It is generally known that an adult woman’s hormones and reproductive health will change over the course of her life, and a woman’s peak fertility age is roughly from ages 21-35, and her fertility will begin a slow decline that accelerates as she reaches her late 40s. At some point, often in their early 50s, women today will enter menopause, and menopause, which is in fact about 24 hours in length, will soon lead to the post-menopause stage, which lasts for the rest of her life. Modern medicine has offered some new options to women experiencing menopause in their middle age, and hormone treatment is often an attractive option for women who are experiencing menopause. This can make the post-menopause time of her life more enjoyable, and it may lead to more stable emotions and thoughts, and can increase quality of life. For other, younger women, hormone treatment may be done for cases of infertility, along with other methods of addressing infertility. Infertility solutions of all kinds exist for women who have trouble conceiving a child, and hormone treatment is one such option. Hormone treatment may also be desired by older women who are suffering unpleasant effects of menopause.
Women and Menopause
Human beings are living longer than ever, and this means that women will face menopause, a major hormonal and lifestyle change that is sometimes difficult to navigate. Womens health involves a number of areas, from breast cancer to visiting the local gynecologist, and menopause treatment is a part of this field. While most women enter menopause at age 51, on average, some women may go through it as early as their late 30s or as far as their 60s or so. This is common: nine out of 10 women will experience perimenopause, which is in fact the first stage of this process. Generally, perimenopause will start in a woman’s mid or late 40s, and it represents the start of major hormonal shifts in her brain and body. This stage lasts for about four years and ends with menopause itself, and this phase is often characterized by such symptoms as mood swings, trouble sleeping, irritability, an irregular menstrual cycle, and lowered fertility.
Menopause may sometimes be more intense for some women than others, and in more extreme cases, menopause or even perimenopause can be highly disruptive to a woman’s life, from her health to her relationships and even her career, and the same may be true for menopause and the post-menopause phase. If a woman is suffering serious conditions, she may opt for hormone treatment, and some studies suggest that doing this sooner than later is best, and after a point, hormone treatment may have very little effect, if any, on a woman, based on when her menopause started.
Women may visit health clinics and get consultations with the doctors about the possibility of going on hormone treatment, which often involves boosting her levels of estrogen, which start lowering during perimenopause. Lower rates of estrogen may even impact a woman mentally, creating unstable emotions, trouble with sleep and concentration, and even depression or memory issues. For many women in their 50s or so, hormone therapy has proven itself a relatively safe treatment method that may continue for about five years or so. It is not generally associated with increased risk of heart disease, although other risks for high blood pressure or heart disease may present themselves. A woman on hormone therapy may want to get checked for these.
Fertility
A man-woman couple may have trouble conceiving a child, and a number of factors may cause this. Smoking cigarettes often lowers fertility rates in both sexes, and for women, the ovaries may fail to move an oocyte (egg cell) to the fallopian tubes or uterus, interfering with fertility. For men, trauma to the testicles or exposure to radiation may lower fertility rates, as can low sperm count or quality. Couples can visit a clinic for fertility issues, and hormonal treatment may be used, or even surgery on a woman’s reproductive system to boost her fertility. Other times, in vitro fertilization (IVF) may be used if need be. Or, a surrogate mother may be used to carry the child.
