Patient's question:
My mom is 51 years old this year, and she has very severe menopausal symptoms. Can all her symptoms disappear? If so, what is the maximum time it would take?Doctor's answer:
Hello, menopause is a transitional period during which ovarian function gradually declines and eventually ceases, with the most prominent manifestation being menopause. The age of menopause varies from person to person, generally occurring between the ages of 45 and 52. Some women may experience a gradual lengthening of their menstrual cycles and a gradual decrease in menstrual flow before menopause, eventually ceasing completely. At times, irregular vaginal bleeding may occur before menstruation stops. In some cases, menopause may occur before or after surgical or radiation treatments that damage ovarian function, leading to a series of symptoms primarily characterized by autonomic nervous system dysfunction, known as menopausal syndrome. In a few women, the symptoms may be severe enough to affect daily life and work.I. Etiology
It is generally believed that the decline in ovarian function is the primary factor causing metabolic changes and clinical symptoms during menopause. After entering menopause, ovarian function begins to decline, and the ability of follicles to secrete estrogen and progesterone decreases, leading to changes in the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis activity, with compensatory increases in FSH and LH secretion. In recent years, it has been found that the level of GnRH secreted by the hypothalamus in menopausal women is elevated, followed by increased secretion of LH and FSH, possibly due to the reduced estrogen secretion by the ovaries, which weakens the feedback inhibition on the hypothalamus-pituitary axis. Changes in the endocrine balance in menopausal women lead to dysfunction of the central nervous system of the autonomic nervous system, resulting in varying degrees of clinical symptoms of autonomic nervous system dysfunction. The onset of symptoms is related to the rate and extent of estrogen secretion reduction, meaning the more rapidly estrogen decreases, the more severe the menopausal symptoms become. When estrogen levels decline to a point where they can no longer stimulate the endometrium, menstruation ceases.