Tag: Menopausal Women

Can Female Hair Loss Make Me Totally Bald?

View the pattern that affects women only. Loss of female hair is not the same as male hair loss determined by heredity. Female hair loss is temporary and is seldom an advance warning of baldness. Transient loss of hair should not, however, be ignored. It is possible for a woman to suffer from hormonal hair loss leading to baldness.

Some of the most common causes are:

1. Pregnancy
2. Severe emotional stress
3. Under medical treatment
4. Hormonal hair loss
Is there a relationship between hair loss and menopause?

The most common cause of hair loss is low thyroid function, which is common among menopausal women.

Other causes include, but are not limited to: changes in hormone levels, increased testosterone, increased stress, which can either be physical stress, or emotional stress, various medications, scalp/dermatological issues and heredity.

Any time sudden hair loss is experienced, one must consider events which took place up to three months prior to the hair loss, as factors affecting hair loss can often take up to three months to have an effect, i.e., were you diagnosed with something new in the past few months? Did you start taking medication during the past few months?

Did you go through a traumatic experience. Subsequently, any treatments for hair loss should be given at least three months to have noticeable effects.

There are of course various ways to solve hair problems, such as:

1. Wig / toupe
2. Hair-weaving (weaving in extra hair)
3. Hair transplant
4. Cosmetic hair treatment courses
5. Therapy

There are only a few products available worldwide which have been conclusively proven to combat hair loss. They are Aminexil, Alopesan 400, Maxilne, Minoxidil and Finasteride.

Its very important for you as a consumer to know this if you are thinking of taking steps to combat your hair loss. Rogaine is another one of the more popular brand names in the hair loss industry.

Age And Cholesterol-Key Factors For Health Change

Many people think that cholesterol is bad for you… period. But that is inaccurate. The truth is that you need this substance and it is produced in your body. What is a problem is that age and cholesterol both tend to go up.

That means that as you age, you naturally tend to see your cholesterol levels go up. That trend is especially true with women.

Age and cholesterol can be a problem for men and women but post menopausal women might be at higher risk.

Prior to menopause, women tend to have lower LDL, or bad cholesterol levels then men of the same age, but after menopause women’s LDL levels often go higher.

You have both good, HDL, and bad, LDL, cholesterol in your body. The trick is to keep the good cholesterol at high levels and the bad cholesterol at low levels.

HDL tends to act as a cleaner and will keep your arteries flushed out. That is why it is so important to keep your levels balanced.

No matter what your age, or gender, there are many things you can do to make sure you keep your cholesterol levels in balance and at a healthy level.

It isn’t rocket science and it isn’t new but it is important. You also need to talk to your doctor.

You need to find out what your current levels are so you know what the appropriate course of action will be.

Once you’ve talked to your doctor, you can also start implementing some of these tips:

1. Eat better. All you need to do is stop eating so many foods that are high fat. Things like beef, dairy and fried foods.

Now, don’t think that means you have to give up every food you love, in many cases you may not need to. Sometimes, just cutting back a little bit can make a big difference.

Instead, start eating fewer servings of those bad for you things. You can cut back on the amount of times per week that you eat meat, for example.

Also, it isn’t all just about cutting back on some foods, but also about adding others. There are some foods that will help you lower your bad and raise your good cholesterol levels.

Things like nuts, brown rice, fresh fruits and vegetables and fish are some of the most common things you can substitute in your diet and start seeing results.

2. If you aren’t currently getting some regular exercise, now is the time to start. Every time you move your body it can be good for you.

You don’t need to go extreme or hardcore, and you should always check with your doctor first, but just get moving.

As you get stronger you should, and probably will want to, add more varied exercises to your routine.

Hey, we can’t do anything about getting older. And as we age, we all know that some things will change. But, we aren’t totally at the mercy of those extra years.

We do have things we can do to mitigate the effects on age and cholesterol levels and you can start right now…as soon as you see your doctor, of course.

Estrogen Replacement Therapies its Pros and Cons

What is Estrogen replacement? For a guy, its one of those subjects that would least interest them to know. But for women, this is vital information that could be very vital for them.

Estrogen

For starters, oestrogen functions as the primary female sex hormone composed of a group of steroid compounds, named for their significance in the oestrus cycle. It may be existent in both men and women, but they are usually present at extensively higher levels in women of reproductive age. At such period, oestrogen support the development of secondary female sex features, such as breasts, and are also involved in the thickening of the endometrium and other aspects of regulating the menstrual series.

Sources of oestrogen include the ovaries, the corpus luteum, and the placenta. Smaller amounts of it are found in the liver, adrenal glands, and breasts. These secondary sources are known to be very beneficial to post-menopausal women.

Downfall of Estrogen

In the later part of a womans life, around the age of 50, her ovaries face the tide of menopause, a period when it finally ceases producing estrogens. For ladies who wish to avoid discomfort and the agony of health problems caused by diminished circulating estrogens, Estrogen Replacement Therapy (or ERT) is an option to choose. The treatment involves a sequence of drugs intended to synthetically boost hormone levels.

As the name suggests, ERT replaces hormones which the ovaries no longer produce, either through natural or surgical menopause, and provides relief from the horrible symptoms of menopause such as hot flashes and night sweats.

Types

There are certain substances that are used in the ERT: such as conjugated estrogens or conjugated equine estrogens under the brand name of Premarin; patch; estrogens made of singular estrogen compounds; drugs such as raloxifene and alendronate; herbal remedies such as Black Cohosh, known to help reduce menopausal symptoms; and other hormones involved such as progesterone or progestins,.

Pros and Cons

The ERT have its own share of pros and cons to the lifestyle of women. It really does change ladies lives in an overwhelmingly excellent way. But at the same time, one would have to weigh the consequences it provides before deciding to undertake such therapy.

However the consequences, advantages seem to outnumber them. The use of conjugated estrogens is usually known for significant drop in the occurrence of heart disease and osteoporosis, including a decrease of approximately 10% in the incidence of heart disease and stroke, over non-estrogen users.

The levels of PA-1 are discovered to plunge down by around 50% when an intake of Conjugated estrogens is done with or without the presence of progestins. PA-1 is said to be the vital inhibitor of fibrinolysis which multiplies in women after menopause and may risk a ladys life of cardiovascular disease.

If you really need it and if you have the right amount of money, why not undergo ERT? But always remember to weigh the pros and cons that ERT provides. It has a lot of incentives but the fact that it increases the risk of breast cancer; it is advisable for women whose ancestors had breast cancer in the past and those who previously had one, to stay away from ERT.

Beware of the Side Effects of Estrogen

Estrogen is considered a primary hormone for women. However, it is also present for men but the only difference is that Estrogen in women is of higher level than in males. Moreover, it is also an important component for the development and enhancement of the female secondary sex characteristics such as the breast and endometrioum.

During the menopausal cycle of the women estrogen plays a very vital role. This is the necessity of having an appropriate level of Estrogen to prevent the unnecessary disorders that may take place inside a womans body. Moreover, if the level of hormone is also imbalanced the risks of the menopausal symptoms will increase.

It is true that Estrogen is a natural body substance but it is coupled with side effects in the persons body. It can affect the growth of a person or the development of the reproductive system and the secondary reproductive systems.

Pregnant women are not advised to take medicines that are estrogen enhancer, because it is not good for the baby inside the womb of the mother. Usually, it leads to the miscarriage of the baby and may cause serious complications to the mother.

Estrogen medications are indeed helpful for women with menopausal disorders, but these are also risky, especially if not taken properly. One of the worst effects that it can bring to a person is the so-called endometrial cancer. This is often due to a prolonged intake of Estrogen. The risk will vary on the length of the treatment and the dosage of the Estrogen taken by a patient.

Since Estrogen therapy has the long term and the short term period, it must be noted that lower dose of medicine should be taken for the long term in order to reduce the risk. It is also necessary that you see your doctor at least twice a year while you are taking the medication to avoid complications.

Estrogen for post menopausal women can also lead to gall bladder disorder. You must be aware about the effects of estrogen medications while you are taking it. Consult your physician immediately if you notice that there is bleeding that takes place in your vaginal area.

In spite of the complications of estrogen, people also acknowledge its good effect such as lessening the risk of heart diseases and high blood pressure.

It always depends on you, if you want successful effect of your estrogen intake, be sure to follow the doctors advice properly.