Nature has a system and a plan for everything.
The human body is made up of complex internal systems that keep the body running efficiently.
Women have periods in their lives when some of their systems change.
With the onset of puberty the body grows and certain physical attributes are formed.
The breasts develop and the girl's overall shape changes.
Each month her body goes through a cycle for reproduction.
This continues for most of her life.
But nature has set safeguards in place to prevent reproduction after a certain age.
At this stage in life a woman goes through menopause.
She is no longer able to have children naturally.
In this article we will cover the facts about this change in life that occurs to all women.
Can younger women go through menopause? Yes, younger women can go through menopause.
Typically if a younger woman enters the perimenopause phase it is because of a problem.
One problem that is very rare is premature ovarian failure.
Premature ovarian failure (POF) occurs from the onset of puberty until around age 20.
The ovaries stop functioning.
There are other disorders that can occur that will trigger perimenopause such as diabetes, chemotherapy, eating disorders and autoimmune disorders.
There are often women that have to undergo hysterectomies in which the reproductive organs are completely removed.
This automatically causes the body to cease menstruation and ceases reproductive capabilities.
The reasons for hysterectomies vary from cancer to endometriosis.
If it is not a complete hysterectomy and the ovaries are left, the body will not go into perimenopause.
But it can occur within a few years.
What are the symptoms of menopause? There are quite a few symptoms of menopause that vary depending on the woman.
You probably are already aware of women experiencing depression, hot flashes and night sweats.
But there are others such as vaginal atrophy, itching, dryness and even urinary incontinence.
The skeletal structure also undergoes some changes as the risk of osteoporosis is increased.
The woman may have joint or muscle pain.
She could also experience formication which is when the woman feels as if ants or small bugs are crawling under or on her skin.
She may also experience memory loss, fatigue and anxiety.
How can the symptoms be alleviated? The symptoms of menopause can be relieved in several ways.
One of the most common ways of treating the symptoms is to go straight to the source of the problem: the hormone fluctuation and decrease in production.
Doctors will prescribe hormone replacement therapy to help the menopausal woman get through.
The hormone replacement therapy is used not only to help alleviate the hot flashes and such but it is also used to help treat osteoporosis.
The type of hormones used depends on whether or not there is a uterus present.
If the uterus is present then the hormones used will be estrogen and progesterone.
If the uterus has been taken due to a hysterectomy then estrogen alone is usually enough.
Are there risks in using hormone replacement therapy? For a long time there were no known risks associated with using hormone replacement therapy.
But that was in part because the studies did not have data on the long term effects.
Today health officials know that there are some risks associated with the different types of hormone replacement therapy.
They now know that there is an elevated risk of developing breast cancer.
There is also the risk for developing cardiovascular problems.
Women also have to be aware that risks could include high blood pressure, increased risk of uterine cancer and even blood clots.