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Physiologically, menopause is simply a biologic marker
of the end of fertility and menstruation. It occurs at
the age of approximately 50 years; but that's only an
approximation; it happens earlier for some women and
later for others. And it is the direct result of a
decrease in levels of the hormone oestrogen, which
occurs when the ovaries stop functioning fully.
One of the first signs of declining oestrogen levels
most women experience is a change in their menstrual
cycle. Menstrual periods may come less frequently or
more frequently, until they finally stop altogether. In
hysterectomized women, oestrogen deficiency is not
marked by changes in menstruation. However, the presence
of typical discomforts is a reliable method of
diagnosis.
Hot flushes and night sweats are comon early symptoms of
oestrogen deficiency. For some women, thay are just a
mildly uncomfortable nuisance. For others, though, these
symptoms can be so severe and occur so frequently that
they intefere with their daily lives and make getting a
good night's sleep difficult.
Hormones - The Chemical Messengers
Hormones are produced and released by various organs and
tissues, in response to instructions from the brain. The
principle creator, and most relevant in this case would
be the endocrine glands
Endocrine glands:
There are two types of glands that exist in the body,
namely exocrine glands and endocrine glands. Exocrine
glands excrete their substances directly onto the
surface of the skin i.e. sweat - made in the sweat
glands and sebum - made in the sebaceous glands.
Endocrine glands on the other hand exude their
components directly into the blood stream. These
substances or 'chemical messengers' are known as
hormones.
Hypothalamus:
Situated virtually in the center of the skull, is one of
the most important endocrine glands - the hypothalamus.
This gland, apart from having other vital functions such
as regulating body temperature also produces several
hormones such as the gonadotropin releasing hormone (GRH)
which would be the one most relevant to our discussion.
Pituitary gland
Directly beneath the hypothalamus is a tiny rounded
organ, known as the pituitary gland, which is attached
to the base of the brain by a slender stalk. The
pituitary gland is the master endocrine gland of the
body, which also has the ability of producing hormones,
many of which affect the working of the other endocrine
glands. The two hormones most relevant in this case
would be the follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and the
luteinizing hormone (LH), which combined are known as
gonadotropins.
Ovary
The other endocrine gland relevant to this discussion
would be the ovaries. These are oval glands situated on
each side of the uterus in the lower abdomen. These two
female sex glands are stimulated by the pituitary gland,
and are responsible for producing egg cells (ova) and
for secreting various hormones. The two most important
hormones in this case and probably the most vital in our
whole discussion on menopause would be that of Oestrogen
and Progesterone.
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