Causes of Menopause: Estrogen reduction and depletion of eggs
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Loading ...Menopause is the stage in a woman’s life when changes that occur in the ovaries result in the inability to have a baby and the end of menstruation. The causes of menopause are related to a woman’s reproductive system. This is all initiated in the ovaries (female gonads) where eggs are matured and released from during ovulation. As part of the maturation and release cycle ovaries produce hormones.
Estrogen, progesterone and small amounts of testosterone are manufactured in the ovaries. These hormones are released throughout the cycle in differing quantities at different times. They regulate the entire menstrual cycle. Additionally, there is another reproductive hormone called follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) that is a catalyst to the follicle (immature eggs) growth present in ovaries. Because women are born with all the eggs they will ever have, the stockpile of them is eventually depleted for various reasons. The eggs that are left become weakened and over time are no longer stimulated by the presence of FSH. It is at this point that the ovaries stop making estrogen.
Estrogen reduction is one of the primary causes of menopause. Without estrogen conception and menstruation becomes impossible. Further, the loss of estrogen accounts for many overt symptoms that are associated with menopause. For instance, the loss of estrogen has been implicated in changes in the vagina such as dryness and loss of plasticity. The loss of testosterone can also lead to a reduction in libido. Normally these changes occur gradually after 40 though sometimes medical procedures and illness can be causes of menopause as well. When a procedure or condition leads to early and escalated menopause its called premature menopause. Whether the causes of menopause are natural or are an induced state, symptoms are generally the same because the ovaries are no longer actively producing eggs or hormones.
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