Medical expert of the article
New publications
Tides with menopause: what is it, the symptoms
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
A hot wave covering the face and upper half of the body, profuse sweating, palpitation is familiar to four out of five women who celebrated the 50th anniversary. These are tides - a condition provoked by hormonal restructuring of the female body, a kind of farewell to childbearing age. Their origin, duration, periodicity of appearance and severity are very individual. Some tides start before menopause, some after, stop fast enough or periodically recur during long years, bringing discomfort not only physical but also psychological.
Causes of the tides with menopause
The reasons for this phenomenon have not been completely clarified, it is assumed that it causes a low level of estrogen - sex steroid hormones. Low levels of hormones in this group are normal and for girls during puberty, however, they do not have tides. Probably, the answer to the question of the causes of tides is more common, and it's too early to put a point in it.
In fertile (childbearing) age, sex hormones mainly produce the ovaries of a woman. In a much smaller volume, they are also produced by the adrenal glands, which after the onset of menopause remain the only producers of estrogens. To this group of hormones include estradiol, estriol and estrone, produced in the period of menopause. The body begins to rebuild to work in a state of estrogen deficiency. This provokes the development of a number of not very pleasant symptoms - tides, increased nervousness, sharp mood swings.
The mechanism of hot flushes at a climacterium works as follows: insufficiency of estrogens causes in the hypothalamus responsible for thermoregulation, an erroneous signal about an overheat of an organism. In response, it reacts with the release of substances, whose action is similar to adrenaline - increases the heart rate, blood through the dilated blood vessels flows to the face and upper body, intensive sweating begins. This condition is called "hot flashes", it is provoked by the fading function of the ovaries and, as a result, hormonal changes in the body.
On the course of menopausal syndrome, according to observations of experts, a significant influence is exerted on the way of life of a woman. Less intensive, and sometimes completely unnoticeable, the restructuring of the body occurs in women who lead an active lifestyle.
A factor in the intensification of tides can serve as some medicines, emotional state, bad habits (smoking, drinking). Provoke another attack can high temperature, hot food and drinks, sharp and salty foods, caffeine.
Among the causes that aggravate the climacteric syndrome, frequent hot flashes and a long time of their periodic appearance, is called early natural menopause, as well as - caused by surgical intervention or drug therapy.
[Symptoms of the tides with menopause
Women, approaching the forty-year boundary, often wonder: what are the tides with menopause? This condition is on hearing, and even in appearance - everyone has older friends, co-workers, mothers and grandmothers, who survived the menopause in very severe form. Therefore, this period is expected with a feeling of mild horror, and television advertising of drugs that reduce the symptoms of menopause, too, does not add optimism.
Some, especially sensitive women feel the approach of the tide. However, in most cases, the tide begins suddenly: the entire upper body - the face, neck, shoulders just puff with heat and blush. The temperature at high tides rises,
Heart rate increases, his rhythm is broken, there is a shortage of air. This condition lasts from 30 seconds to an hour (an average of 2-3 minutes) and ends with a copious discharge of cold sweat, causing chills.
Attacks are characterized by varying degrees of severity, in some women they are not too intense, others are strongly pronounced. May be accompanied by a feeling of growing anxiety, increased irritability, dizziness with attacks of nausea, migraine until the fainting condition. Sometimes sweating is so strong that you need to immediately change clothes. Tides, especially intense and prolonged, and all that is associated with them often cause women confusion, anxiety, lack of self-confidence, they have problems of a psychological plan.
Nighttime tides are called night sweats in menopause, as the fever is not noticeable through the sleep, but the woman wakes up all cold and wet from the cold sweat that comes out. Consequences of nocturnal tides - the development of insomnia, negatively affecting memory, concentration, cheerfulness and mood. Regular disruption of night rest leads to stress, reduced immunity, a set of excess weight, an increase in the likelihood of pathologies of the nervous, cardiovascular, endocrine system.
Quite often, tides occur in the evenings after the end of a day's work, so women suffering from this pathology are recommended to rest more and not to overwork.
The severity of menopausal symptoms determines the periodicity and duration of the onset of hot flashes. It is noted: the slower the level of estrogen in the body decreases, the easier and less imperceptible the reorganization proceeds. In the vast majority of women, the body adapts to work in scarce mode for a year or two, sometimes up to three years. About a fifth of women this period is delayed to five, and up to ten years, a very small number - for the rest of his life.
Tides and night sweats are the first signs of a rebuilding of the body associated with the extinction of the childbearing function and are far from the most threatening to health. The consequences and complications of reducing estrogen levels can be much more serious. The importance of female sex hormones in the work of almost all organs can not be overestimated:
- they prevent the deposition of cholesterol plaques on the walls of the vessels, protecting them from the development of atherosclerosis, which provokes the pathology of the vessels of the brain and heart, from which the majority of the population of advanced years die;
- ensure the normalization of calcium metabolism, assimilation of its bone tissue and prevention of its embrittlement (women over the age of 50 often suffer from osteoporosis, dangerous habitual fractures and bad splices of bones);
- provide a natural moistening of the skin and mucous membranes of all organs (with the onset of postmenopause, more and more women feel their dryness, promoting the introduction of pathogenic microorganisms and the development of inflammatory processes);
- in addition to physical changes in the genitourinary system, as a rule, the libido decreases, which negatively affects a woman's psychological state.
In fact - all is not so terrible, modern drugs can slow down the rate of estrogen reduction in the blood and maximally painlessly adapt the female body to life in new conditions.
Diagnostics of the tides with menopause
If the tides do not cause any particular inconvenience, women rarely consult a doctor with this problem. But the pathological course of menopause, accompanied by frequent intense hot flashes - is an occasion to seek medical help from a gynecologist. Diagnosis is usually based on complaints of patients, whose age is approaching the standard for the onset of menopause. During this period, usually accompanying pathologies are exacerbated, overlapping the clinical picture, which complicates the diagnosis. Therefore, usually a woman needs consultations of other specialists - endocrinologist, rheumatologist, cardiologist, psychotherapist and other specialists if necessary.
For objective diagnosis, the necessary tests for the content of estradiol in the blood, the ratio of estradiol to estrone, the level of follicle-stimulating, luteinizing and other hormones, the histology of scraping of the endometrium of the uterus, the cytology of smears from the vagina. In addition to tests confirming the presence of age-related hormonal changes, a clinical and biochemical blood test is prescribed. An analysis can be assigned to determine the level of glucose in the blood or the level of thyroid hormones.
Depending on the presence of concomitant diseases, the doctor prescribes appropriate examinations. Instrumental diagnostics can include ultrasound, including transvaginal, mammogram, electrocardiogram, rheoencephalography, and electroencephalography.
Who to contact?
Treatment of the tides with menopause
The state of the female body with the extinction of the reproductive function is difficult to call a disease, since no woman can avoid it, although not all can be considered healthy at this time. Hormone treatment (hormone replacement) is considered to be the most effective way of treating estrogen deficiency, as replenishing it and eliminating hot flashes, improves the quality of life of a woman. Replacement of sex hormones is indicated in case of severe climacteric disorders - hot flashes, night sweats, heart rhythm disturbances, insomnia, signs of depressive state, increased fatigue, atrophy of urogenital organs.
Drug hormone replacement therapy is performed in three main modes: monotherapy with estrogens or gestagens; complex therapy with estrogens and progestogens; complex therapy with estrogen in combination with androgens. Hormonal treatment is carried out only according to the doctor's prescription. The treatment regimen and regimen are selected individually, taking into account the benefit / risk ratio, and the minimum dosages of the drug are used to achieve the optimal level of hormones providing simultaneous improvement of the condition and the absence of side effects. The patient is annually monitored for the thickness of the endometrium and the condition of the mammary glands.
Contraindications to the appointment of hormone replacement therapy: malignant neoplasms of the mammary glands or female genital organs (available or transferred earlier), endometrial hyperplasia, bleeding of unknown genesis, venous (arterial) thrombosis, severe arterial hypertension, acute hepatic pathology, porphyria, sensitization to the drug components. Hormone therapy is not primarily prescribed for women over 65 years of age. It is recommended to begin treatment of tides with hormones during the time preceding menopause, and early postmenopause.
Side effects of hormone replacement treatment: with prolonged (for five years or more) taking hormonal drugs is increasing the possibility of malignant neoplasms of the breast. To prevent this risk, when taking estrogens, progestogens are administered internally, intravaginally or intrauterine.
With a tendency to thrombosis, the development of thromboembolism is likely, which is characteristic for the first year of therapy. Women from this risk group are assigned parenteral drugs: estrogen patches, gels and intrauterine (vaginal) administration of progestogens.
The positive effect of hormone replacement therapy is expressed in a decrease in the intensity and frequency of hot flashes in more than 90% of women, which is also accompanied by an improvement in the mental state, appearance (skin, hair), a decrease in urogenital symptoms, and improved digestibility of calcium by bone tissue.
For hormone replacement therapy, a very extensive list of drugs is used, for example:
- tableted forms Femoston, Divina, Klimonorm, Klinorette, Klimen-combi, Triaclim - complex medicines containing estradiol valeriate and progestagenic component (dydrogesterone, noretisteron, medroxyprogesterone);
- local hormonal preparations: gels Divigel, Estrogel; suppositories Estrokad, gel and patch Estradiol.
However, even in cases where a woman has no contraindications to hormone replacement therapy, it is better to first use a treatment without hormones. Pharmacies present phytopreparations containing plant substances similar in structure and action to the sex hormone of a sexually mature woman - 17-beta-estradiol. Phytoestrogens, which include isoflavones, cumestans and lignans, as well as mycoestrogen produced by parasitic fungi, mitigate the effect of estrogen deficiency, reducing the intensity and frequency of hot flashes.
At the end of the last century, as a result of a variety of comparative studies of the incidence of different peoples, depending on lifestyle and nutrition, it was suggested that Asians do not feel tides, because phytoestrogens predominate in their diet. The hypothesis that they can have a "balancing" effect on both the deficiency and the excess of sex hormones is still in the stage of study. Their side effects have not been thoroughly studied yet. However, there is no doubt that they influence the hormonal background. As far as phytoestrogens are useful and can replace hormone replacement therapy - there is no concrete answer yet. Positive results of a number of studies gave impetus to the production of phytopreparations for the relief of menopausal manifestations. In particular, the frequency of hot tides is reduced by 45%. However, the same study explains about 70% of the positive results with the placebo effect. However, this is not bad at all, because the placebo effect is not exactly threatened with adverse reactions.
There is evidence that isoflavones, as well as estrogens, reduce the likelihood of cardiovascular pathologies and the development of osteoporosis, and also - bind free radicals. Their action is still being studied, and all the time new abilities are discovered, most of which have not yet been interpreted. In particular, in some studies it is noted that a number of phytoestrogens reduce the likelihood of occurrence and inhibit the growth of malignant neoplasms.
To eliminate or mitigate climacteric manifestations: tides, night sweats, insomnia, neuroses accompanied by increased excitability or depressed state of mind, drugs containing phytoestrogens are used. These drugs are sold in pharmacies without a doctor's prescription, however, it is advisable to get medical advice before using them.
Climadinone is available in tablets and drops for oral administration. The active ingredient is an extract of the rhizome of tsimicifugi, a stimulant of estrogen receptors of the hypothalamus. Reduces the effect of estrogen deficiency in the period preceding menopause, and later, reducing the frequency and intensity of tides, normalizing the emotional background and vegetovascular system, metabolic processes in bone tissue, helps restore the vaginal epithelium.
The active ingredient of the drug does not stimulate the growth and reproduction of endometrial cells and estrogen-dependent malignant mammary gland formation, which is different from hormonal preparations.
Contraindicated in case of sensitization to ingredients and estrogen-dependent diseases. It rarely causes side effects in the form of a feeling of tension in the mammary glands, soreness in the abdomen, vaginal discharge.
Recommended dosage tableted forms Klimadinon Uno (one unit a day before bedtime), Klimadinon (one unit in the morning and evening). Swallow by washing with plenty of water. Drops do not dilute, take 30 drops in the morning and in the evening, you can swallow or drip on a piece of sugar. The effect of the drug becomes noticeable two weeks after the start of therapy, the duration of the reception is individual. Without medical advice, you can take no more than three months.
Reduces or eliminates climacteric manifestations of the preparation Simidona forte (Simidona uno) with a similar active substance.
Plant origin has a drop with climax of Tazalok. Their active ingredient is a mixture containing fresh roots of curly parsley, celery and six-petalled mimic, grass of yellow mush, wild flax and calendula flowers. Has a normalizing effect on the production of natural gonadotropic hormones, the ratio of estrogens and gestagens. Positively affects the cells of the mammary glands, uterus and ovaries, prevents dysplastic changes in these tissues. It has a relaxing, easy analgesic effect, regulates the hormonal background, which favorably affects the condition of patients suffering from menopausal syndrome. Not assigned when components are intolerant. Take orally, thrice a day, diluting 30-40 drops in half a glass of water. Duration of admission is at least three months.
In addition to drugs regulating the hormonal background in hot flashes, the doctor can prescribe antihypertensives, since hot flushes are often triggered by hypertension.
Soothing drugs are prescribed to relieve agitation, anxiety, and eliminate insomnia. Due to their effect on the body, the intensity and frequency of the tides decreases.
Antidepressants in low dosages are prescribed for hot flashes, complicated by depressive disorders, crying, anxiety.
In hot flashes accompanied by a climacteric neurosis, novocaine (2%) is used. Getting into the blood, it is decomposed by blood plasma and tissues, resulting in the formation of paraminobenzoic acid, which stimulates the reproductive system, the thyroid gland, and other endocrine glands.
Injections are made with freshly prepared novocaine solution (2% on a 5% glucose solution) starting from 3-5 ml every other day. Each time the dose is increased by 1 mg, bringing up to 10 mg. The course of therapy includes 12 injections, making a break for ten days, it can be repeated, if necessary, two or three more times. Some experts note that novocaine therapy reduces the number of tides and their intensity.
A good effect can be given by active vitamin therapy with ascorbic acid, group B vitamins, retinol and tocopherol.
However, do not forget that appoint medications for treatment of hot flashes must be the attending physician, given their severity and concomitant diseases.
Physiotherapy (hydrotherapy, D'Arsenval's treatment, franklinization, ultraviolet irradiation, X-ray therapy) can give a good result in the treatment of hot flashes, simultaneously eliminating headaches, irritability, normalizing sleep.
Therapeutic physical training, which tones up the whole body system, can be prescribed for menopausal disorders in the absence of special contraindications in women.
Alternative treatment for hot flushes with menopause
With climacteric disorders, alternative treatment is widely used. The most simple recommendation: to raise your hands up at the very beginning of the tide, and if possible, while lowering your legs into hot water.
With night sweats before bedtime, it is recommended to take a conifer bath or a bath with lavender, they have a sedative effect, normalize sleep, which positively affects the intensity and frequency of hot flashes. Ready-made essential oils can be added to the bath.
Treatment with herbs is very effective. The high content of flavonoids in the medicinal sage makes it indispensable in cases of intense and frequent hot flashes, night sweats, nervousness, irritability, besides, it stimulates immunity, improves memory, attention and promotes skin rejuvenation. In the mornings, you can drink tea from sage: a single sprig of herb or a teaspoon of dry minced raw material is brewed with a glass of boiling water. Tea is drunk three times a day for two weeks, then a break for two weeks and the course is repeated again.
You can brew tea from equal parts of sage and linden. This tea has a pleasant taste and aroma, and the linden contains flavone glycosides, ascorbic acid, carotene, has a mild sedative, analgesic, pronounced anti-inflammatory effect.
Can be effective herbal tea, brewed from the collection of herbs: peppermint and rhizome valerian (30g) mixed with two tablespoons of chamomile medicinal. Take two tablespoons of the mixture, pour into a thermos and brew with boiling water (500ml). After three hours strain and drink a glass for a quarter of an hour before breakfast and dinner.
Flavonoids also contain horsetail, besides it is rich in vitamins and microelements. With it, you can brew tea, use its broth. Drink beverages with field horsetail 15 minutes after eating. With him, you can also take baths that will save you from excessive sweating.
You can use the field horsetail as part of the collection in equal parts with sage and valerian. Decoction from this collection is drunk several times a day, depending on the frequency of the tides.
Calming effect is the use of teas with mint or melissa, sweeten them better with honey. Teas with oregano and St. John's wort can be used as an antidepressant.
Homeopathy can be of great help in treating climacteric syndrome with tides of varying severity. The pharmacies offer complex homeopathic remedies for the treatment of pre- and menopausal disorders.
Klimaktoplan, contains homeopathic dilutions of tsimicifuga extracts (normalizes the nervous system, reduces the frequency and intensity of hot flashes), sepia (stabilizes the synthesis of hormones by the adrenals, pituitary and ovaries), ignatia (reduces sweating, fatigue, headache), sanguine (closes hot flushes, hyperemia, tachycardia, migraines). Contraindicated in case of sensitization to the components of the preparation. Tablets take sublingually one or two half an hour before meals or an hour after. Can be combined with other drugs. Overdose is not fixed.
Remens is released in tablets and drops, has a normalizing hormonal balance effect on the hypothalamus-pituitary-ovary system. Eliminates hot flushes, night sweats, sleep disturbances, irritation, anxiety, depression, as well as inflammation in the pelvic organs, hypertensive and other cardiovascular disorders. Contraindicated in case of sensitization to ingredients, very rarely can cause increased salivation. Recommended scheme of use: on the first or second day, take one tablet or 10 drops eight times a day, then go to a three-time intake of these same doses, with a therapeutic improvement, you can take this dose twice a day. Take the drops in undiluted or slightly diluted form, before ingestion - hold in the mouth. Compatible with any medication.
Classical homeopathy for the treatment of tides involves the use of more than forty drugs, the main ones: Lachesis, Glonoinum (Glonoinum), Sanguinaria (Sanguinaria), Sepia (Sepia). These drugs are also used in the pharmacy combination products, recommended for menopausal disorders. To get individual appointments that will be most effective for a particular woman, you need to turn to a homoeopathic doctor.
Ayurveda with menopause and tides
The ancient medical system of Ayurveda relates the years of old age to the wind (Vata). This period of life corresponds to irritability, anxiety, insomnia, depressive mood. Treatment of the state of transition to old age consists in reducing the influence of Vata. Toning the sexual sphere are recommended vegetable products:
- aloe juice, containing a vitamin-mineral complex, organic acids, flavonoids, enzymes, beneficial to the body and supporting its protective forces;
- asparagus racemose or shatavari - possessing the ability to maintain a normal balance of female sex hormones, to heal and rejuvenate the skin, and also - practically all organs and tissues;
- stigmas of crocus pistils or saffron is a unique remedy that cleanses the blood and contributes to the production of serotonin (a hormone of joy);
- asvagandha - slows down the aging process, activates energy metabolism, promotes cellular renewal of tissues, has a positive effect on memory, nervous system, sexual function.
There are ready-made preparations of Ayurvedic medicine, addressed to women suffering from hot flushes and other unpleasant menopausal disorders, for example, the composition of Shatavari.
To eliminate or reduce climacteric syndrome, it is recommended to take three times a day fresh aloe juice - one tablespoon per reception.
At night, it is recommended to take calcium (1.2 g), magnesium (0.6 g), zinc (0.06 g), which will not only reduce the intensity of tides, but also prevent calcium deficiency.
When a woman feels the approach of the tide, you need to drink a cup of pomegranate juice with a teaspoon of natural sugar dissolved in it (lollipop powder) and ten drops of lime juice. You can drink this drink several times a day.
Effective action has a mixture of shatavari and wild yam. Mix half a teaspoon of powder of these herbs and swallow twice a day (after dinner and dinner), washed down with warm water, even better - with aloe juice.
Diet
The main part of the diet should be vegetables, including raw - in the form of salads. It is established that fans of vegetarianism practically do not suffer from tides. Probably phytosterols contained in plant foods help to cope with age-related hormonal changes.
It is advisable to replace the morning coffee with green tea. Coffee has an exciting effect on the nervous system, green tea has a softer effect, it helps get rid of toxins, free radicals, contains vitamins, minerals.
In pre- and post-menopausal periods, stocks of vitamins, trace elements, especially calcium, magnesium, potassium are seriously depleted. Therefore, the diet should contain foods that contain: fresh vegetables and fruits, whole grain bread, dairy products, fish, lean meat. Do not use hot drinks and food, spirits, spicy dishes. All this can provoke tides.
To restore the psychological and emotional balance, it is recommended to contribute to the production of serotonin with the help of such mood-raising products as chocolate, dates, dried apricots, bananas, oatmeal, red sweet peppers.
However, do not be zealous, especially if you have extra pounds of weight. You need to monitor the caloric content of your menu, avoid roast, reduce the amount of food in portions and consume more calorie meals in the morning. Lovers of salted need to limit the amount of salt.
It is advisable to include in your diet soy products - meat, milk, tofu.
Prevention
To reduce the frequency and intensity of hot tides, and sometimes completely eliminate them, one can, observing some simple rules:
- first of all - avoid stuffy premises, it is desirable to sleep with an open window;
- Do not reduce the usual physical activity, you can even slightly increase it, starting, for example, to attend yoga or swimming, to go for a walk, which can help overcome the feeling of anxiety, anxiety, nervousness, increase stress resistance;
- maintain a healthy lifestyle and comply with the diet regime-limit meat products, consume more fruits and vegetables, drink at least 1.5 liters of water every day, which compensates for moisture loss due to increased sweating and promotes a decrease in the frequency and intensity of hot flashes;
- having consulted with the doctor to pick up a suitable vitamin-mineral complex;
- to exclude from the wardrobe things made of synthetic materials, not to wear sweaters with a closed neck, it is better to put on several things in the cold season, to tie a scarf or scarf round your neck to be able to remove the top layer of clothing when the tide approaches;
- regularly take a shower, use antibacterial soap, deodorants, antiperspirants;
- Do not overwork, rest properly, avoid stressful situations; feeling the approach of the tide, try to close your eyes and take a few deep breaths and exhale;
- carry a bottle of water with you, a few sips of cool water can help avoid the tide;
- if the tides significantly worsen the quality of life, despite all the recommendations - it is necessary to seek medical help, modern drugs and methods of treatment can significantly improve the condition, reducing menopausal manifestations.
Forecast
Tides are temporary inconveniences, which after a short period of time will cease. After all, it's not even a disease, it's just getting used to new conditions of existence. And he needs help in this - just make some efforts: change the way of life, style of food, leave bad habits in the past. And most importantly, a life-affirming perception of a new stage, an attentive attitude to the state of your soul and body will help you quickly overcome the transition period.