Menopause
Knowing changes and reacting adequately
General information
Menopause is accompanied by organic and metabolic changes. A woman’s reproductive capacity ceases and menstrual bleeding stops at some point. As a result of the physical remodeling (estrogen deficiency), certain symptoms often present themselves.
Vegetative menopause syndromes include sweating, hot flashes, rapid heartbeat, dizziness, paling and blushing. Depressive moods, sleep problems and sexual disinterest can be classified as psychological menopause syndromes.
Other consequences of menopause:
- Muscle loss can lead to movement and gait disorders, increased risk of falls and fractures, and promote osteoporosis.
- Increase in cardiovascular risks (arterial hypertension, dyslipidemias, atherosclerosis, myocardial infarctions, apoplexies)
- tendency to obesity and type II diabetes
- Tissue atrophy, hair loss, goiter (due to collagen degradation)
- Decreasing immunity, high tendency to infections with long and severe courses of disease
- Neurological age changes
- Aging of the sensory organs
Diagnostics
- Blood pressure, pulse, BMI
- Muscle strength measurement
- Bone density measurement (DXA)
- Fat measurement (BIA, whole-body DXA)
- Exercise ECG and stress echo
- Upper abdominal sonography
- CT of the thorax
- Mammography and gynecological screening examinations
- Angiological examinations
- Preparation of a hormone profile (including values of pituitary, sex hormones, thyroid, adrenal, calcium and bone metabolism)
- Application of tumor markers
- Tests: concentration, learning and memory ability, seeing, hearing
- Depression scales
- Questionnaires (sexual dysfunction, osteoporosis risk)
- Skin screening
In principle, there is no indication for compensating for any hormone deficiency in old age. Hormone replacement therapy does not delay aging. Pharmacotherapy with hormones can positively influence aging changes in individual cases. Nevertheless, there are numerous possibilities for each patient to decisively mitigate the consequences of the above-mentioned physical changes and discomforts.
