What are the symptoms of postmenopause?

Generally, women will experience menopause between the ages of 50 and 60. This is a normal physiological reaction. Menopause means that a woman's ovaries begin to atrophy, and many elderly diseases will follow. The face will age faster, the skin will become loose, wrinkles will increase, and the body shape will begin to change, affecting the normal life of the couple, and the body will also have adverse reactions.

What are the symptoms of postmenopause?

1. Urogenital tract atrophy: It worsens with the increase of menopausal years. If there is no hormone replacement therapy, the atrophic changes will continue for life. Due to vaginal atrophy and low resistance, some women may suffer from senile vaginitis and urinary tract infection. Some women may experience stress urinary incontinence, decreased pelvic muscle tension, and uterine prolapse.

2. Osteoporosis: Its consequence is fracture. The incidence of fracture in elderly women is much higher than that in men. It often occurs 5-10 years after menopause and is one of the common diseases that affects the physical health and quality of life of postmenopausal women. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure adequate calcium intake. Premenopausal women should take in 1000 mg of elemental calcium per day, and postmenopausal women should take in 1500 mg per day.

3. Coronary heart disease: The incidence of coronary heart disease in premenopausal women is lower than that in men. After menopause, the incidence in women increases significantly. It can be concluded that androgens have a certain protective effect on women's cardiovascular system. Postmenopausal coronary heart disease is also related to hypertension, obesity, reduced physical activity, diabetes, etc.

Sexual changes in women after menopause

There are many factors that affect the sexual function and expression of menopausal women and cause changes in their sexual behavior. About 1/4 to 1/3 of gynecological patients will mention sexual problems in their chief complaints. The two most common sexual problems for menopausal women are pain during intercourse and loss of libido.

The common factor affecting all women going through menopause is a drop in hormone levels. Due to ovarian atrophy, estrogen and progesterone levels continue to decline.

For postmenopausal women in their natural state, their estrogen is no longer produced by the ovaries, but is converted peripherally from androgens, which are produced by the stromal cells of the ovaries (not the follicles) and the adrenal glands. As you can imagine, the estrogen level in the body at this time is much lower than before menopause.