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

MENOPAUSE A to Z
While passing through the menopause, women may suffer muscle pain as well as hot flushes, irregular menstrual
periods, depression and headaches.
Less common causes of myalgia include low blood sugar (caused by overdoses of medication for the treatment of
diabetes), polymyalgia rheumatica (inflammatory condition involving many muscles), motor neurone disease
(progressive and permanent degeneration of the nerves that control muscle movement), chronic fatigue syndrome,
severe deficiencies of vitamins B (beriberi) and C (scurvy), myositis ossificans and rheumatic fever.
Rarer still are causes such as the Guillain-Barré syndrome (progressive symmetrical weakness of the limbs and
face), eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome (eating excessive amounts of the protein L-tryptophan), some psychiatric
conditions, focal nodular myositis, hyperparathyroidism (overactive parathyroid glands), Bornholm disease (a viral
infection that attacks the membrane surrounding the lungs), myofascial pain syndrome and Weil syndrome
(complication of an infection by the bacteria Leptospirosis).
Some medications (eg. methyldopa for high blood pressure and those used to lower cholesterol) may also cause
muscle pains.
NAIL SOFT
Nails that are soft and keep breaking or tearing are most commonly caused by genetic factors, changes in sex
hormone levels at menopause, alcoholism and sometimes persistent infections of the nail bed by a fungus or bacteria.
There is no direct link between most cases of nail softening and bone softening (osteoporosis), but a link is possible
with the rare condition osteomalacia in which osteoporosis and soft nails occur.
A diet high in calcium may help the problem slightly, but nail hardening lacquer is probably the best treatment. The
fact that so many nail hardening products are available in beauty shops will give some idea of how common this
problem has become.
NIGHT SWEATS
Abnormal sweating at night can be due to a multitude of variable factors. Obviously a warm climate, excessive
clothing and a high ambient temperature can be a cause, but so can anxiety and fear.
By far the most common cause is the menopause. Medical causes include viral or bacterial infections of any type,
thyrotoxicosis (an overactive thyroid gland), hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar), lymphomas and other cancers, a tumour
of abscess of the hypothalamus (temperature regulating part of the brain), some medications and withdrawal from
narcotics (eg. heroin).
See also SWEATING EXCESS
NIPPLE DISCHARGE
The nipple of the breast will obviously discharge milk in a woman who is breastfeeding, and will often leak milk
between feeds, particularly when the breast is engorged with milk some hours after a feed. At other times a discharge
will indicate some medical problem.
Sex hormone imbalances are the most common cause of abnormal nipple discharges. At almost any time during
pregnancy, but particularly late in pregnancy, the higher levels of hormones in the body may stimulate premature
breast milk production.
Hormones in the oral contraceptive pill, or hormone replacement therapy after the menopause, may over stimulate
breast tissue to cause a discharge if the dose is too high.
The pituitary gland under the brain sends signals to the ovaries to increase or decrease sex hormone (oestrogen)
production. A tumour or cancer of the pituitary gland or ovaries may result in excessive hormone levels and breast milk
production.
Newborn infants of both sexes sometimes produce “witch’s milk”, which is a discharge from the nipples in the first
few days of life due to high levels of sex hormone passing over to the child from the mother through the placenta during
birth. It is a harmless condition that settles quickly.
Other causes of an abnormal nipple discharge include breast cancer that involves the milk ducts (brown or blood
stained discharge), kidney failure (may prevent the excretion of the normal amount of oestrogen and the levels of
hormone increase), under or over active thyroid gland (hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism), Cushing syndrome (over
production of steroids, or taking large doses of cortisone) and excessive stimulation of a woman’s nipples for a
prolonged period of time may result in a reflex which increases oestrogen levels and results in milk production.
Some non-hormonal medications may increase sex hormone production as a side effect. Examples include
methyldopa and reserpine (used for serious high blood pressure) and tricyclic antidepressants.
OBESITY
In Roman times, a beautiful woman was considered to be well proportioned and rounded in the style of Venus de
Milo (plus arms of course!). During the Renaissance, voluptuous females of Junoesque proportions were appreciated.
Today the tall, skinny, anorexic fashion model is considered to be in vogue. It is possible that those overweight by
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