Menopause and Osteoporosis
Menopause and Osteoporosis
What is menopause?
Menopause, which is defined as the end of the bleeding that women have experienceing during the menstrual period, is a medical condition that is mainly caused by the secretion of the estrogen hormone.
Estrogen hormone is also called female hormone. This hormone is produced in the ovaries. It then causes some changes by affecting other organs of the body.
As the estrogen hormone starts to be secreted less than before, the menstrual cycle starts to become irregular. Over time, the menstrual period ends. Thus, the menopause period begins.
Changes during the menopause period
With the menopause period, a number of changes begin in the female body in a short time. Some of these changes have a short-term effect. For example;
- Hot flushes
- Sweating
- Insomnia.
- The effects of some changes are seen in the longer term. For example;
- Osteoclasis
- Coronary heart diseases
- Thinning of the vaginal mucosa
- Decrease in sexual desire, etc.
Hormone replacement therapy is applied to women in menopause to increase the decrease in female hormones due to aging. However, while this method was used frequently in the past, it is no longer the standard method for a woman in menopause. While it was thought that until 2 -3 years ago, hormone replacement therapy prevented
- Symptoms such as flushing, sweating, sleep disturbances
- Osteoporosis
- Coronary heart diseases,
today it has been observed that this treatment is not beneficial or even suspiciously harmful in terms of heart health. The most accurate point of view about menopause is to know that menopause is an inevitable period in a woman's life and to prepare for menopause years ago, based on this fact. For this, it will be enough to keep some precautions and to develop some sensitivities.
List of the things to do to pass the menopause period comfortably as follows:
- Attention should be paid to nutrition.
- In order to prevent cholesterol increase, white meat should be consumed instead of red meat.
- Milk and dairy products should be consumed against osteoporosis.
- Complex carbohydrates that do not raise blood sugar should be preferred.
- The amount of salt in food should be reduced. Sodium taken with salt causes cardiovascular diseases and osteoporosis by causing calcium losses with urine.
- Consumption of caffeine-containing foods and beverages such as tea, coffee, cola, chocolate, cocoa should be avoided. Thus, the possibility of insomnia, hot flashes and osteoporosis seen during the menopause period is minimized.
- Carbonated drinks should be avoided.
- Relaxing herbal teas should be drunk.
- Smoking should be quit. It should not be forgotten that by quitting smoking, the risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, stroke and many diseases will greatly decrease. In addition, in women who smoke 10 or more cigarettes a day, the average age of menopause is 1.5 years earlier.
- Examinations such as annual mammography, breast ultrasound, gynecological examination and PAP Smear test, complete blood count, lipid profile (total cholesterol, HDL and LDL cholesterol, triglycerides), liver function tests (ALT, AST), TSH and bone density measurement should not be neglected.
- Weight gain should be avoided. Because, with menopause, our daily calorie need decreases by 200 - 400 calories. This shows that less food should be eaten than before.
- Exercise should be done regularly.
