Menopause "This topic has been taboo in public in the past and has now become a more open topic due to the appearance of many celebrities.
Drew Barrymore recently experienced hot flashes for the first time while recording her talk show The Drew Barrymore Show, which is synonymous with menopause. I'm too hot. I think I'm going through my first menopausal flashes right now," she revealed to her guest, Jennifer Aniston. 'This is my first time. So that's what you call hot flashes. Wow. ......！ "
Barrymore's experience on live television was very refreshing, with many fans praising the world's biggest star for speaking openly about it.
If you also feel like you're in perimenopause or menopause, let's take a look at a report from Women's Health magazine.
*This article is translated from the British edition of Women's Health.
What is menopause?
First of all, what is menopause? Simply put, it refers to a period when the ovaries produce less and less estrogen. Gradually, the ovaries become less active and effective, and eventually stop functioning altogether. When they stop functioning, no eggs are produced and menstruation stops. It is said that the average age of menopause is around 51 years old, and the first 5 years and the last 5 years, a total of 10 years is called menopause. So, on average, this period is often referred to as the period from about 45 to 55 years old.
Premature menopause and premature ovarian failure (POI) refer to menopause-like changes that occur at a younger age, such as in your 30s. It involves many of the same symptoms as menopause, but the main difference between the two is that the ovaries may not have stopped functioning completely. In fact, 5-10% of women with POI are still able to conceive.
When does menopause occur?
Premature menopause, when menstruation stops before the age of 45, is very rare but can happen. According to the UK's National Health Service (NHS), around 1 in 100 women (1%) end their period before the age of 40. Why is that?
'All women are born with a certain number of eggs. When these eggs are lost, the ovaries stop functioning," explains menopausal specialist and GP Dr Louise Newman. But women with a family history of premature menopause, women who have had a hysterectomy, or women with autoimmune diseases such as diabetes, thyroid problems or celiac disease are at increased risk of premature menopause.
According to premature menopause charity The Daisy Network, 11,000 women aged 12 to 40 in the UK are affected by premature menopause (or premature ovarian failure as it has become more famous). This represents about 1 in 1000 women in their 30s and 1 in 10,000 women in their 20s, while undiagnosed women are not included in this number.
What are the symptoms of menopause?
Symptoms of menopause include energy exhaustion, hot flashes, low libido, anxiety, night sweats, and sleep disturbances, which may be linked to other disorders or lifestyle factors," said Daisy May, a women's health physician who specializes in menopause. Add to that the fact that many women take birth control pills to stop their monthly periods, and that the average age of menopause is around 51, so it's not surprising that the average practitioner doesn't immediately associate these signs with menopause."
But you need to familiarize yourself with the signs of menopause, as misdiagnosis can have long-term consequences, such as an increased risk of osteoporosis, heart disease, and depression.
No one's menopausal symptoms are the same," Dr. Newsom said. The length of time people experience menopausal symptoms also varies greatly from person to person. Some women's symptoms last only a few years, while others last for decades. In general, the younger the age, or if the woman has already had her ovaries removed, the more severe the symptoms. "
Six signs that indicate the onset of menopause
(i) Menstrual irregularities.
If you feel like your period is becoming irregular or stopping, both conditions could be signs of menopause or (if you're younger) premature menopause. Menstrual irregularities are a sign that your ovaries are no longer producing as much estrogen as they used to, as it means that your hormone cycle is starting to change.
If this is the case, see a doctor and explain your symptoms thoroughly. Shirin Irani, MD, a consultant gynaecologist, explains: "If left untreated, this can lead to estrogen deficiency, which can increase a woman's risk of brittle bones as she ages. "
(ii) Vaginal dryness.
Vaginal dryness is uncomfortable and surprisingly common. However, only a quarter of British women actually seek treatment.
Vaginal dryness can be caused by a variety of causes, including pool chemicals, soaps, antidepressants, and oral contraceptives, but it is also a sign of a decrease in the natural discharge produced by the vagina. This occurs when women are breastfeeding or entering menopause early, due to low estrogen levels.
Vaginal dryness can be very uncomfortable for women," says Helen Knox, a sexual health nurse and author of Sexplained. If left unaddressed, it could cause further distress. A lack of moisture that maintains the natural vaginal environment can upset the healthy balance of bacteria, making you more susceptible to candidiasis and bacterial vaginosis.
(iii) Lack of interest in sexual activity.
Even if you're not under particularly stress or fatigue, do you have a low libido? Decreased libido is also associated with menopause and premature menopause. This is because the hormones have changed. In fact, according to research from the University of California, people with higher estrogen levels tend to have higher libido.
Unfortunately, it has also been found that women with decreased libido during menopause are more likely to experience sleep disturbances and night sweats.
(iv) Hot flashes and night sweats.
One of the most common causes of night sweats in women is fluctuations in estrogen levels. Dr. Neomi Shah, associate professor of lung and sleep medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, explains: "Menopause and hot flashes are linked, and it's not uncommon for patients to complain of problems sweating while sleeping.
Menopausal sweating is unpredictable! Talk to your doctor about hormone replacement therapy, which can be effective in controlling body temperature.
(5) Lack of vitality.
A few years ago, the North American Menopause Association found a link between chronic fatigue syndrome and premature menopause. The study found that women with chronic fatigue syndrome were 12 times more likely to experience pelvic pain, 16 percent more likely to have irregular or no menstruation, and more than twice as likely to receive hormone replacement therapy to treat irregular menstruation, menopausal symptoms and bone loss.
Sleep disturbances can be a sign of menopause, and if you feel that your vitality is very low due to persistent sleep deprivation, use this as a warning sign.
(vi) Excessive anxiety.
Sharp changes in mood, such as feeling depressed for no reason, or feeling more anxious than before, can also be signs of hormonal changes in the body and may be related to the onset of menopause or early menopause.
Other common signs of menopause include:
Skin and hair changes, such as dryness and thinning hair.
Breast pain.
urinary tract infection
depression
Infertility
How is menopause or premature menopause diagnosed?
Dr May said: "Menopause can be determined by a blood test that measures follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and estrogen levels. However, because hormone levels can fluctuate greatly, blood tests are best done during the first five days of your menstrual cycle. If a woman is not menstruating, she should be tested two to three times at an interval of six weeks. A follicle-stimulating hormone level of 30 IU/ml indicates that the body is in menopause.
Is premature menopause dangerous?
Since estrogen plays an important role in women's health from puberty, a long-term deficiency of estrogen can lead to complications later in life. Therefore, it is very important to diagnose the symptoms of menopause or premature menopause early and receive hormone replacement therapy.
osteoporosis
Dr. May said: "You also need estrogen to maintain strong bones. A study by Scania University Hospital in Sweden showed that women experiencing premature menopause were almost twice as likely to develop osteoporosis. Bones can become brittle without you realizing it. Osteoporosis is often diagnosed only when a fracture occurs, and by that stage, it's too late to fix bone problems. "
heart disease
According to a study published in the Journal of Cardiology of the American Medical Association, premature menopause increases a woman's risk of dying from coronary artery disease and cardiovascular disease. "Estrogen relaxes vascular smooth muscle, which lowers blood pressure and protects arterial walls from embolism, thrombosis and blockages, which can lead to strokes and heart attacks," said Dr. Mei.
Dementia
A study published in the journal BJOG found that women experiencing premature menopause are at higher risk of cognitive decline because estrogen is also responsible for maintaining mental acuity and sharpness. Not only did they lose the ability to recall words and faces (40 percent), but they also forgot how to control the muscles that govern movement (35 percent). In addition, it is believed that the risk of developing dementia increases.
depression
Greek researchers linked premature menopause to an increased risk of depression after analyzing 14 different studies involving about 68,000 women. This is because estrogen activates serotonin, a mood-improving neurotransmitter in the brain. In other words, the lower the level of estrogen, the more likely a person is to feel depressed. Dr May said: "Having menopausal symptoms, especially if you are not diagnosed, can be a very distressing and confusing time. It can make people think you're going crazy.
What are the treatments for menopause and premature menopause?
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is the most common treatment to relieve menopausal symptoms and reduce long-term effects. It is a treatment that replaces estrogen levels in the body with chemically identical alternatives. We use natural estrogen, which is produced by the body from puberty," says Dr. Mei. In other words, this treatment does not disturb the body. In addition, it is dosed much smaller than the amount released by the ovaries during a normal menstrual cycle. The estrogen in birth control pills is ten times stronger than that. "
There are several different types of hormone replacement therapy, so you'll need to consider a variety of options to find the one that works best for you. Swallowing pills, patches, gels - which type is best for you? (For reference, according to Dr. May, the patch formula has the advantage that hormones are absorbed directly through the skin, rather than through the mouth, stomach, and liver). Which estrogen mix is closest to you? Which progesterone? Unless you've already had a hysterectomy, you'll need a treatment that combines the two hormones (combined HRT).
In addition, hormone replacement therapy is not a one-size-fits-all approach that works for everyone. Just as you would try several birth control pills, try several hormone replacement therapies first.
I've heard that hormone replacement therapy is risky, but...?
Is it risky? Is it really related to blood clots and breast cancer? While there is a limited number of studies on premature menopause, Dr. Newsom said there was no increased risk of breast cancer in women under 50 who received hormone replacement therapy compared to women with normal ovarian function, and only after this age group did there be a 0.2 percent increase over five years. It's important to weigh the benefits and risks of hormone replacement therapy for bone and cardiovascular health," said Dr. Mei. It is recommended to have regular health check-ups every year and do a good job of screening for related risks.
A new way for stem cells to fight against premature ovarian failure
In recent years, with the development of stem cell therapy, premature ovarian failure can be treated with stem cells to delay or even stop the premature aging of the ovaries.
Stem cells have the property of "homing", by transplanting high quantity and quality of stem cells directly into the patient's ovaries, the self-replication and differentiation potential of stem cells is used to repair damaged cells and restore the normal function of damaged organs and tissues. It brings good news to female patients such as menopause and infertility caused by premature ovarian failure.
Stem cell therapy can effectively inhibit further premature ovarian failure, reshape ovarian structure, restore ovarian function, effectively improve patients' symptoms, and also have a good therapeutic effect on osteoporosis caused by lack of estrogen.
The main way stem cells treat premature ovarian failure
1. Venous cell infusion
2. Injection of ovarian artery and uterine artery cells by intervention.
3. Laparoscopic direct vision of ovarian cell injection
# Case 1
In 2018, a husband and wife, 63 years old, and a woman aged 39 at the Japan General Regeneration Hospital underwent consultation and consultation, and found that men had problems such as poor sperm survival rate, female sub-health, irregular menstruation, and backward reflexion of the uterus. After a treatment program with autologous adipose-mesenchymal stem cells for both parties, conception was successfully achieved five months later.
# Case 2
In 2019, a 44-year-old woman had only 3 follicles at her first examination and failed multiple artificial insemination. Autologous adipose stem cell transplantation was performed in Japan for ovarian anti-aging, and ultrasound was performed again half a year later, and the number of follicles increased to 10, normal in size and regular shape.
Stem cells are a type of pluripotent cells with self-replicating ability, and the generation of functional oocytes and follicular cells through autologous stem cell transplantation has become a new method for the treatment of premature ovarian failure and infertility.
Japanese stem cells
Japan's high level of medical care has been recognized around the world, and in 2012 and 2016, two Japanese medical scientists, Shinya Yamanaka and Yoshinori Osumi, won the Nobel Prize in medicine in the field of regeneration. On the one hand, there are expectations for the excellent efficacy of stem cells for diseases that have been declared "powerless", and on the other hand, there are concerns about the safety of this new medical technology.
In order to ensure the safety of stem cell therapy, the Regenerative Care Safety Act was passed in 2014, officially bringing stem cells into the regulation and allowing medical institutions to use them as a medical technology in the clinic. It was also after the passage of the bill that regenerative medicine in Japan began to spread among the private sector, and in 2015, medical institutions began to apply for stem cell treatment licenses for various parts of the body. Facial injection must have a face injection license, and the treatment of the corresponding disease must also have a corresponding license, and each medical institution must report the treatment case of the year to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare every year as a clinical basis. It can be said that this medical system in Japan has promoted the advancement of regenerative medicine.
About us
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