A Consultant Family Physician, Moses Mafowosofo, on Thursday, said that lifestyle modifications could help women prevent the start of early menopause.
Mr Mafowosofo, Co-Founder of M2 Specialist Hospital, gave the advice during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos State.
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Menopause describes the stage of a woman’s life when her menstrual periods stop permanently, and she can no longer get pregnant. Menopause is not a disease or disorder — it is a normal part of ageing for women.
Mr Mafowosofo noted that menopause is characterised by the cessation of menstrual periods for 12 months, adding that, in some women, it usually occurs between 45 and 55 years.
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He explained that menopause is a stage in women’s lives when they stop producing eggs, leading to a decrease in hormones essential for maintaining the reproductive system.
The physician also said that lifestyle modifications are non-pharmacological or no medication measures, which include good exercise for about 150 minutes per week, avoiding smoking and reducing or stopping alcohol intake.
He counselled further that for lifestyle modifications, if one must drink, then such a woman should increase her physical activities.
“The reason for early menopause cannot be ascertained; sometimes we do not know, but sometimes it may be heredity.
Another cause of early menopause is duplication of radiation from the parent to the patient, especially for those that have had pelvic radiation,” he said.
“Experts have found out that body weight can also be implicated to be a risk factor for early menopause.”
The expert said that the effect of menopause on women can vary, adding that some patients might be asymptomatic which means that they don’t show any symptoms.
He described common symptoms of menopause in patients as hot flashes (feeling so hot even in a cool environment), sometimes they have mood swings, depression and some psychological problems.
However, the expert highlighted two coping mechanisms to prevent early menopause – lifestyle modifications and medications.
“I have explained that lifestyle changes include exercise, good sleep and a good diet, among others. The second way, through medications, includes estrogen cream for patients with Atrophic Vaginitis ( a condition where the lining of the vagina gets drier and thinner),” he said.
“We can also use anti-depressants for patients with psychological symptoms as well as Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) to increase the hormones.”
The fertility expert noted that patients could take hormone estrogen tablets to replace either low or no estrogen in the body, but it is always advocated that the HRT process be done for a short period, not more than five to seven years.
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“Because if taken for too long, it can lead to possible cancer of the breast as well as cancer of the Uterus.”
He said some patients might do everything right and eventually find out that they have early menopause.
“However, to have a better chance of delaying the on-start of early menopause, I will advise women to go for lifestyle modifications,” the fertility expert insisted.
(NAN)
