What shouldn't change during the change of life? The woman in you.

Menopause must not necessarily be accompanied by physical or mental symptoms – there are many women who don’t even notice that they are experiencing menopause.

All of those who suffer the known symptoms like hot flashes, disturbed sleep, or sweat attacks, should note that these are generally temporary side effects that can be treated naturally. Menopause is not an illness, but rather a normal biological process. When one becomes familiar with this hormonal process, the changes on a physical and mental level are more easily understandable and can therefore be more consciously encountered and treated.

Hormones are subject to a highly complex, differentiated, and extremely sensitive control process. For better understanding, the hormonal processes are therefore subsequently presented in simplified form. In general, the change of life can be divided into three phases – premenopause, menopause and postmenopause.

Hormonal Changes
The hormonal change during menopause is best represented with estrogen, a hormone that is primarily produced in the ovaries. During the fertile years the estrogen promotes the maturation of the eggs and ovulation. The quantity in which the ovaries produce estrogen is regulated by a hormone “control center”, the pituitary gland (hypophysis), which is located in the brain. The hormones produced by the ovaries are reported via the blood supply to the hypophysis. In turn, the hypophysis sends the hormones via the blood circulation to the ovaries, which either stimulate or block the production of estrogen. This is generally a very harmonious interplay – until menopause sets in.

Then, the ovaries start to gradually reduce their production of estrogen (premenopause). This, on the other hand, does not agree with the function of the hypophysis: it begins to release increased amounts of so-called FSH, a hormone that stimulates the ovaries to produce estrogen. This stimulation still functions during the first months or even years, but during the course of menopause the hormone production in the ovaries steadily decreases. This leads to a continually reduced estrogen production: first ovulation fails, later the monthly period doesn’t occur. It leads to the last cyclical bleeding, which is called menopause – at an average age of 52 years.

The hypophysis ‘fights’ to uphold fertility, must however ‘surrender’ at some point. Menopause lasts (on a physical level) for as long as the hypophysis ‘struggles’ with the ovaries. Following menopause, the ovaries completely stop producing estrogen – this phase is called postmenopause.

There are several options available to encounter menopausal symptoms. These range from the intake of artificial hormones on to special dietary supplements with products that are rich in phytoestrogens like, for example those that are won from the seeds of the pomegranate.

Artificial Hormones
The administration of artificial hormones during menopause outwits the hypophysis: it is unable to differentiate artificial hormones from the hormones produced by the body. And so it is fooled into believing that the ovaries are back at work. The ovaries only receive weak signals from the hypophysis and therefore stop their hormone production to a great extent. The hormonal chaos is artificially organized, and things seem to have calmed down.

Menopausal symptoms are lessened or disappear entirely. If intake of the artificial hormones is stopped, the struggle between the hypophysis and the ovaries begins again. Principally, the risk and benefit of a hormonal treatment must be carefully considered by a doctor for each individual case.