Six major diseases that are common after menopause

1. Breast cancer

The relationship between menopause and breast cancer is complementary: on the one hand, the incidence of breast cancer will increase after women reach menopause; on the other hand, women with breast cancer will have a higher chance of developing menopausal syndrome.

2. Menopausal syndrome

For some women whose menopausal symptoms are particularly obvious, they can supplement with a small dose of estrogen and an appropriate amount of progesterone in the early stages of menopause under the guidance of a doctor, which can effectively improve the discomfort symptoms. However, during the period of taking estrogen, regular outpatient follow-up is necessary, and if you feel unwell, you must seek medical attention immediately. In addition, you should maintain a happy mood, eat a healthy diet, and exercise moderately.

3. Osteoporosis

Postmenopausal osteoporosis usually occurs about 10 years after menopause, between the ages of 55 and 65. Osteoporosis can easily lead to fractures in the spine, hips, wrists and other parts of the body. It has a high incidence rate, great risk and is relatively complicated to treat. Estrogen deficiency is considered to be the main cause of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. After menopause, ovarian dysfunction and decreased estrogen secretion levels, coupled with insufficient intake of vitamin D and calcium, can easily lead to secondary bone loss.

4. Cardiovascular disease

Clinical studies have shown that the incidence of cardiovascular disease in women before menopause is lower than that in men of the same age, but the increase in the incidence of cardiovascular disease after menopause makes the incidence of cardiovascular disease in women close to that in men 10 years after menopause. The reason is due to the decrease in estrogen levels in the body.

5. Obesity

Due to the lack of sex hormones, postmenopausal women experience corresponding changes in sugar and lipid metabolism. Therefore, compared with premenopausal women, the fat distribution changes and fat deposition increases compared to before menopause, so they are more susceptible to obesity.

6. Irregular vaginal bleeding after menopause

Postmenopausal bleeding is one of the common gynecological diseases in the elderly caused by hormonal changes. There are many reasons for vaginal bleeding after menopause, among which the main ones related to hormonal changes in the body after menopause are:

(1) Inflammation After menopause, ovarian function declines significantly and estrogen levels in the body drop significantly, leading to varying degrees of atrophy of the vagina, cervix and endometrium, and decreased disease resistance. This makes it easier for bacteria and viruses to invade and infect, such as senile vaginitis, senile urinary tract infection, cervicitis, etc.

(2) Functional uterine disorder. During the perimenopause period, the ovarian secretory function has not yet completely degenerated, and sex hormones are still secreted for a long time. The endometrium is still stimulated by estrogen for a considerable period of time, leading to endometrial dysfunction.

(3) Senile endometrial hemorrhagic necrosis. During menopause, estrogen levels decrease, while cholesterol and triglyceride levels increase, causing arteriosclerosis. When uterine artery sclerosis is severe, it can lead to local hypoxia and necrotic bleeding in the endometrium. The amount of bleeding varies from person to person, and the duration of bleeding is also different. It can manifest as sudden heavy bleeding or intermittent small amounts of bleeding.

(4) Endometrial polyps. The expression of estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) in normal uterine membrane of premenopausal women is low or even absent. The expression of PR in endometrial polyps after menopause is significantly lower than before, while there is not much difference in the expression of ER before and after menopause, so estrogen continues to stimulate endometrial hyperplasia to form polyps.