The onset of menopause usually occurs between the ages of 45 and 50. However, some diseases can cause a early menopause in young suffering patients. This is the case, for example, of women under 50 who have breast cancer. This induced menopause, as it is called medically, is due to the medications that are administered and can worsen the quality of life. And it is that the drop in estrogen is very abrupt and the usual symptoms of this process are even more intense.
– Read more: Premature menopause: these are its symptoms, its causes and its treatments
Effects of early menopause due to breast cancer
As Dr. Margarita Feyjoo, head of Oncology at the Sanitas La Moraleja University Hospital, explains, not all women with breast cancer suffer from this early menopause. But en young patient, whose breast cancer express hormone receptors, it may be indicated to induce menopause, to suppress the level of circulating estrogensproduced at the ovarian level”, she clarifies. In this way, estrogens are not produced in the ovaries and they cannot stimulate the growth of tumor cells, binding to the hormone receptors that these cells express.
This early menopause not only has effects on the quality of life, it also causes Health problems of the patients, since, as the specialist clarifies, it can be accompanied by the appearance of osteoporosis, cardiovascular alterations, hot flashes, dry skin and mucous membranes, weight gain and metabolic alterations such as increased cholesterol. It must be said, as Dr. Feyjoo points out, that some of the symptoms associated with this early menopause may disappear with the completion of treatment, such as hot flashes. But other problems like osteoporosis, no.
Therefore, it is necessary to search for measures that reduce the impact that this disease can cause and the effects of treatments on women.
– Read more: Menopause: treatments and natural remedies for symptoms
Greater care of cardiovascular and bone health
According to Dr. Ana Santaballa, head of the Medical Oncology Service Section at the Hospital Universitario y Politécnico La Fe in Valencia and a member of GEICAM, which has launched a training program for patients with breast cancer under the title ‘Self-care in menopause for women with breast cancer’, “menopause reduces the concentration of estrogens in the blood and makes women unprotected against a cardiovascular event, a risk that increases in the case of patients with breast cancer and premature menopause, therefore, is essential improve our habits as soon as possible”.
On the other hand, menopause also has a fundamental effect on bone mineral density, so vigilance, prevention through exercise and diet, and treatment with vitamin D and calcium supplements.
– Read more: Menopause: exercises for strong bones
avoid gaining weight
Induced menopause slows down basal metabolism and metabolic rate and it is easier to gain weight. In this sense, it is crucial to take care of dietary habits and do exercises that help activate the metabolism. As Dr. Clotilde Vázquez explains, you have to take a correct nutritionas well as making changes in our habits to control body weight, since obesity increases the possibility of suffering a relapse.
As for the exercises, these will be adapted to the physical state of the patient, but it is very important that she remains very active, combining aerobic and strength exercises, to stay in shape, take care of the heart and not lose muscle mass.
– Read more: Menopause and sports: the best exercises for this stage
Emotional, sexual and rest well-being
Induced menopause that appears early, in addition to the disease itself, affects the quality of life of patients and their emotional well-being. Experts point out that symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats alter the quality of sleep and can lead to insomnia. But it also affects mental health, since in some cases women will have to give up the desire to be a mother. Also to relationships and sexuality.
The psycho-oncologist Fátima Castaño indicates that “when all these circumstances begin to affect day-to-day life, it is essential to seek help from specialized health professionals or patient associations in order to achieve an adequate quality of life.
– Read more: Do you know the relationship between menopause and depression?
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