Premenopause - FemHealth.net
Premenopause - FemHealth.net
premenopause
Premenopause
 
Premenopause - FemHealth.net

Premenopause
The term premenopause is refer to the entirety of a woman's life from the first to her last regular menstrual period. Therefore, premenopause is best defined as a time of "normal" reproductive function in a woman leading into the stage of menopause called perimenopause.
  
Premenopause Perimenopause Menopause Postmenopause
 

In order to understand what happens to a woman's reproductive system as she grows older, it is helpful to review the "normal" reproductive function during premenopause, which helps a woman's body to prepare for the possibility of pregnancy each month.

The Menstrual Cycle

The parts of the body mainly involved in the menstrual cycle include the brain, the uterus and the ovaries. The communication between these organs is realised by chemical substances, called hormones. For the menstrual cycle the most important hormones are:

  • FSH (Follicle Stimulating Hormone).
  • LH (Luteinizing Hormone).
  • Estrogen.
  • Progesterone.

    • The beginning of a woman's menstrual cycle takes place in the brain.

    premenopause information The hypothalamus, a part of the brain, involved in controlling the release of hormones from the pituitary gland, produces GnRH (Gonadotropin-releasing hormone).

    The GnRH stimulate the pituitary gland to secrete the hormone FSH (Follicle Stimulating Hormone), that as its name suggests, stimulates the development and maturation of follicles, a small fluid-filled balloon-like area in the ovary, where an egg develops.

    Each ovary contains from 200,000 to 400,000 follicles.
    Stimulated by FSH , one of these will become dominant and starts growing. While developing, this follicle begins to produce a huge amount of estrogen. estrogen premenopause
    premenopause and estrogen The produced estrogen suppresses the further secretion of FSH , to stop the stimulation of another follicle. In addition to that, estrogen causes the lining of the uterus (endometrium) to grow and thicken in preparation of implantation of a fertilized egg.

    estrogen also stimulates the hypothalamus to produce GnRH again, which now signals pituitary gland to secrete a surge of the hormone LH (Luteinizing Hormone)


    At about mid-cycle this LH surge, which is accompanied by a transient rise in body temperature, causes the ovary to release enzymes that make a hole in the sac of the dominant follicle, causing it to rupture and release the egg into the fallopian tube where it can be fertilized.

    This is ovulation.    		 premenopause and progesteron


    After ovulation estrogen drops dramatically and the follicle's walls collapse. The dominant follicle, transformed by LH, becomes the corpus luteum after ovulation and begins secreting large amounts of Progesterone., which helps prepare the lining of the uterus for implantation of the fertilized egg.

    If the egg is fertilized the production of Progesterone. and some estrogen is kept and the development of the lining of the uterus continues. As the pregnancy progresses, hormone production is taken over by the placenta.

    		 premenopause and fertility
    premenopause and infertility

    If the egg is not fertilized, the corpus luteum causes the levels of Progesterone. and estrogen to drop. Without these hormones the uterus soon sheds its lining, and menstruation begins. In addition, with no estrogen to suppress it, FSH levels again start to rise and a new cycle begins.

    It is the balance and interplay between these hormones which regulate the specific events of a "normal" menstrual cycle during premenopause. This "normal" reproductive function continues to 35 - 40 years of age. At the end of this period, also known as late premenopause, the ovaries gradually begin to produce less estrogen and Progesterone and consequently for the most women the first typical symptoms of premenopause appear.
    See also...
  • Menopause Stages
    Premenopause symptoms are highly variable. Learn why premenopause symptoms occur and how to deal with them.

  • Premenopause Symptoms
    Perimenopause is a transitional stage of two to ten years before complete cessation of menstrual period and includes different symptoms. This perimenopause symptoms usually appears in women from 35 to 50 years of age.


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