Scientifically, the menopause It is a stage in a woman’s life when menstruation stops naturally, as female hormones, such as estrogen and progesterone, are no longer produced by the ovaries.
This phase usually occurs, on average, between 48 and 51 years of age. But for many women, the arrival of this stage of life can be frightening and due to myths and prejudices.
Menopause marks a transition period in a woman’s reproductive life, with a long duration, which can be from 20 to 25 years, depending on the date of the last menstruation. At this stage, gynecologists can help prevent diseases such as breast cancer and osteoporosis, for example.
Even today, myths persist about symptoms, hormone replacement and the impact of menopause on women’s health and quality of life. Experts consulted by CNN Vital Signs help to explain what is true and what is nothing more than legend on the subject (see the full above ).
Signs and symptoms of menopause
Experts explain that some symptoms relevant appear in the period of transition to menopause and in post-menopause in general.
“Women can have vasomotor instability during this period, which are hot flashes or hot flashes, and menstrual changes – the cycles begin to become irregular”, says gynecologist Edmund Baracat, a professor at the University of São Paulo (USP).
“These are sudden attacks of heat in general, affecting the upper part of the chest, neck and face. The heat wave comes, it lasts a few minutes, but the impression is that it lasts much longer, due to the discomfort of this symptom. He usually has a rapid heart rate and hot sweating accompanied by sweating. These symptoms usually happen at night, impairing the woman’s sleep”, adds doctor César Eduardo Fernandes, professor of gynecology at the ABC School of Medicine.
The Brazilian Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics Associations (Febrasgo) states that gynecological monitoring is essential to reduce the impacts of menopause. In addition, it recommends some actions to minimize discomfort for women during this period:
- Practice physical activities, especially aerobic and muscle strengthening exercises
- Talk to your doctor about your daily calcium intake
- Exercise your brain in puzzle and crossword puzzle games
- Learn to have good sleep habits
- Make a list with your doctor of pros and cons about hormone replacement therapy
health care
The doctor Rogério Bonassi Machado, president of the Brazilian Association of Climacteric, says that the care during the menopause period aims beyond the relief of symptoms, considering women’s health as a whole.
“When we talk about treating a climacteric, treating menopause, we are talking about general attention to female health. First by tracking chronic diseases, seeing the women who are hurting themselves the most at that moment, promoting lifestyle measures. Encouraging physical exercise, proper diet, smoking cessation is all part of a global action”, says Machado.
hormone therapy
The specialist explains that hormone therapy involves the administration of the hormone that is missing for the woman at that moment, which is estrogen.
“We know that this treatment is effective against hot flashes, improves urogenital atrophy and prevents osteoporosis. This is the tripod of menopausal hormone treatment. Not all women will need hormone therapy. All this is done one by one, there is no universal recipe for all women. In fact, this is the most important thing: that each woman has the most appropriate treatment for her”, he points out.
Doctor César Eduardo Fernandes says that hormone therapy is still surrounded by myths, which can harm women’s adherence to treatment.
“The first issue, the most relevant that women fear a lot is gaining weight. And the second is with regard to cancer risk,” she says.
According to the specialist, after menopause, women have an attenuation of the so-called basal metabolism. “Basal metabolism is assumed to fall by about 2% per decade. So, it is important to guide women that they need less caloric intake and more energy expenditure at this stage of life”, he explains.
In relation to breast cancer, Fernandes says that hormonal treatment was once considered a concern in relation to the disease, but that scientific evidence indicates that the risks are the same for those who do not take hormone therapy.
“Nowadays, we also know that if they take the hormone within five years, it does not increase their risk of breast cancer. The risk of breast cancer in a hormone therapy user in the first five years compared to a non-hormone user is the same,” she says.
Source: CNN Brasil
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