How to live a wise life after menopause
As the average life expectancy of Korean women exceeds their mid-80s, the post-menopausal life has increased to the extent of reaching a third of the total life expectancy. It is important to take care of your health after menarche until you reach menopause, but you need to prepare for 30 years after menopause in order to reach a healthy old age. Experts emphasized that the quality of life depends on how you manage your health after menopause.
Mean age of menopause was 49.7 years
Menopause is a normal aging process that occurs when the secretion of female hormones decreases. Around the age of 50, the ovaries age and function declines, preventing ovulation. Menopause is diagnosed when you have not had a period for more than a year. The period of menopause is usually genetically determined and usually appears between the ages of 48 and 52. It could be faster or it could be later. The average age at menopause was 49.7 years old in a 2003 survey of menopausal women in Korea.
During this period, women experience major changes due to the decrease in female hormones. Various symptoms such as irregular menstruation, hot flushes, night sweats, chest palpitations, vaginal dryness, and dry skin appear. Psychiatric symptoms such as insomnia, loss of motivation, and anxiety may also accompany it. It’s like experiencing a second puberty, so it’s a sensitive and difficult time to the point where the saying, ‘If there are children who are entering puberty and a menopause mother at home, the father must go out’. On the 14th, Professor Jo Si-hyeon of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Gangnam Severance Hospital said, “If menopausal symptoms are dismissed as a process that everyone experiences as they get older and neglected, it can lead to chronic metabolic diseases such as osteoporosis, stroke, and coronary artery disease, leading to a sharp decline in the quality of life in old age.” .
Menopause symptoms for years
Menopause doesn’t happen suddenly. The period accompanied by changes in female hormones, that is, the menopause transition period, proceeds for several years. This period is often referred to as menopause. Medically, it is a transitional period in which the physiological and sexual functions related to female hormones decrease due to the gradual decline in the function of the ovaries that produce female hormones, and the average duration is around 5 years.
The typical symptoms of early menopause are a feeling of heat rising from the bottom to the top, and redness or burning of the face. The skin on the face, head, chest, and neck suddenly turns red, and a feeling of heat appears and spreads throughout the body for about 3 minutes. Individuals experience these symptoms from several to several dozen times a day. Symptoms may appear more frequently due to stimuli such as anxiety, hot weather, or stress. In a study of Korean women, 61% of menopausal women complained of hot flashes.
Lee Da-yong, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Seoul Asan Hospital, said, “The main cause of symptoms is a decrease in female hormones. However, Professor Lee advised, “People with severe symptoms are affected by social life to the extent that they are reluctant to meet people, and symptoms may occur frequently at night, leading to insomnia, so they should seek counseling and treatment.”
Loss of ‘bone’ 7-8 years after menopause
The lack of female hormones also affects cerebral neurotransmitters, and psychological symptoms such as depression, irritability, poor concentration, memory loss, tension, irritability, loss of motivation, indecisiveness, and loss of self-confidence may appear.
Three to four years after menopause, the typical mid-menopausal symptoms, reproductive and urinary system symptoms, appear. The decrease in female hormones affects the skin, epithelial cells, and mucosal cells, and not only reduces skin elasticity, but also thins epithelial and mucosal cells of the vagina and urethra, resulting in dryness and loss of elasticity. This leads to vaginitis and cystitis, which causes pain during sexual intercourse. As the supporting structures around the vagina weaken, uterine prolapse may occur, in which the uterus exits into the vagina. In addition, frequent and sudden urge to urinate, discomfort when urinating, and new or severe urinary incontinence may occur.
Seven to eight years after menopause, a lot of bone loss occurs due to a decrease in female hormone secretion. Professor Lee explained, “Female hormones play an important role in maintaining bone density. During menopause, as female hormones decrease, bone density decreases, and if these symptoms persist for a long time, osteoporosis may occur.” If bone loss continues, it also affects the spine, causing the bones to be pressed through micro-fractures, etc. This results in a shorter height, a shorter waist, and a body shape with a sagging front breastbone. Osteoporosis that has already progressed is difficult to reverse. Even with treatment, only a small increase in bone mass.
Professor Uhm Jung-min of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Hanyang University Hospital said, “Osteoporosis, which is the most problematic in menopause, can be easily diagnosed by taking a bone density test. It is very helpful for treatment.”
Hormone therapy is not dangerous.
Hormone therapy is also recommended for hot flushes and hot flashes. In addition to osteoporosis and vasomotor symptoms, hormone therapy is known to lower the risk of cardiovascular disease. However, hormone therapy is recommended in the early stages of menopause.
Kim Hye-kyung, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Chung-Ang University Hospital, said, “If a woman in the transition period of menopause receives hormone therapy, irregular vaginal bleeding may occur due to disturbance with endogenous hormones in the body, but this problem can be resolved by changing the medication. If this hormone therapy is used, it can be treated relatively safely without increasing the risk of coronary artery disease, thrombosis, and stroke. “It’s good to have therapy,” he said.
Professor Lee said, “In the early 1990s, many women felt vaguely reluctant to take hormone therapy as the results of a study showing that postmenopausal hormone therapy increased the risk of breast cancer, but the combination of drugs used in this study in the past is a combination that is rarely used now.” There is no need to be reluctant to take hormone therapy because continuous research and improvement have been made to increase the effect and increase the effect.”
Effective with exercise therapy
Exercise is just as important as hormone therapy. Professor Kim said, “During aerobic exercise, low-impact exercise such as swimming, walking, and cycling is recommended, and strength training should be performed at least twice, but a rest day must be taken in between.” He also advised that the intensity of the exercise should be ‘a degree in which you can talk during exercise but it is difficult to sing’.
Reporter Lee Hyun-jung