Menopause Causes

Menopause is a naturally occurring process in women that begins after a lack of menstruation for a full year. One of the causes of menopause is the discontinued function of the ovaries. The ovaries control the menstrual cycle and produce the necessary hormones which allow a woman to ovulate and carry a baby. Once the ovaries fail to produce these hormones, ovulation and menstruation no longer occur.

The main hormones that the ovaries produce are estrogen and progesterone. Estrogen has a wide range of functions throughout the female body. One of its most important functions is maintaining bone density. However, estrogen’s crucial role is in the regulation of the menstrual cycle. Once menopause begins, estrogen production decreases significantly. However, other organs, like the adrenal glands, can produce estrogen if they are functioning well enough. Progesterone production is controlled entirely by the ovulation process. Once ovulation ceases progesterone levels are nearly undetectable.
The extreme reduction of these hormones can be a very difficult experience to process. Menopause causes a woman’s body to struggle to produce and regulate hormones through different pathways. This is when she may experience the side effects associated with menopause. Menopause causes hot flashes, digestive changes, mood swings, insomnia and a decreased libido.

Besides regulating reproductive hormones, the ovaries also house all of the eggs, or ova. At birth, a girl will have several million eggs. The number of eggs a woman has decreases over the course of her life through menstruation and a process called atresia, the dying off of eggs. By the time a woman reaches menopause she may have only a few thousand eggs. However, the lack of viability of these eggs to be released is one of the causes of menopause. This normally occurs between the ages of 45 and 55 but occasionally a woman will go through early menopause.

The causes of menopause earlier in life can be from a disease, such as cancer or diabetes. These diseases can tax the body’s functions and disrupt the normal hormonal cycle or destroy the eggs. Getting a hysterectomy is also one of the causes of menopause if the ovaries are removed along with the uterus. Some disease treatments, including chemotherapy, can damage the ovaries and cause menopause to occur.

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