A woman is diagnosed with Menopause if the absence of menstruation is for more than one year. In short, a woman is said to have entered Menopause when an entire year passes since her last period. While Menopause generally can occur at any age above 40, the average age of Menopause in India is 48.

Why does Menopause happen?

Women begin their puberty with roughly more than 400,000 ovarian follicles, the fluid-filled sacs with an immature egg inside them. Only one follicle matures every month releasing an egg which along with endometrium (womb lining) gets released every month in the form of the menstrual period that lasts an average of 28 days. The entire process is controlled by hormones FSH & LH secreted in the brain.

Though there is 400,000 follicle at puberty, most of them disintegrate due to aging and there comes a point where there are no follicles which can be stimulated by Follicle Stimulating Hormone to mature to release an egg.

An End to Ovulation:

As a woman ages, most of the follicles degenerate and remaining a few lose their ability to release an egg, Oestrogen & Progesterone levels decrease, FSH increases, causing irregular or shortened menstrual cycles, gradually stopping altogether. When a woman misses her menstrual period for more than a year, she is considered to be in Menopause: an end to the fertility and reproductive period for women. There are very rare cases where women experience Menopause early in their 30s and there are also Menopause treatments which can help them get back their reproductive ability.

However, in general Menopause doesn’t happen all at once. A woman’s body gradually makes a transition into this phase, leading up to the last menstrual period. This transition phase from the last normal & regular menstrual period to the last menstrual period is called Perimenopause. This Perimenopause, in general, starts for women in their mid to late 40s.

Symptoms of Menopause:

After Menopause a woman doesn’t get a period and can no longer become pregnant. In case she observes vaginal bleeding, it is recommended to consult an experienced Gynaecologist as soon as possible. However, due to the hormonal changes in women, Menopause can trigger profound changes both physically and mentally for women. Vaginal dryness, weight gain, increased urination, tendered breasts, urinary tract infections, reduced bone or muscle mass, hair thinning, headaches, painful joints are some of the common symptoms experienced by women after Menopause.

Other signs and symptoms of Menopause include:

• Hot flushes, irritability
• Painful sexual intercourse, reduced sex drive
• Reduced fertility and eventual loss of the ovarian capacity to conceive
• Night sweats, sleep disturbances and mood swings

Effects of Menopause on the body also include increased risk of heart diseases, Osteoporosis and easy bone fractures, facial hair & weight gain.

As women undergo a slew of these physical changes they must follow an active lifestyle with Calcium, Vitamin D Supplementation and a healthy diet for Menopause to make the symptoms less severe.

Treatment for Menopause:

If the symptoms of Menopause are decreasing the quality of your life, there are many Menopause treatments like Hormone Replacement Therapy and also Medications for Menopause that can help you lead a healthy life. Dr.M.Sushma is the one of the Best Gynaecologist in lingampally who has helped thousands of women lead a comfortable and happy life post-Menopause.