Restless nights, sweats and difficulties with thinking. A number of diffuse ailments. Laila Lovise Bjølgerud (42) had to go through five abortions, a stillbirth and a normal birth before she found out what the problem was. The doctors had no explanation. Bjølgerud, 31 years old, struggled to understand the context of the ailments. – Only when you have had three miscarriages do the doctors begin to explain. Nevertheless, they were unable to determine it, says Bjølgerud. What is menopause? Menopause symptoms can appear long before menstruation ends. It can happen as much as ten years before and the changes often occur in the 40s. Because you are approaching menopause, i.e. menopause, the ovaries make less of two hormones, estrogen and progesterone. As a first sign of this, menstruation can become more irregular in previous years. When the ovaries release so little of these hormones that menstrual bleeding stops completely, you have reached menopause. You cannot get pregnant after your period has completely stopped, but you should use contraception until you are absolutely sure. It is recommended to use contraception for 12 months after the last period to be on the safe side. Most women stop menstruating between the ages of 45 and 55, but it also happens that menopause starts earlier or later. Some get no or mild symptoms. Others have such severe problems that it affects their quality of life. Many have a good effect of hormone treatment against the ailments, but the treatment can cause serious side effects. Source: Helsenorge.no Didn’t know it was possible It was even though one of the doctors visited so-called “premature ovarian failure”. However, the doctor did not say what it meant. Therefore, Bjølgerud asked about this in the next round. The message she got was to look away from it. GENETICS: Laila Lovise’s mother also came through early menopause, but this was little talked about. – In a way, it was not something that should come to light today that one took hormone supplements in order to function and not have all these ailments, says Bjølgerud. Photo: Private It has cost her dearly. – It is my biggest sadness about this, that the desire to have more children was suddenly taken away. Just at the time I found out about it, there was no arrangement for egg donation. – If they had gone ahead with this then, they could have taken out eggs, for example. It is very important to know whether you are starting the process or not. At that time, she was not aware that it was even possible to enter menopause early, and knew little about the symptoms. These are the symptoms of menopause (menopause) Most people experience one or more symptoms, which can vary from mild to severe. Some ailments, such as hot flashes, are a direct consequence of hormonal changes. Irregular periods can be an early sign of impending menopause. These are the most common symptoms of menopause: Hot flashes where you suddenly feel hot, sweat and your face turns red. These can be so mild or strong that they wake you up at night. Some people find that these are triggered by caffeine, spicy food, hot drinks or alcohol. Night sweats. The lining of the vagina becomes drier and thinner during menopause. This can cause itching and make intercourse painful. Less sex drive. Difficulty sleeping. You may have difficulty falling asleep, wake up at night or wake up earlier than normal. Weight gain, less muscle strength and fat around the waist. It is difficult to know whether this is due to aging or hormonal changes. Being sad, depression and mood swings. Some people feel more anxious and forget more easily. Usually, the doctor can confirm that you are going through menopause based on symptoms and age. If you are younger than 40, you can take a blood test called FSH to be completely sure. Source: Helsenorge.no At 38, she was diagnosed with early menopause. It happened during a test tube experiment at St. Olav’s hospital. Bjølgerud had no more eggs left, and it was too late to have more children. Today she takes supplements of the hormones estrogen and progestin. They help her to keep her body more stable, even if she does not get rid of all the ailments. In addition, she uses calcium because she has a preliminary stage of osteoporosis. Senior doctor: – Important to fill the knowledge gap New Korean research suggests that early menopause, also known as premature menopause, increases the risk of heart failure and atrial fibrillation. This is atrial fibrillation In the event of an attack of atrial fibrillation, the pulse will suddenly become irregular. In atrial fibrillation, the heart will also often beat too fast. The seizure may go away on its own, or you may need treatment. The attack can vary from a few minutes to up to a few days. Many will eventually experience chronic atrial fibrillation. When you get atrial fibrillation, the heart muscle receives too many signals at once. The heart rate can increase to more than 140 beats per minute during the attack. Normally, the heart beats between 60 and 80 beats per minute at rest. Some may also experience chest pain, dizziness, cold sweats and heavy breathing. In case of such symptoms, you should call 113. Source: Helsenorge.no The study contains data from more than 1.4 million women, and is published in what Maja-Lisa Løchen calls the world’s leading heart journal, the European Heart Journal. – Here there was a particular need for the large, very well-conducted South Korean study with a view to filling this knowledge gap about atrial fibrillation. A connection between early menopause and heart failure has previously been shown, but for atrial fibrillation this was not shown in previous research until very recently, says Maja-Lisa Løchen. Maja-Lisa Løchen. Photo: UiT Norway’s Arctic University She is a professor of preventive medicine at UiT Norway’s Arctic University and senior physician in the cardiology department at the University Hospital of Northern Norway (UNN). She is also a member of the government’s women’s health committee. Under-communicated in Europe Løchen has read the study and believes that it has been carried out on all points. – How can findings from this Korean research be transferred to Europe and Norway? – South Korea has very good health science and epidemiological research of high quality. South Korea is one of the richest countries in Asia, and although they are ethnically different from us in Europe, the living conditions are not that different. – Women-specific risk factors for cardiovascular disease have been under-communicated in Europe, while the USA has been concerned with this for a longer time, says Løchen. In 2019, early menopause was included as a risk enhancer in the American guidelines for the prevention of cardiovascular disease in the USA. It is not included in Europe. Can provide motivation – Women with premature menopause should be aware that they may have a greater risk of developing heart failure or atrial fibrillation than their peers, says one of the researchers behind the study, Ga Eun Nam from Korea University College of Medicine, in a press release. Løchen thinks so too. The reason for this is, among other things, that it is important information for the GP who follows up the patients and talks to the woman about lifestyle and other risk factors, such as blood pressure and the family history of diseases that can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. – It can also provide motivation to improve lifestyle habits which are also risk factors for cardiovascular disease. For example, by being more physically active, eating heart-friendly food, maintaining a healthy weight and not smoking or sniffing. Genetics and knowledge of ailments Laila Lovise Bjølgerud often feels her heart racing. – I have settled on the fact that it is just this menopause, but if it is connected to a heart problem in general, I think it is a little more serious than I had thought. She has watched a number of documentaries and read reports to educate herself in the area. – There is little and poor information on it, and everyone is looking for more knowledge. Men too, because they are also affected if, for example, they live with someone of the opposite sex. Then it is good to know that it is normal for such things to happen. She wishes she had known that this was a phenomenon in her family, as family history can come into play. Psychologist: Many feel unprepared Psychologist specialist Eva Tryti says that many patients tell of a sense of loss in connection with early menopause. – When it happens unexpectedly at an early stage, the problems can lead to people having a lot of doubts about what is wrong. Psychologist specialist Eva Tryti. Photo: Privat A common feature for these people is that they feel lonely about it, because most people reach menopause at a later time when their peers also do it. – Then it becomes very heavy when the problems go beyond self-confidence and sexual self-confidence. It can lead to both anxiety and depression. Eva Tryti gives this advice for those who want to feel better during menopause: Get good medical treatment and clarification of the issues. Work psychologically to boost self-confidence. It is just nonsense that menopausal women are “deregistered”, according to Tryti. Get help achieving better automatic thoughts about yourself. Continue to have sex with an aid that gives you pleasure. Be out in nature and take care of yourself. Not to work out the extra kilos you see in the mirror, but because it gives you energy and helps your health. Remember that menopause also passes.
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Early menopause is linked to an increased risk of heart failure and atrial fibrillation – news Nordland
