The menopause is that period in a woman’s life when her periods stop permanently. It’s a natural process that marks the end of a females reproductive years and the average age at which this happens is 51, although it varies from woman to woman. The menopause actually takes place when there aren’t any more eggs in the ovaries. It is these eggs that stimulate the production of estrogen, but when the levels of this hormone drop in the blood, the menstrual cycle is disrupted.

Menopause

The menopause normally takes place gradually and for a few years prior to it a woman’s periods may become more irregular; occurring every couple of weeks or every few months. Bleeding may be a bit heavier during this time as well.

Some women do not suffer any symptoms on the onset of the menopause, but approximately eight out of ten women do. These symptoms can include hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, palpitations, insomnia, dry skin, thinning hair, brittle nails, aches and pains, loss of libido, headaches, weight gain, and vaginal and urinary changes.

The lower levels of hormones brought on by the menopause can also increase the risks associated with other health issues in the long term, including osteoporosis, heart disease, stroke, weight gain and weakness of the pelvis and pelvic floor.

Physical exercise and changes in diet can help in the treatments of the menopause, as does hormone replacement therapy (HRT), which is designed to replace some of the hormones after the menopause occurs.

A headache involves having mild to severe pain in a specific, or many, areas of the head or back of the neck. Countless “types” of headache exist, all caused by a variety of reasons, and although they can be painful and rather annoying, they are, for the most part, not a sign of a serious disorder and in most non-chronic situations can be treated and relieved by medicines.

Although there is no single cause of a headache, several causes have so far been identified by the medical community and these can fall into two main categories – tension headaches and migraine headaches. Tension headaches are the result of contraction of the neck and head muscles and are the most common type of headache, accounting for nearly seventy percent of cases. Some causes of muscle contraction linked with tension headaches include stress, fatigue, eye strain, poor posture, hormonal changes, and alcohol or tobacco use.

Migraine headaches occur when blood vessels located in the neck and head constrict, which therefore leads to decreased blood flow in them. Symptoms of migraine include a throbbing pain usually on one particular side of the head, along with a feeling of nausea and sensitivity to sound or light. Migraines are usually chronic and affect more women than men

Headache

Although for the most part headaches are not a sign of anything sinister, as mentioned above, there are certain symptoms that need to be looked at by a doctor or physician immediately. These include a sudden onset of headache accompanied by vomiting or nausea; recurring headaches which are accompanied by memory issues, tiredness and difficulty in concentrating; neck stiffness accompanied by high fever; fits; vision irregularities, i.e. light flashes; trouble controlling, or loss of feeling in, the limbs; and difficulty in communicating while being tired and apathetic.

Restless legs can affect movement and sleep.  A person with restless legs has an uncontrollable urge to move their legs; the condition is more common in women and it is also known to affect people more as they age.

The severity of symptoms can vary from person to person.  Symptoms can be quite mild or very debilitating although it is not life threatening. These can include an urge to move the legs, disturbed sleep or trouble getting to sleep, uncontrolled jerking of the legs or unpleasant feelings deep in the legs.

Symptoms usually occur at night when the body is at rest.  People have described feelings like prickling itching or tingling which can be relieved momentarily by movement.

The two types of restless legs syndrome are primary restless syndrome and secondary restless leg syndrome.  Primary restless legs syndrome can begin at any age but usually occurs in early adulthood.  It occurs naturally and is usually mild to begin with but symptoms can increase and become more severe in later life.

Secondary restless legs syndrome is normally a result of another condition such as kidney failure, alcoholism, pregnancy or iron deficiency anemia.  Antidepressants and antipsychotics have also been known to worsen the symptoms.

Restless Legs

Lifestyle changes can help with mild cases of restless legs syndrome but for more severe cases this can be treated with a mixture of lifestyle changes and medication. Lifestyle changes can include avoiding caffeine, tobacco and alcohol, increasing exercise early in the day, creating a regular sleeping pattern and avoiding any medication which can increase symptoms. Taking a hot bath in the evening can also help to relieve symptoms as can stretching the limbs.