Menopause A to Z.pdf - Medwords.com.au

MENOPAUSE A to Z
Inflammation of nerves in the scalp and face may appear to be a headache, when really it is the tissue outside the
skull that is affected. Trigeminal neuralgia is one relatively common example, as is the pain of neuralgias associated
with pinched nerves in the neck that spread from the base of the skull up the back of the head and as far forward as
the hairline.
Psychiatric disorders as varied as phobias (abnormal fears), depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and
excessive anxiety may cause headaches.
Other common causes of headache include eye disorders that vary from increased pressure within the eye
(glaucoma) to poor vision (resulting in eye muscle strain) and inflammation of the eye (iritis); menopause, menstrual
periods (premenstrual tension), contraceptive pills, pregnancy and other fluctuations in the level of the sex hormone
oestrogen; sexual intercourse may result in a headache, either with arousal or orgasm/ejaculation; inflammation or
infection of the teeth (eg. abscess or dental decay), jaw joint (eg. arthritis), neck (eg. arthritis or ligamentous strain),
nose (eg. large polyp) or sinuses (eg. polyp or infection); cancer of any tissue in the body may cause headaches due to
the release of toxins into the blood (eg. leukaemia); an under active and over active thyroid gland (hypothyroidism and
hyperthyroidism); diseases of other glands (eg. adrenal glands, testes, parathyroids); extreme high blood pressure (eg.
phaeochromocytoma) and anaemia (a lack of haemoglobin and/or red blood cells).
A wide range of medications (eg. for control of high blood pressure, epilepsy and cancer) may cause headache as a
side effect.
Uncommon causes of headache may include SUNCT syndrome (variant of cluster headache), poorly controlled
diabetes (either high sugar levels from lack of treatment, or low blood sugar from excess medication), severe allergy
reactions (anaphylaxis), acromegaly (thickening and enlargement of the bones in the skull and legs), cyclic vomiting
syndrome (episodes of vomiting associated with severe headache), Cushing syndrome (over production or over
dosage of steroids), low blood pressure (eg. from excessive medication, sudden change in position, shock or fright),
failure or inflammation of any of the body’s major organs (eg. kidneys, spleen or liver), pre-eclampsia (severe
complication of pregnancy that is associated with a rise in blood pressure), autoimmune diseases (eg. systemic lupus
erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma), inflammation of arteries in the neck (carotidynia) or temples (giant
cell or temporal arteritis), chronic paroxysmal hemicrania (episodes of headache on one side only), Paget’s disease
(softening of bone throughout the body), toxic shock syndrome and many other causes that have not been included,
because almost any abnormality in the body may result in some kind of headache as our brain, or its surrounding
structures, perceives the disorder in body function.
HIRSUTISM
Hirsutism (or hypertrichosis) is the medical term for the presence of excess body hair in both sexes, and facial hair
in women.
There are obvious racial and family reasons for a hairy body, with some races and families carrying genes that
predispose to the growth of hair on the chest, belly, back, buttocks, arms and legs. Facial hair in men also varies
between races, with southern Asians having a scanty beard, while northern Europeans can grow a thick bushy beard.
Hair is normally present on all areas of skin except the palms and soles. Hirsutism is often the presence of coarse
dark coloured hair rather than fine body coloured hair.
At puberty, both sexes develop hair on the lower abdomen above the genitals and in the armpits, but sometimes
excessive hair growth may occur in other areas, including the face of girls. This problem usually settles down over a
few years as the hormone levels stabilise.
The menopause, and associated hormonal changes, may see the growth of hair on the face and chest of women.
Women whose periods cease for no apparent reason may be suffering from a hormonal imbalance that results in
hirsutism. Other women naturally have a hormonal makeup that allows normal menstrual periods and fertility, but still
inappropriately stimulates body and facial hair growth.
Other causes of hirsutism include tumours and diseases of the pituitary gland in the brain, tumours or injury of the
testes or ovaries, failure of the thyroid gland in the neck to produce sufficient thyroxine (hypothyroidism), starvation,
severe psychological stress (may affect hormone production), the Stein-Leventhal syndrome (causes multiple cysts in
the ovaries to affect their function), Cushing syndrome (over production, or excessive use of cortisone), Achard-Thiers
syndrome (postmenopausal women with diabetes) and foetal alcohol syndrome (babies born to alcoholic mothers).
Numerous medications, including cortisone, oral contraceptive pills, minoxidil, diazoxide, streptomycin, muscle
building anabolic steroids, phenytoin and metoclopramide, may have hirsutism as a side effect.
Anyone with hirsutism for no obvious cause should have the condition investigated. Most forms can be successfully
treated by dealing with the cause, or using medications that reduce the growth of body hair (eg. spironolactone,
antiandrogens). Individual hair electrolysis permanently removes that particular hair.
HORMONE
Hormones are chemicals that move from the producing gland directly into the blood, to act upon every cell in the
body and affect the function of cells. They are produced naturally in the body by many different glands, including the
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