The menopausal stage is natural for any woman. It usually happens as the woman reaches sexual maturity. A woman should not be afraid to experience it because it’s not a disease.
However, there are some women that experience menopause symptoms because of a condition. For the purposes of this article, we shall discuss how perimenopause and postmenopause happens naturally.
Is there an End to Menopause?
“The menopause symptoms usually have an end, but they depend on the woman.”
As the woman transitions to the menopausal stage, she starts to experience a reduction in the estrogen levels. When that happens, the woman experiences mood changes, vaginal dryness, and hot flashes.
A woman officially enters the menopausal stage after failing to ovulate or have her periods for 12 consecutive months. The menopause symptoms usually have an end, but they depend on the woman.
How Long does it Usually End?
There are certain symptoms the can be used to predict the onset of the menopausal stage. This period is called perimenopause. A woman wakes up in the middle of the night only to find herself drenched in sweat. The night sweat becomes frequent. In addition, the woman also experiences irregular periods – sometimes they are long and during other months, they are short. At other times, the periods are accompanied by heavy bleeding.
“The question on most people’s heads is how long does menopause last? As long as a woman still experiences vaginal dryness and hot flashes, she is still in the menopausal stage.”
Perimenopause happens 4 to 5 years before the beginning of the menopausal stage. On rare circumstances, a woman can experience hot flashes during perimenopause. However, this is a common symptom during the menopausal stage.
Usually, the hot flashes will persist for 5 years or longer after the woman’s last period. In most cases, the hot flashes are severe within the first 5 years. The hot flashes happen because of changes in your body’s blood circulation. A woman that is experiencing a hot flash will be red on the face and neck. In others, the heart rate tends to increase rapidly. The woman also sweats heavily during a hot flash.
The question on most people’s heads is how long does menopause last? As long as a woman still experiences vaginal dryness and hot flashes, she is still in the menopausal stage. Some women have mild menopausal symptoms for 10 years or more. On average, menopausal symptoms end after 7 years.
In most cases, if a woman began experiencing menopausal symptoms early, her menopause could take longer than 7 years to end.
What the Experts Say?
“Despite scientific evidence showing that the majority of women exhibit menopausal symptoms between 40 and 60 years, every woman is different.”
According to experts, most women get their last periods as they approach 51 years. However, other women can experience the same during their late forties. In most cases, women that smoke are more likely to go into perimenopause in their early 40s.
Despite scientific evidence showing that the majority of women exhibit menopausal symptoms between 40 and 60 years, every woman is different. Depending on their lifestyle and diet, some women can get premenopausal symptoms in their mid 50s.
Since there’s no clear answer as to how long does menopause last, some women opt to go for estrogen therapy as a way to reduce menopausal symptoms. In addition, since estrogen production reduces during the menopausal stage, these women are at a higher risk of getting osteoporosis. Some physicians recommend hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to these women as way to keep their bones strong.
In some instances, the woman may only experience vaginal dryness. If this is the only symptom left, medical professionals may give the woman small doses of vaginal estrogen to improve the lubrication.
There are some limitations to estrogen therapy. The woman should only be given the estrogen as long as they continue to experience negative menopausal symptoms. Experts recommend that the therapy should not be used for more than 5 years. This is because estrogen intake can increase the likelihood of clots developing in the lungs and legs.
In some cases, estrogen therapy can increase the woman’s risk of getting breast cancer if it’s taken beyond the recommended period.
Conclusion
The menopausal stage is natural for all women. During the initial stages, a woman experiences vaginal dryness and a reduction in the sex drive. She also gets hot flashes that can last up to 5 minutes. When these symptoms stop, the woman is said to be in postmenopause.
Sources & References:
https://www.health.harvard.edu/womens-health/perimenopause-rocky-road-to-menopause
https://www.health.harvard.edu/womens-sexual-health/understanding-menopause
https://magazine.medlineplus.gov/pdf/MedlinePlusSpring2013.pdf
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/314951.php
