IMPACT OF MENOPAUSE ON HEALTH AND QUALITY OF WOMAN LIFE

Menopause has taken center stage during the last few years due to a large number of women attaining the age range of 40 to 59 years during which they enter the phase of menopause.  As per an estimate over 200 million women have been affected with the ill-effects of this condition in the world. The two basic biological developments in a woman's life Menarche, the first menstruation, and menopause, the cessation of menstruation, signal the beginning and the end of the reproductive period of life respectively. Both happenings are linked to a variety of health complications developing even after the reproductive period, and that include cardiovascular diseases, endometrial and breast cancer, and osteoporosis to name just a few.

The reason of the disorders developing at this juncture of life is significant changes occurring in women's body during the age group. At this stage, a woman's ovary starts stopping the production of progesterone and estrogen that usually gives rise to adverse consequences impacting quality of life in a majority of women. It also casts a bearing on the overall well-being of women, and may lead to such disorders as night sweats, hot flashes, feeling stressed, sleeping problem, irritation, vaginal changes, and thinning of bone structure. These are the factors that affect the quality of life of women during the phase of menopause.

According to Chunyan and Murabito, (2014) Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) have discovered many newer genetic loci for age at menarche as well as age at menopause, and these add to our knowledge about genetics of reproductive aging. These also enlighten us on the regulation of normal biological reproductive functions.  The research conducted by Rosner, (2011) revealed that women undergoing hysterectomy were able to lead a quality of life better than others. It is so because the procedure ensured that these women could mitigate the ill-effects of menopause with the help of their enhanced ability to regulate levels of hormones. Its effect is positive on the overall health and quality of life. The information collected from these kinds of procedures like a hysterectomy is useful in studying their effects on controlling levels of the hormone in the women. Thus, it illustrates how the procedure of hysterectomy leads to improvements in the quality of life of women and enables them to offset ill-effects of menopause (Rosner, 2011).

Nappi (2009) dwelled at length upon effects of menopause on the sexual life of women suffering from the condition. He found that disorders developing included vaginal dryness, reduced sex drive, poor arousal and orgasm, and reduced sexual satisfaction. The information elicited through these kinds of resources provides the basics of the impacts on women and their quality of life in the phase of menopause.

Other noticeable impacts of menopause on women are disruption of sleep, and bursts of hot feeling accompanied with sweating. The supplementary drugs play an important part in the amelioration of these symptoms. A research was conducted by Taavoni, et al. (2013) to examine if the use of valerian or lemon balm could help improve sleeping disorder. They selected two groups randomly each consisting of 50 people; one group was intervention group having valerian or lemon balm, and the other placebo group. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was employed both at pre and post intervention period. The noticeable difference observed was reduced level of sleep disorder in the respondents of experimental group in comparison to that of placebo group, and consequently, it was concluded that the application of Valerian or lemon balm is effective in reducing sleep disorders in women undergoing menopause phase.

Effect of Menopause on Life

Numerous efforts have been made to ameliorate the complications arising out of the conditions of menopause, but different options of treatment such as estrogen-progestin therapy have proved ineffective in dealing with the ill-effects of the condition. Consequently, a large number of women have to suffer from the condition for long and to lead a substandard lifestyle.

Physical Difference in reproduction System  

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References
Chunyan H. and Murabito J M. (2014). Genome-wide association studies of age at menarche and

age at natural menopause , Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology. 382. pp.767-779

Hopkins, W. (2008).  Quantitative Research Design. Sports SCI. Retrieved from:

http://www.sportsci.org/jour/0001/wghdesign.html

Nappi, R. (2009). Menopause and Sexuality. Maturius, 63 (2), pp.138-141.

Rosner, B. (2011). Age at menopause, Annals of Epidemiology, 21(6), pp.450- 460.

Taavoni, S. N.,Haghani H and Nazem E. (2013).Valerian/lemon balm use for sleep disorders during menopause, Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 19,pp.193-196.