Research Paper on "Women and Menopause Midlife Crisis"

Research Paper 8 pages (2376 words) Sources: 10

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Menopause

A midlife counterpart to puberty, menopause is a natural process that affects every female human being. Menopause is defined officially and most practically as "the state of an absence of menstrual periods for 12 months," (Stoppler 2010). The absence of menstrual periods is caused by the dramatic drops in estrogen and progesterone, as the body also stops producing eggs and is no longer able to conceive. However, there is more to menopause than the ceasing of menstruation. A crucial change of life, menopause can be accompanied by a wide range of experiences that can collectively be called a mid-life crisis.

The term midlife crisis connotes a negative experience, but not all Changes of Life are experienced negatively. "the most profound difference in attitude between men and women at middle age is that women are twice as likely to be hopeful about the future," (Gibbs 2005). Menopause is marked by physical and psychological side-effects that can be troublesome, however. Symptoms like hot flashes, lowered sex drive, depression, irregular bleeding, night sweats, and fatigue may all accompany the hormonal changes. Therefore, menopause has been commonly classified as a medical condition when it is technically not. Even the MayoClinic (2010) claims, "Menopause is a natural biological process, not a medical illness." The symptoms of menopause may require medical interventions, but the change of life is a natural phase of a woman's life that can and should be construed positively. As Gibbs (2005) points out, "Women get to wrestle their hormones through a Change of Life; but however disruptive menopause may be for some women, the changes that matter most are often more psychic and spiritual than physical." (Gibbs 2005).

Treating menopause as a medical condition may have damaging repercussions to a woman's body and mind. For one, hormone replacement therapies are pharmaceutical interventions that are widely prescribed by doctors. Hormone replacement therapies, which generally involve a combination of progestin with estrogen, are designed to relieve "some of those torturous menopause symptoms" like hot flashes ("Hormone Replacement Therapy: Is it Good for the Heart?" n.d.). Recent research shows that hormone replacement therapies may do more harm than good, though. Hormone replacement therapies may lead to a significantly elevated risk of heart disease ("Hormone Replacement Therapy: Is it Good for the Heart?" n.d.). At the same time, hormone replacement therapies may help some women who were prone to heart disease. The sudden drop in both estrogen and progesterone can increase the risk for heart disease as well as osteoporosis in some women ("What is the menopause?" 2010). Therefore, the decision to take hormone replacement therapies and if so, which kind, is not a decision to be taken lightly. There are several alternative interventions that can address the symptoms of menopause without causing undue risk. Those alternative interventions range from antidepressants to treat mood-related problems to calcium supplements to prevent osteoporosis.

The average age for menopause in the United Kingdom is 52, and 51 in the United States (NHS n.d.; U.S. National Institutes of Health 2010). However, menopause can begin as early as 35 and as late as 60 ("What is the menopause?" 2010). Menopause generally takes place between the ages of 45 and 55. The age at which a woman experiences menopause seems to be linked with genetics. "As a rough rule of thumb, women tend to undergo menopause at an age similar to that of their mothers," (Stoppler 2010). Menopausal symptoms, on the other hand, do not appear to be genetic. Research has revealed no proven link between a mother's symptoms and those of her daughter's (NHS 2010).

Being a smoker is correlated with the onset of an early menopause (U.S. National Institutes of Health 2010). Other conditions can lead to menopause-like symptoms. Operations like hysterectomies and oophorectomies can trigger menopause or menopausal symptoms because of the fact that those operations entail the loss of the source of estrogen in the body (U.S. National Institutes of Health 2010). In fact, women who have had hysterectomies or oophorectomies might experience more severe menopausal symtoms (Gorman 2005). Thyroid disease can also lead to the manifestation of symptoms of menopause, independently of the change of life itself (North American Menopause Society 2010).

Other pseudo-menopause conditions include a condition called primary ovarian insufficiency. Primary ovarian insufficiency can develop in females as young as teenagers. Women with primary ovarian insufficiency "stop producing normal amounts of reproductive hormones, develop hot flashes, typically become infertile and, in addition, face an increased risk for depression," ("Depression Screening Urged for Young Women With Menopause-Like Symptoms" 2010).

A woman does not suddenly hit menopause. Rather, the transition can take years. In fact, some organizations like the National Institute on Aging define menopause as the entire transitional phase from perimenopause to postmenopause. Perimenopause is literally the "the time around menopause" during which preliminary symptoms begin to manifest (Stoppler 2010). According to the North American Menopause Society (2010), perimenopause can last six years or more. Women younger than the average age for perimenopausal onset can be tested for hormone levels to determine whether the symptoms are indicative of the beginning of menopause.

During the transitional period known as perimenopause, the period becomes irregular -- sometimes heavy, sometimes absent. Hormonal levels are fluctuating, and on some days they may rise rather than fall. Hot flashes, night sweats, and other physiological changes take place during this time. Interestingly, a perimenopausal woman can technically get pregnant even as her fertility wanes. Perimenopausal women who do not wish to conceive need to use birth control (North American Menopause Society 2010).

Once the period stops completely for a duration of twelve months, the woman is said to have made it through menopause and is now in a postmenopausal state. Oddly enough, pregnancy during the postmenopausal state has occurred even though most women at this stage of menopause can no longer conceive. The NHS (2010) advises that women "carry on using contraception for two years after your last period if you are under 50 and for one year if you are over 50."

A woman who has yet to experience any symptoms of menopause is said to be in a premenopausal state. According to WebMD (2010), menopause and postmenopause comprise a third of a woman's life, which is why it is important to understand menopause. The Mayo Clinic (2010) claims that as much as half of a woman's life may be during the perimenopausal and postmenopausal stages and the change of life can be embraced as a positive condition.

Even if the change of life can lead to positive social, psychological, spiritual, and even sexual experiences, there is no doubt that some of the symptoms associated with menopause are uncomfortable. Perimenopause symptoms do vary from person to person. The most commonly reported symptom is hot flashes and related night sweats. "About 75% of women have hot flashes. Nighttime hot flashes are more common and may result in chronic sleep deprivation," (WebMD 2010). Hot flashes or flushes may "occur four or five times a day and usually last from a few seconds to a few minutes," ("What is the Menopause?" 2010). Other physical symptoms include aches and pains ranging from joint pain to headaches. Some women experience an increased rate of bladder infections like cystitis. Loss of vaginal elasticity and vaginal dryness are also commonly-reported symptoms.

Mood swings, depression, reduced sexual drive, insomnia, and panic attacks are relatively common psychological symptoms of menopause. Some of these symptoms may be related to the aging process and the increasing awareness of mortality that brings as opposed to menopause itself (Gorman 2005). Likewise, Meyer (n.d.) notes that both men and women go through shock, denial, depression, anger, and acceptance during a midlife crisis. Being many of these are psychological symptoms associated with menopause, it is highly likely that menopause is overblown in how much it actually affects the ways females cope with aging. While the hormonal changes have distinct physiological and psychological repercussions, there is no longer a need to pathologize the change of life. Rather, all human beings are learning better ways of coping with the realities of aging.

Most of the symptoms of menopause can be mitigated by lifestyle changes and pharmaceutical interventions are not necessarily indicated or desirable. Taking calcium supplements and consuming high amounts of essential fatty acids are some of the nutritional steps menopausal women can take to bolster health and reduce the chance of osteoporosis and other problems ("What is the Menopause?" 2010). Keeping the bedroom cooler than normal and wearing lighter clothing can reduce hot flashes and night sweats. Similarly, simple solutions like exercise, meditation and yoga can help reduce stress and depression. The sexual symptoms of menopause, especially vaginal dryness and loss of vaginal elasticity, can be easily relieved via the use of a good lubricant during sexual intercourse.

Women going through the change of life can indeed experience positive, life-affirming emotions. A mid-life crisis can entail self-development, returning to school, or "a powerful urge to help others," (Gibbs 2005). The stereotype of a menopausal woman as… READ MORE

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