(Health Korea News) Every year, October 18th is ‘World Menopause Day.’ Menopause is a term used to describe the natural decline in female hormones (estrogen) as the body experiences its last menstrual cycle. However, menopause is often an inflection point for women beyond its dictionary meaning. Starting from this period, big and small physical and mental changes come like dominoes.
Menopause occurs on average around the age of 50. It is usually diagnosed one year after the last menstruation. The period from when the regularity of the previous menstrual cycle disappears until menopause is called the ‘menopausal transition period’. This period is usually about 2 to 8 years.
Once menopause begins, hot flushes, cold sweats, mood changes, and sleep disorders occur, and these symptoms accompany or increase anxiety and depression. Obesity also increases. When the female hormone, estrogen, decreases, muscle mass decreases and it is easy to gain weight due to a decrease in basal metabolic rate. In fact, studies have shown that women who enter menopause gain an average of 0.8 kg of weight per year.
You should also be careful about high blood pressure. Estrogen not only participates in blood lipid concentration, but also acts directly on blood vessels in the body to dilate arteries. Decreased estrogen during menopause can increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as high blood pressure and coronary artery disease.
A red light also turns on for bone health. For one year after menopause, the concentration of estrogen in the blood decreases rapidly, and the amount of bone breakdown exceeds the amount of bone formation, which can lead to osteoporosis, a decrease in bone density.
Menopausal women need to cope with the rapid changes that come to them through regular health care.
First, you need to reduce your carbohydrate intake. Brown rice is better than white rice, and avoid refined and sweet carbohydrates such as bread, cookies, rice cakes, and flour. Sugar is also mostly converted to fat in the body. It is a good idea to reduce the amount of fruit, including sweet snacks, drinks, and mixed coffee.
Second, you need to increase your protein intake. As muscle mass decreases and basal metabolic rate decreases with aging, it is necessary to actively increase protein intake to maintain muscle mass. Be sure to eat at least one or two meals a day of animal protein, such as chicken breast, beef, and fish, as well as beans and tofu.
Third, exercise consistently for at least 30 minutes a day. In particular, if you suffer from metabolic syndrome such as high blood pressure, diabetes, or hyperlipidemia, you should be more active in controlling your diet and exercising. Additionally, hormonal imbalance can make you sensitive and easily cause stress. It is also important to find relaxation through sufficient sleep and rest.
Fourth, appropriate hormone treatment after menopause is also important. Changes in the body and mind before and after menopause are symptoms caused by a lack of estrogen. If necessary, it is necessary to receive appropriate hormone treatment after sufficient examination and consultation with a specialist. Appropriate hormone therapy after menopause has many advantages, including improving women’s quality of life, preventing osteoporosis, and preventing postmenopausal weight gain. If the dosage and preparation are adjusted according to the characteristics of each patient, it can be a good treatment. (Written by Choi Se-kyung, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Incheon St. Mary’s Hospital, Catholic University of Korea)
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Source: www.hkn24.com
