstrual period will happen. They can’t help you in managing your perimenopause or postmenopause either.

Your hormone levels won’t be that useful in diagnosing menopause either. The levels fluctuate day to day throughout the cycle.

The AMH or anti-Mullerian hormone test is currently being studied to check if it can help measure follicle or egg activity or predict menopause. Currently, however, this blood test is more useful in assessing fertility.

Symptoms of Menopause

20% of women experience no symptoms while about 60% go through the mild to moderate symptoms of menopause. The remaining 20% experience severe symptoms that they aren’t able to perform their daily tasks.

The symptoms of menopause can be divided into two categories- the physical symptoms and the emotional symptoms.

Physically, menopause comes with aches, bloating, itchy skin, and urinary problems. Hot flushes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, weight gain, migraines, and wakefulness are common, too. Also low estrogen level can cause labia, vulvar and uterine atrophy.

Women going through menopause are likely to experience difficulty concentrating and sleeping. You may feel anxious, forgetful, irritable, less interest in sex, and frequent mood swings.

Treat Options for Menopause

In general, there’s no medical treatment required for menopause because it’s a naturally occurring stage for women. However, there are treatments that can relieve most of its signs and symptoms.

First on the list is hormone therapy. It’s considered as one of the most effective treatment options when it comes to relieving hot flashes. Usually, your doctor may start you on a low dose and short time frame to provide relief.

Hormone therapy isn’t ideal for long-term use. It’s linked to breast cancer and cardiovascular risks.

Low-dose antidepressants, such as selective reuptake inhibitors or SSRIs can also be prescribed for menopausal women. They are helpful in managing hot flashes, particularly for women who can’t take estrogen and hormone therapy for certain health reasons.

In addition to medicines, there are also home remedies women can use to relieve the signs and symptoms of menopause.

One is to get enough sleep. As much as possible, avoid caffeine and too much alcohol. Exercising can also help but do it during the day. 

Try to eat a balanced diet. Eat more vegetables, fruits, and whole grains and limit your intake of sugar and oils.

Don’t smoke and practice relaxation techniques. Guided imagery, progressive muscle relaxation, massage, and deep breathing are great examples.

What Is Surgical Menopause?

Surgical menopause happens when a woman goes through menopause as an effect of surgery and not the natural process of aging. This specifically relates to oophorectomy or the surgical removal of the ovaries. 

The ovaries are responsible for estrogen production in women. When the organs are removed, it immediately triggers menopause no matter what the age of the woman is.

Oophorectorectomy can be done as a single procedure. However, there are cases where doctors may need to perform it with other gynecological surgeries, such as the removal of the uterus, fallopian tubes or both.

There are a couple of reasons for surgical menopause but the most common of them are endometriosis, ovarian cysts, and ovary torsion. Some doctors recommend oophorectomy to prevent the development of breast and ovarian cancers.

The Side Effects of Surgical Menopause

Surgical menopause comes with long-term effects which women have to know first before agreeing to the procedure. Some of these effects include:

• Menopausal symptoms
• Risks for cardiovascular diseases
• Osteoporosis

Managing the Effects of Surgical Menopause

Surgical menopause triggers the same signs and symptoms of natural menopause. Considering that, managing its effects is almost the same.

There are no treatments for it but there are remedies that may offer you relief. This includes avoiding things that may trigger hot flashes, like eating spicy foods, drinking caffeinated drinks, and minimizing stress. You should also have cooling items near you, such as a portable fan and water bottle.

To make sex comfortable, use a water-based vaginal lubricant. And to promote better sleep, keep your bedroom cool

Summary

Since your ovaries and not your uterus produces estrogen any condition that affect or alters estrogen product can cause menopausal symptoms.