Back with some health tips again!
Recently, I have been doing many researches on menopause because my mum and dad happened to fall into the category of going through menopause. Mum's condition is more extreme than dad's and my dad currently don't show any obvious symptoms of menopause yet.
To be honest, it's not easy to handle them because my stress level is at its highest too especially when I have to juggle with work stress, study stress and back home to settle things for mum like household chores, take good care of her etc.
Weekends for now will not be weekends to rest, sleep or play and I will not even have time to meet up my friends for gathering. This is how bad situation is because you will get worried somehow and you never wanna leave the two alone by themselves since their emotions are forever unstable.
Well, if your mums or dads are behaving in a manner very unusual from what they are, they might be suffering from the effects of menopause.
Signs of Menopause - Women
For a better understanding of the changes that occur with
menopause, you must first understand the female sex hormones and their role in
the body.
The female reproductive period
begins with the menarche (first menstruation), at this stage, the ovaries begin
to produce estrogen and progesterone are female sex hormones. The role of
progesterone is basically the final preparation of the uterus for pregnancy and
breast for breastfeeding.
From forty to forty five years of age, there is a
decrease in the rate of ovulation and consequently, a decrease of sex hormones,
this stage is known as climacteric or premenopausal period. Between 45 and 50
years of age, the menstrual cycle is interrupted, which is defined as menopause.
The decrease in the amount of estrogen the body
produces alterations that result in physical and mental disorders which can
include symptoms of the following:
ü hot flashes
ü headaches or migraines
ü mood changes (irritability, depression)
ü decreased memory
ü insomnia
ü circulatory problems and bone (eg osteoporosis due to decreased
osteoblast activity and decreased deposition calcium and phosphate in the bone)
ü urinary problems (such as: difficulty urinating, urinary incontinence
and increased susceptibility to infections)
ü mucosal fragility and progressive atrophy of the genitals
Importantly, the intensity with which these
conditions will occur, is determined not only by hormonal decline, but also by
poor nutrition, lack of exercise, toxic habits (snuff, alcohol) and the image
that women have of itself.
Hot flushes are the reaction of decreasing level of female hormone
estrogen, which is a common issue associated with menopause. Therefore the
problem of hot flush is a common menopausal sign, where the lady suffers from
sudden bout of hot flow across the whole body, which is irritating and often
create an unusual redness of face. Similarly, hot flushes at nighttime initiate
profuse sweating, which is called night sweats.
Due to sudden fall of estrogen level, menstrual cycle gets
irregular. A menopausal woman nay face problem of lapse of scheduled periods or
may suffer from frequent bout of menstrual bleeding.
My Mum is having heavy bleeding for several weeks already and may
opt to go for a day operation to scrap cells for experiment to see the cause of
it. This is a common symptom of menopause but then again, it is good to do a
checkup with your gynae if problem is persisting for a tad too long.
Vaginal dryness
is also a passive impact of decreased level of estrogen. The problem may lead
to itchy vagina, vulnerable to vaginal infection, painful intercourse, etc,
which may seem quite frustrating.
A moment they can be talking to you with fun and laughter, and in another split second, their mood can change 360 degrees.
I'm kinda fearful that mum will have anemia after having lost so much blood through heavy bleeding. So I too researched on food that she should take that are rich in Iron.
For
your reference, here is a list of foods that are rich in iron:
 |
|
Foods
|
Serving
|
Weight (g)
|
Iron Content (mg)
|
|
Rice and alternatives
Rice, brown
Pasta, wholemeal
Bread, wholemeal
Wheatgerm
Wheatbran
Branflakes
Cornflakes
|
1 bowl
1 portion
1 slice
1 teaspoon
1 tablespoon
3/4 cup
1 cup
|
200
100
30
15
15
30
30
|
1.0
1.8
1.0
1.1
1.8
5.0
3.6
|
|
Fruits
Apricot, semi-dried
Dates, black, dried
Dates, red, dried
Raisins
Longan, dried
Fig, dried
Prunes, semi-dried
Peach, fresh
|
10 halves
10
10
1 packet
1/2 cup
10
10
One
|
35
90
90
42
65
85
85
155
|
1.2
3.3
3.0
1.5
3.5
3.6
2.2
1.6
|
|
Vegetables
Kale, Chinese (kai lan)
Spinach (bayam pasir)
Kang kong
Chinese cabbage (bok choy)
Mustard leaves, chye sim
Seaweed, dried (hai tai)
Sea moss (fa chai)
|
1 cup
1 cup
1 cup
1/2 cup
1 cup
1 sheet
1 pinch
|
65
30
30
85
55
15
10
|
1.3
1.5
1.6
0.8
0.7
3.3
9.9
|
|
Meat and alternatives
Beef, lean
Pork, lean
Mutton, lean
Chicken, skinless
Fish
Pork liver
Chicken liver
Pig kidney
Egg yolk, hard-boiled
Egg, whole, hard-boiled
Ikan bilis
Prawns, dried
Oyster, fresh
Sardine, canned in tomato
Soya bean curd, tau hoo
Cashew nut
Pistachio
Walnut
Lotus seed
Almond
Sunflower seed
Watermelon seed
Soya bean, white
lentil
Gram, green
Gram, red
|
1 palm-sized piece
1 palm-sized piece
1 palm-sized piece
1 palm-sized piece
1 fillet
2 slices
One
One
One
One
2 tablespoons
1 teaspoon
12
1 fish
1 small square
1/2 cup
1/2 cup
1/2 cup
1/2 cup
2 tablespoons
1/2 cup
1/2 cup
1/2 cup
1 cup
1 cup
1 cup
|
90
90
90
90
90
30
50
230
17
50
15
5
60
40
85
65
65
50
15
30
70
50
50
180
250
250
|
2.8
1.2
2.1
0.8
1.2
3.1
5.1
13.8
0.8
0.9
0.6
0.7
3.7
1.8
1.9
5.0
2.5
1.5
0.6
1.2
3.2
3.1
3.0
14.4
13.8
10.5
|
Source : HSA Website
And if you think that only women are going through menopause, you are absolutely wrong because men too, have menopause.
Signs of Menopause - Males
Infact, they have given the menopause-like
symptoms the name of androgen (testosterone) decline in the
aging male. This is because unlike female menopause, the one in males
represents a very slow decline in the levels of testosterone. At
the same time, in case of female menopause, hormone production stops
completely. However, in males, the testes do not run out of the substance
needed to produce testosterone.
It is just that with progressing age, a male
undergoes the process of reduction in the production of the male hormone. More
often than not, such reduction is accompanied with some diseases like diabetes.
Such a condition is usually seen in males between the ages of 40
and 55. Thus, we can say that male menopause basically comprises of the
hormonal, physiological and chemical changes that occur in all men, with time,
leading to a reduced sex drive.
The following signs and symptoms are
associated with the onset of menopause in a male.
- Decline in sports ability
- Fall in work performance
- Feeling sleepy immediately after dinner
- Irritability and short temper
- Lack of interest in life
- Lessening of strength and/or endurance.
- Lethargy and low levels of energy
- Loss in height
- Reduced sex drive
- Weak erection
Causes of Male Menopause
Though male menopause is mainly associated
with progressing age, a number of other factors have been found to accelerate
the process. These are:
- Hypertension
- Hypothalamic slowness
- Lack of exercise
- Obesity
- Poor blood circulation
- Poor diet
- Prescription and non-prescription medications
- Psychological problems, mainly mid-life
depression/crisis
- Smoking
- Too much alcohol consumption
With your parents going through menopause, you as a child of theirs got to show more care, concern and understanding towards them because at this point of time, they require alot of mutual support from their family members and loved ones.
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