Menopause symptoms Menopause Health Risks You May Not Be Aware Of
Tuesday, August 17, 2010 9:10:54 PM
Menopause can be a very traumatic and challenging period of time for a woman. Menopause health risks for some women tend to be greater than others depending upon the health of the woman, the lifestyle she lives and her past medical history. Following are some of the ways in which your health and well being are impacted during this time of change.
Menopause is a time in a woman's life when estrogen production is decreased dramatically, to the point where a woman is not able to have children any longer. During this time, your hormones will be unbalanced, which means that you will experience changes in your body temperature, or you may have trouble sleeping, even though you may feel fatigued. Some women may experience severe mood swings due to the changes in hormone levels, as well as headaches and backaches.
The declining levels of estrogen that accompany menopause can contribute to a serious health concern known as osteoporosis, wherein the bones become brittle and prone to breakage. Estrogen plays an important role in maintaining bone mineral density (BMD), which keeps the bones strong. It does this by making sure that the bones have an ample supply of calcium. Bone density begins to decline in menopausal women. This generally takes place over a period of five years or more, and afterwards a woman's bones are much more vulnerable to injuries.
Bones need to be cared for to grow strong. A proper diet that is rich in vitamins and minerals is necessary to prevent the onset of this disease. A great number of women do not get enough calcium on a regular basis. Premenopausal women should ensure that they get three servings of dairy products on a daily basis. This works out to be 1000 milligrams of elemental calcium. Postmenopausal women require even more - up to five servings or 1500 milligrams daily.
Urinary incontinence is another issue that frequently arises during menopause. Urine does not remain in the bladder as it should but instead it leaks out, usually unexpectedly. There are different types of urinary incontinence but the type experienced most often by women of menopausal age is stress incontinence, which occurs because of a lack of estrogen in the body. The urethral sphincter and/or pelvic muscles become weaker and are not able to help the bladder and urethra to hold in urine as they once did. Stress incontinence is most likely to occur when a woman laughs, coughs, sneezes, exercises or does anything that can cause extra pressure to be exerted on the abdominal area.
There are other health problems associated with menopause and perimenopause, which is why it is very important for you to talk to your doctor about all the physical changes that you are experiencing. Breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and polyps or growths on the uterus which may or may not be cancerous can all occur during this phase of life, so if you notice that your fatigue is becoming extreme, or you are having problems urinating, you should work with your physician to come up with a health regimen that will work for you, or find out about surgical procedures that will help to relieve your symptoms and improve your health.
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