Some people say that menopause (perimenopause), like pregnancy, is a very important “hurdle” in a woman’s life; others say that menopause is the “second spring” of a woman’s life, and after a smooth pass, it will reach the end of a new life cycle. balance. In fact, once the ovaries retire, women are forced into menopause.
〇 Menopause is the recession of the ovaries
Menopause is a physiological stage before and after natural menopause, a transitional stage between sexual maturity and old age, when a woman’s ovarian function turns from active to declining, ovulation becomes irregular, until no longer ovulates, and menstruation gradually becomes irregular. A period of complete cessation at the end.
The average age of menopause in Chinese women is about 50 years old. At this time, the ovarian follicles in women are naturally exhausted, and they lose their response to pituitary gonadotropins, resulting in ovarian failure and permanent menstruation. The period from the beginning of ovarian function decline until within 1 year after menopause is called menopause, and the beginning sign is menstrual disturbance. After entering menopause, women’s ovarian function begins to decline, and estrogen and progesterone in the body begin to decline. When ovarian function is completely lost and estrogen and progesterone drop to a certain level, menopause occurs.
〇The ovaries of menopausal women are divided into 3 stages
Premenopause: The ovarian function enters a period of decline. Although a few follicles are still developing, they are immature. Or there is still a certain amount of estrogen secretion before ovulation, but there is no corpus luteum formation. It is generally manifested as frequent anovulatory cycles, gradually prolonged and irregular menstrual cycles, and the menstrual flow tends to gradually decrease and then stop. Due to the gradual decline of ovarian function and ovarian hormone deficiency in premenopausal women, some symptoms of vascular movement disorders and neuropsychiatric disorders appear in menopausal women. Vasomotor disorders may manifest as hot flashes and sweating; neuropsychiatric disorders may manifest as emotional instability, restlessness, depression, irritability, etc., and insomnia and headache may also occur. This stage lasts for 2 to 5 years, sometimes 10 years, and then enters menopause.
Menopause: At this time, the ovarian function further declines, usually at the age of 45 to 55, and menopause will be delayed for those with strong fertility, and married women will have menopause later than unmarried women. It has also been suggested that smoking may bring about an earlier age at menopause. There are also studies that believe that if you suffer from some diseases such as diabetes, uterine fibroids, breast cancer, etc., the menopause of patients will be delayed, and patients with ovarian cancer will be earlier.
Postmenopausal period: It refers to the period from one year after the cessation of menstruation to the complete disappearance of ovarian function, and after the disappearance of follicles, the ovarian stroma still has a certain degree of endocrine function, and it can last for many years. With the passage of time, all endocrine organs in the body will gradually shrink, and the hormone function will generally decline. Coupled with the aging of the body, people have entered old age at this time. Due to individual differences, the postmenopausal period lasts for 6 to 8 years or 10 years, and a few can last for nearly 30 years.
〇Guard ovarian health and refuse excessive anxiety
The natural aging of the ovary is unavoidable for every female friend, and this process is irreversible. Women should not be coerced by fancy advertisements and feel anxious, let alone do things that the ovaries “hate”. Stress, bad emotions and unhealthy lifestyles will damage the health of the ovaries! Menopausal women can take care of their ovaries from the following 6 aspects.
1. Develop normal living habits, persist in exercising, enhance physical fitness, quit smoking and drinking.
2. Boost your spirits, avoid negative emotions, try to maintain a comfortable mood, and don’t put too much mental pressure on yourself.
3. Pay attention to adjusting your diet and taking in enough nutrients. You can eat more high-quality protein, B vitamins, folic acid, iron, calcium and other nutrients appropriately, keep a light diet, and eat less stimulating, spicy and greasy food.
4. Properly supplement folic acid, because folic acid is also a water-soluble vitamin, which is rich in green vegetables or whole grains, so eating foods rich in folic acid can reduce the incidence of ovarian cancer in women.
5. Avoid sitting for a long time, because the sedentary posture is likely to cause obstacles to the blood microcirculation of the ovary and hinder the nutrient supply of ovarian tissue, so try not to sit for a long time.
6. Avoid staying up late and try to ensure a regular work and rest time.
