Why don't I have my period for more than 6 months?You're still in your 30s?
Aug 08, 2024
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As women age, ovulation and female hormones are no longer produced when their ovaries age and their function declines. This phenomenon is called menopause and usually begins in the late 40s and progresses gradually. During the menopause, about 60% of women in Korea experience facial flushing and sweating as symptoms of acute female hormone deficiency.
Early menopause can be suspected when there is no menstruation for more than 6 months before the age of 40, which is earlier than the usual menopause, and is diagnosed when blood follicle-stimulating hormone levels measured twice at 1-month intervals are increased above 40 mIU/mL. It occurs in 1% of all women and has recently changed the term premature ovarian failure.
The first symptom of early menopause is irregular menstrual cycles. Similar to common menopausal symptoms, facial flushing, night sweats, and insomnia usually appear in the early stages, and changes in mood, dryness of the quality, urinary incontinence, and loss of libido also occur.
In most cases, the cause is unknown, but in some cases, the cause is certain, such as chromosomal abnormalities, autoimmune diseases, radiation therapy, administration of anticancer drugs, and ovarian removal. Some women may experience early menopause due to genetic influence. If anyone in your family has experienced early menopause, you are more likely to experience it.
When early menopause occurs, not only systemic diseases such as osteoporosis and cardiovascular diseases caused by early deficiency of estrogen, but also emotional shocks caused by unexpected infertility occur. Early menopause requires continued use of hormones and periodic hospital examinations. Without hormone therapy, the risk of osteoporosis and osteopenia is very high and coronary artery disease may develop at an early age.
There is no treatment yet to dramatically improve ovarian function. The purpose of hormone therapy is to maintain bone density, prevent cardiovascular disease, and maintain uterine size for future pregnancy. In case of early menopause, female hormone treatment should be performed until the age of 50, the average natural menopause age, except for cases where treatment is not possible.
Pregnancy is possible in 5-10% of the ovaries because they repeat the cycle of improving, deteriorating, and improving the function of the ovaries. There are cases where you become pregnant while treating early menopause, and the likelihood of pregnancy decreases as time passes, so if early menopause is suspected, you should be examined quickly.
Seo Eun-joo, head of the obstetrics and gynecology department at Seran Hospital, explained, "Early menopause is a disease that causes embarrassment and frustration in women, and hormone treatment is important because a number of problems can occur due to an early deficiency of estrogen.".
Director Seo Eun-joo emphasized, "In the first few months after starting hormone therapy, there may be breast tension, point uterine bleeding, weight loss, etc., but symptoms that can be sufficiently seen in the early stages of hormone therapy." "If ovarian function is lost and female hormone deficiency occurs at a young age, there is a greater risk of chronic complications than women who normally face menopause, so early treatment is needed."
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bellho@sportschosun.com
