An email from a 29 yrs old lady to me , “Dear doctor , i didn’t get my periods from last 13 months . Is it a menopause?”
Some of female patients between the age 30 to 35 yrs frequently complain irregular periods,irregular patterns of bleeding ,loss of libido(loss of sexual drive) and complaints like vaginal dryness , joint pain etc.
When my 43 year old patient told me she had her menopause at the age of 36 i was really disturbed at the thought . 1 in every 5 women in India is prone to have her menopause before the age of 40 yr.The average age of menopause in Indian women is 45 yrs, 51 yrs in US and in UK it is 50 yrs.One survey reported that four percent of women in India begin to experience menopause between the ages of 29 and 34, while eight percent of Indian women are experiencing menopause between the ages of 35 and 39.
Blame it on genes, lifestyle and synthetic genetically modified food , exposure to radiation, increased stress and many more but one cannot ignore the fact that Indian women are prone to face early menopause. But most of us ladies are exactly doing the opposite.Till we suffer significant changes and discomforts in our body we are not bothered and are not aware of the changes or what exactly the status of our body is.
Again in India, topics such as sex, birth control and childbirth are still considered to be taboo, so that younger and younger women who are going through menopause before their time would not recognize any of its indicators.
Don’t get surprised if i say many of us even don’t know what exactly the menses are, how the cycle functions ,how the hormones control our periods and why are they important? Why we bleed every month?.Yes this is the fact !
Previously it was 35 when we doctors used to advise get yourself regularly checked lady. Now its 30 when we advise , be aware and keep watch on your periods lady.
O.K. how can we know that there is something which is not right about my periods or how can we say that i am started running towards the menopause?
what are the symptoms of peri menopause i.e. phase some years before you hit the menopause?
- Hot flashes.(The sudden feeling of raised temperature in body and sever sweating mostly in sleep )
- Breast tenderness.(Mostly a week before the periods)
- Sudden acne/ pimples
- Worse premenstrual syndrome(severe pain in abdomen, back,thighs, etc)
- Lower sex drive.
- Fatigue /general weakness.
- Irregular periods.(delayed or early )
- Vaginal dryness; discomfort during sex.
- Urine leakage when coughing or sneezing.
- Mood swings
- Trouble in sleeping.
If any of the symptoms is troubling you often do visit your family doctor first.
He /She will direct you for the further things.
Being aware of above thing is most important than running for the solutions.
Ayurveda has a very unique approach towards the menopause and menstruation. In this blog i want my readers to first be aware of the above topic. I am avoiding the further elaboration of the causes and solutions , medicine and other therapies purposefully.
The next part of the blog will be about the Ayurveda management of peri menopause and menopausal symptoms.
Ladies and the concerned gents for their loved ones , do talk, share and spread the cause.
(Above write up belongs to Dr.Rupali Panse. We welcome the act of sharing the blog with the due credit to the author. Image source internet)
Adyam Ayurved,
aadyam.ayurved@gmail.com
rupali.panse@gmail.com