How Long Is Menopause:
The difference in humans, Gurven said, is that both grandmothers and grandfathers contribute to the well-being of their children and grandchildren. The whale grandmothers also store ecological knowledge about when and where to find food in times of hardship by using the experience they have gained over the lifetime of their environments. Only daughters’ offspring are aided because in these whales, while the males stay with their family group, they mate with females in other groups.
Research has shown Black women have more serious menopause symptoms, like hot flashes, sleep problems, and depression, than White women. But they’re less likely to get hormone therapy or other treatments. They also go through menopause an average of 8 years earlier. Some studies show Hispanic and Native Hawaiian women may begin menopause at an earlier age than White women. Researchers believe some of these differences are due to life stress, socioeconomic characteristics, and discrimination.
That leads to a prediction that species with menopause would live longer but have the same reproductive life span as species without menopause. Findings of a new study suggest menopause gives an evolutionary advantage to grandmother whales’ grandchildren. It’s a unique insight because very few groups of animals experience menopause.
Your health and wellness is unique to you, and the products and services we review may not be right for your circumstances. We do not offer individual medical advice, diagnosis or treatment plans. For personal advice, please consult with a medical professional. Certain surgeries, such as a hysterectomy, can make menopause happen earlier. A total hysterectomy, which removes your ovaries completely, will result in surgical menopause directly after the surgery. If one or both ovaries are intact after surgery, menopause may happen earlier than usual, but with a normal transition phase instead of right after surgery.
Researchers said their work shows that whales and humans have remarkably similar life histories despite being separated by 90 million years of evolution. WEDNESDAY, March 12, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Why humans, five whale species and some chimpanzees are the only known mammals to go through menopause has long been a mystery. Receive email updates about blog our news, science, exhibitions, events, products, services and fundraising activities. We may occasionally include third-party content from our corporate partners and other museums. We will not share your personal details with these third parties. The menopause is rare in mammals, with beluga whales only discovered to go through the process in 2018.
Talk to your doctor before starting any herbal or dietary supplements. If your menopause-related symptoms cause you anxiety or negatively impact your quality of life or daily functioning, discuss them with your healthcare provider. There are a number of therapies out there to help you cope with these uncomfortable symptoms including both hormonal and non-hormonal medications, as well as alternative therapies. Most women stop having hot flashes within seven years following their final menstrual period.
But hot flashes typically occur at the onset of perimenopause. Researchers also found that Black women and women of average weight experience hot flashes for a longer period than white women and women who are considered overweight. As you enter your 40s, your body will likely produce less and less estrogen until you no longer menstruate. Once you stop menstruating and have had no periods for 12 months, you will have reached menopause.
Many governments do not have health polices and financing for the inclusion of menopause-related diagnosis, counselling, and treatment services as part of their routinely available services. Menopause-related services are a particular challenge in settings where there are often other urgent and competing priorities for health funding. Natural menopause is deemed to have occurred after 12 consecutive months without menstruation for which there is no other obvious physiological or pathological cause and in the absence of clinical intervention. But meat eaters who ate higher daily amounts of savory foods — such as potato chips, pretzels, and peanuts — experienced menopause about 2 years earlier than meat eaters who didn’t. “On the other hand, a higher consumption of refined carbohydrates — such as pasta and rice — hastened the onset of menopause by 1.5 years,” said Dunneram.
Every individual experiences menopause differently, and the symptoms may vary in duration. Certain health problems can also cause you to start menopause earlier. Perimenopausal women need access to quality health services and communities and systems that can support them. Unfortunately, both awareness and access article source to menopause-related information and services remain a significant challenge in most countries. Menopause is often not discussed within families, communities, workplaces, or health-care settings. Contraception is recommended to avoid unintended pregnancy until after 12 consecutive months without menstruation.
It took until 1987 for Congress to pass a law designating March as Women’s History Month. In 1910, German activist Clara Zetkin suggested to the International Conference of Working Women in Copenhagen the creation of an international holiday to honor women. Europeans recognized International Women’s Day in 1911, although the U.S. did not follow suit. Menopause can last four to 10 years, and tends to begins around age 47, researchers said in background notes. ‘One of the striking features of this work is the fact that we find this really incredible and rare life-history strategy that we see human societies and in the ocean, but not elsewhere in mammal societies,’ he said.
If you can’t or don’t want to take hormones, other medications can ease symptoms. They include antidepressants, antiseizure drugs, or blood pressure medications to help with hot flashes and mood swings. The most accurate way to tell if it’s happening to you is to watch your menstrual cycles for 12 months in a row. It helps to keep track of your periods and chart them as they become irregular.
Menopause has happened when you have not had any period for an entire 12 months. With such a wide range of symptoms, it’s no wonder many women don’t connect them to perimenopausal hormonal imbalance. If you would like to read more about symptoms, see our article Signs and symptoms of menopause. We always say that checking in with how and what you’re feeling is the best way to confirm you’re in menopause. If you feel that something is ‘off’ or that you are experiencing more and more symptoms around the age when perimenopause or menopause most often begins ‘ you have probably started your transition.
No matter what age menopause begins, I always suggest that women focus on techniques that reduce their symptoms so they can feel their best during this important stage in their life. Irregular periods happen during this time because you may not ovulate every month. You might skip a few months or have unusually long or short menstrual cycles. Many women also have hot flashes and other menopause symptoms during this transition. But the physical symptoms, such as hot flashes, and emotional symptoms of menopause may disrupt your sleep, lower your energy or affect emotional health.
In some cases, your doctor may suggest a blood test to check your follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and estradiol (E2) levels to rule out any other causes for the changes you’re experiencing. The menopausal transition most often begins between ages 45 and 55. It usually lasts active about seven years but can be as long as 14 years. The duration can depend on lifestyle factors such as smoking, age it begins, and race and ethnicity. During perimenopause, the body’s production of estrogen and progesterone, two hormones made by the ovaries, varies greatly.
You can keep track of your periods and chart them as they become uneven. The pattern will be another clue to your doctor that you’re perimenopausal or nearing menopause. Even if you’re using a birth control method that stops ovulation, it doesn’t stop your loss of follicles — the constant process of your ovary taking them from your resting pool of eggs. All of your follicles available that month die away, even if you’re not ovulating, so experts don’t think that birth control delays menopause.