What Is The Meaning Of Menopause?

For aging women, menopause is what is an event that is both dreaded and anticipated. By nature, menopause ends what has for some been forty grueling years of menstruation. However, the process also begins a very new-and for some, just as grueling-experience, which comes with its own unique symptoms and consequences. Knowing what menopause is allows women to become more familiar with their bodies and the stages that they go through.

Termination Can Be A Technical Process

While most people who want to know what menopause is associated the event with the cessation of the menstrual cycle, it is in fact part of a much bigger picture. Menopause is caused by the failure of the ovaries-a natural part in the hormonal cycle of every woman. When the ovaries stop producing monthly eggs, menopause begins. Because the monthly production of eggs is what causes menstruation, this stops as well.

This process interferes with the hormonal and reproductive cycles in the woman's body. Eventually, what menopause is going to do is cause the entire reproductive system to shut down. This process could take years. Essentially, the main result will be that the woman will no longer be able to have children.

Suffering Through The Symptoms

Menopause is accompanied by many side effects and symptoms that can be extremely uncomfortable or painful. The side effects can be physical, but they can also be sexual and psychological because the process of menopause affects hormone levels. Hot flashes and night sweats are one annoying physical symptom of menopause. Women going through menopause also frequently have trouble sleeping. The disturbance to the hormone levels can also lead to weight gain.

Psychologically, menopause can cause depression, irritability, memory loss, moodiness, and fatigue. Menopause also has sexual side effects as well. It can cause decreased sexual libido, dyspareunia, vaginal dryness, and it can lead to problems reaching an orgasm.

Living Through The Experience

Everyone goes through menopause-the question is how. Menopause can be managed in several ways. One option is hormone therapy, or hormone replacement therapy. Though this is sometimes successful, it is particularly known for its long lasting and unpleasant side effects. Other options include conjugated equine estrogens and other forms of hormone therapy.

When One Door Closes, Another Door Opens

Despite the horror stores about what the experience of menopause is like, the fact is that every woman goes through it at some point during their life. While it may not be an ideal experience, menopause represents a new life stage-one that brings good along with the bad.