How is menopause related to natural hormones?
Menopause is a natural process that occurs when a woman’s ovaries stop producing eggs because the production of the natural hormones estrogen declines and progesterone stops.
Most of the estrogens in the body are produced by our ovaries, but they can also be formed by other tissues, such as body fat, skin and muscle. Progesterone, the other major female hormone, is necessary for thickening and preparing the uterine lining for the fertilized egg. Menopausal decrease in these natural hormones happens gradually, usually beginning at the age of around 45 and ending at 55. Menopause can also occur earlier, especially if a woman’s ovaries are surgically removed.
During this transition time (also called perimenopause) our menstrual periods become more irregular as they begin to taper off. When they have completely stopped for 12 months, we have finally reached menopause. While most women reach this stage at around the age of 51, this is not always the case: sometimes menopause comes earlier or later. Even perimenopause may begin at an earlier or later date, and its duration is unpredictable.
During this transition time (also called perimenopause) our menstrual periods become more irregular as they begin to taper off. When they have completely stopped for 12 months, we have finally reached menopause.
In any case, during perimenopause, women experience various symptoms that range from mild to severe. These are caused by changes in estrogen and progesterone levels. Some of the more common symptoms include:
Hot flushes and night sweats - Women often feel hot flushes as an intense build-up in body heat, followed by sweating and chills. Some women report accompanying anxiety as the sensation builds. Although they may linger in some women for years after menopause, hot flushes normally last for 3 to 5 years. Women who have surgical removal of both ovaries who do not receive replacement therapy for natural hormones may have more severe hot flushes than women who enter menopause naturally.
Insomnia - Difficulty in sleeping is common during perimenopause. It may be caused by the hot flushes, or it may be an independent symptom of changes in levels of natural hormones.
Mood changes - Mood changes are most likely caused by a combination of sleeplessness, hormonal swings and psychological factors as we undergo this intense passage in our lives. Once a woman has reached menopause, however, depression is no more common than before, and women with a history of premenstrual depression often have significant mood improvement.
Low libido - Sexual responsiveness tends to decline in most women after menopause, although other aspects of sexual function, including interest, frequency, and vaginal dryness vary. It is useful to remember that most symptoms of menopause eventually go away.
Other symptoms of decrease in natural hormones are urine leakage, vaginal dryness, and joint stiffness. After menopause, most of these eventually subside and disappear.
Menopausal decrease in natural hormones is a normal occurrence. It is not a disease that has a medical cure. However, we may seek medical treatment for the relief of perimenopausal symptoms - especially for hot flushes.
Menopausal women can effectively control their symptoms with natural progesterone, testosterone, and estrogen creams. Genuine natural hormone creams represent the most effective and reliable mode of administration for the management of deficiency in natural hormones. Other delivery methods of natural hormones, such as lotions, gels, sprays, trouches and capsules, have not proved to be as effective as creams for the management of symptoms.
If you're suffering from deficiency in natural hormones, then you may be suffering from a number of other symptoms and a diagnosis of low progesterone is greatly increased. You might want to check this list by clicking the link below.
Click here to read about the symptoms of low testosterone in women

