Female. Menopause.

Menopause is a natural, biological transition in a woman’s life that marks the end of her childbearing years. In the New Zealand, the average age of onset is 51 although it can happen in a woman’s 40s.

When women enter menopause, their body stops producing estrogen. This reduction in estrogen causes many of the signs and symptoms of menopause.

During hormone replacement therapy, women may be prescribed medication that contains these female hormones. Taken daily, this treatment can relieve troublesome menopausal symptoms.

How long does menopause last?
Menopause is a point in time, so women don’t stay in menopause. Women reach it when they haven’t gotten a menstrual period for one year. Immediately after they reach menopause, they move into postmenopause. This stage lasts for the rest of their lives.

The following 8 signs that show hormone replacement therapy is necessary:

1. Low sex drive
The lack of estrogen can cause changes in libido, and some women may find it more difficult to become sexually aroused. Menopause often leads to vaginal dryness and thinning vaginal tissues, which can make sex uncomfortable or even painful.

2. Chronic Vaginal Itching and Burning
First, there are a lot of potential causes of vaginal itching and burning, including everything from a yeast infection to a sexually transmitted disease.

Estrogen is responsible for helping the vagina naturally lubricate. It also helps maintain the vagina’s thickness and elasticity.

Low estrogen levels can cause vaginal inflammation and thinning, resulting in a condition called vaginal atrophy. This can cause itching and burning.

3. Night Sweats
Hormone levels can affect the body’s internal “temperature control.” As a result, blood vessels can expand, creating a wave of heat that results in sweating and red skin. Night sweats are also common in women in perimenopause, or the years leading up to menopause.

4. Mood Swings
Everyone experiences mood swings from time to time, but during menopause, hormonal changes may make these occur more often. The intensity of the mood swings can make it difficult to complete daily activities.

Often, there is relief through exercise, eating nutritious food and practicing relaxation techniques such as yoga and meditation.

5. Chronic Insomnia
It’s no secret that New Zealander’s as a whole are sleep-deprived, but what may surprise you is that menopause can cause difficulty going to sleep and staying asleep.

Lack of sleep can lead to:

Difficulty concentrating
Memory problems
A higher risk of accidents while driving
Depression and/or anxiety
An increased risk of chronic diseases such as high blood pressure or heart disease

6. Hot Flushes
This is one of the most common complaints among menopausal women. A hot flush occurs when a lack of estrogen affects the body’s internal “thermostat” (called the hypothalamus) to be more sensitive to even the slightest changes in body temperature. As a result, the hypothalamus can misjudge how hot or cold you really are, starting a chain of events that lead to a hot flush.

7. Hair Loss
When estrogen is lost during menopause, women may experience thinning hair. Of course, there can be other causes for hair loss, including genetics, age, illness and nutritional deficiencies.

8. Urinary Problems
The lower estrogen levels women experience during menopause can weaken the urethra. The urethra is the narrow tube that allows urine from the kidneys to pass out of the body.

As a result, some women may find it difficult to get to the bathroom in time. It’s also not unusual for urine to leak when coughing, sneezing or laughing (known as urinary stress incontinence).