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The original meaning of the word 'menopause' was originally limited to the last cycle of menstruation (similarly 'menarche' indicated the first cycle). However, the word has been extended to encompass all of the hormonal changes that take place in a woman's body when she stops menstruating. This has created a good deal of confusion. Premenopausue is used by few to point to the time whenever menstruation is natural and before hormone levels start to fall down. Few people says the word to point to the time with in the perimenopause before the final period. Before and after the last actual menstrual bleed is called perimenopause and it starts after hormone levels have started to fluctuate and before they settle and there are no more symptoms due to this fluctuation. For the climacteric the above symptoms are same. It is more and more usual for women to refer to this time as their menopause. Postmenopause actually starts the day after the last menstrual bleed and describes any time after that. It includes some of the perimenopause, and a woman after her last period is described as postmenopausal, although the term will not be used until a year after the last period because no one will be sure which the last one was until a year has passed. Ninety percent of women in the perimenopause who have not had a period for six months do not have another one. Menopause, Estrogen and Other Female Hormones The levels of progesterone and estrogen diminish it called menopause. During the menopause the supply and quality of eggs declines in midlife, hormone production from the ovaries becomes erratic. Approximately 28-day cycle estrogen and progesterone are produced and released until the menopause stage Pre-menopausal. Leading up to ovulation is when estrogen levels reach their peak, but quickly decline afterwards. During this second half of the menstrual cycle is when progesterone starts to rise. If the ovulated egg is not fertilized, levels of both these hormones drops, which in turn signals the body to start menstrual bleeding. Perimenopausal. Estrogen is still being produced by the ovaries, but ovulation is sporadic, so progesterone is not produced every cycle and there may not be a monthly bleed. Postmenopausal. At this stage of life, there is very little estrogen present in your body, and what small amount is present is actually produced by the process of your body's fat cells processing the androstenedione hormone. Brittle Bones and Osteoporosis Lower estrogen levels in blood can lead to osteoporosis and brittle bones amongst women. This is corroborated by the facts that in the Western world about quarter of women develop brittle bones around the age 60, which is just 10 years after menopause and about half the women have high degree of osteoporosis by the age of 70. There are many different treatment for menopause options that can help protect you against osteoporosis, so take time to discuss your options with your doctor or health professional. Calcium is the mineral mainly involved in the process of bone building. Calcitonin and parathyroid hormone control the calcium levels in blood and estrogen is partly responsible for its metabolism. The osteoclasts and osteoblasts have estrogen receptors. Our bones store most of the calcium, and if at all blood calcium levels come down the parathyroid hormone will cause the bone and release calcium into the blood. After menopause, low estrogen levels make bone more sensitive to parathyroid hormone, making it more fragile.
Article Source: http://www.health-fitness-for-all.com
Learn how to make informed choices about your menopause experience and what treatment options you have. Hot flash remedies like herbal remedies for menopause are becoming more popular due to their health properties but are they right for you. Don't reprint this exact article. Instead, reprint a free unique content version of this same article.
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