Menopause

What is Menopause?

Outside of puberty and pregnancy Menopause is a major life event. Occurring typically between 45 and 60 years old, and as we are living longer, we spend at least 30 years of our life in a state of menopause. For some women this transition is easy but for others quite debilitating.

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When do menopausal symptoms begin?

Many women notice early symptoms while still having periods, the hormone production is declining very gradually leading into Menopause. Early menopause symptoms include Physical, Sexual and Psychological problems. Symptoms can vary in both their severity and duration, for many women they occur occasionally and do not cause much distress, but for some they can be severe and significantly interfere with sleep, work and quality of everyday life.

Many women will identify with some or all of these physical symptoms:

• Hot flushes or flash
• Night sweats
• Palpitations
• Insomnia
• Joint aches
• Headaches
• Dry, thinning skin.

Symptoms including flushes affect every woman differently, some women manage to cope without treatment however for some flushes are embarrassing and stressful.

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Later Menopause Symptoms

Later menopause symptoms that can be problematic are because of oestrogen deficiency on the bladder and vagina, and many women will identify with these symptoms.

• Passing urine more often by day and/or by night
• Discomfort on passing urine.
• Urinary incontinence or leaking.
• Vaginal dryness, discharge, burning and itching

Although bladder and vaginal symptoms can occur in the early stages of the menopause, they mostly occur a few years after the last period. Vaginal and bladder symptoms are very common and can cause significant distress yet women are frequently too embarrassed to discuss these problems.

There are very effective treatments available such as Emsella and CO2 Vaginal tightening. You may already have a treatment in mind and any of these options can be booked online or discussed with your medical practitioner in clinic.

If Menopause symptoms are affecting your quality of life, then help is available. At Clinica Medica our doctors also offer BHRT, unlike HRT it is naturally occurring (Bio Identical) and has the same chemical structure as naturally occurring hormones in the body. Or call the clinic for further information.

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Skin and Menopause

Skin is significantly affected by the aging process and menopause. Changes in the skin collagen leads to diminished elasticity and skin strength. The skin may become dryer, thinner, less elastic, more prone to bruising, age spots, facial hair or skin itching may occur.

This is a time to love yourself more, what you can do if sagging skin, discolouration or wrinkles bother you:

The good news is there are plenty of skincare products and ingredients that can help the skin concerns that are commonly experienced during menopause. A few tweaks to your skin care routine really can make a difference to your appearance. Protect your skin from the sun. This can reduce visible wrinkles and prevent new wrinkles however you’ll find other ways to treat wrinkles at Clinica Medica.

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Men suffer too... Male Menopause

You’ve probably heard of the menopause in women, but did you know men can go through a similar hormonal change? The male menopause, or andropause, is often triggered when men reach their 40s.

What symptoms can men suffer? What are the signs of the male menopause?

• Mood swings and irritability.
• Fat redistribution, such as developing a large belly or "man boobs" (gynaecomastia)
• A general lack of enthusiasm or energy.
• Difficulty sleeping.
• Poor concentration and short-term memory

As many as a third of men can expect some sort of physical change to their bodies when they reach this age. Men are more reluctant to talk about the symptoms and with such little exposure to information, this sudden shift in mental attitude and physical ability can cause very personal difficulties.

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