Hormonal decline at age 40

The results of endocrine tests, FSH hormone, LH and estradiol measurements determined that Ms. Hanh was close to menopause.

Similarly, Ms. An, 40 years old, often feels hot and her face turns red for no apparent reason. The hot flashes lasted about 5 minutes, then her mood also changed, she easily cried, felt sorry for herself, and became irritable. She felt depressed, lost weight, had vaginal dryness, and lost sexual desire.

Doctor II Nguyen Ba My Nhi, Director of the Center for Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tam Anh General Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, said that Ms. Hanh and An have symptoms of vasomotor disorders, specifically hot flashes and hot flashes. Mood changes due to perimenopause. This is a common symptom, more than 80% of women experience it during menopause.

Both had hot flashes that started suddenly, felt hot in the face and chest, then spread to the whole body, lasting 2-4 minutes. They also experience psychological changes, have difficulty controlling their emotions, and are easily angry and irritable for no reason. The reason why women suddenly have hot flashes is due to a decrease in sex hormones and estrogen in premenopausal and postmenopausal women.

BS.CKII Nguyen Ngoc Thoai, Obstetrics and Gynecology Center, Tam Anh General Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, said the average age of menopause for Vietnamese women is about 50-51. Ms. Hanh and An have not yet gone through menopause, they still have menstruation, but the hormonal imbalance leads to the above symptoms.

The time from premenopausal symptoms until a woman is completely menopausal is about 5 years on average. “If left untreated, the condition can affect health, quality of life and marital relationships,” Dr. Thoai said.

Symptoms of hot flashes are divided into many levels. Mild cases do not affect daily activities. At a severe level, it can reduce the quality of life, the risk of cardiovascular disease, and even depression.

Doctor Ngoc Thoai led research published in March 2024 in the journal Menopause found that women in menopause have both migraines and vasomotor symptoms (hot flashes and sweating). The research team followed 2,000 women 18-30 years old for 15 years, recording events of cardiovascular disease, stroke, migraine frequency, and hot flash symptoms. They found that the risk of developing heart disease was 1.5 times higher in women who frequently had headaches and hot flashes compared to women who did not have these symptoms.

Treatment of hot flashes in premenopause can be with hormonal medications or lifestyle adjustments. Most women just need to adjust their activities and change their habits to ease menopausal symptoms. Some useful ways to soothe your condition include using air conditioning or fans to reduce room temperature, avoiding alcohol, wearing cool, sweat-absorbent clothes, increasing drinking water, green vegetables, and vitamin E supplements.

Women with moderate to severe hot flashes should be considered by their doctors for hormone replacement therapy with estrogen or estrogen combined with progestin. Ms. Hanh uses oral hormonal supplements to improve estrogen and vaginal dryness. Ms. An uses topical medication in the private area and supplements estrogen in the private area to help reduce dryness and increase elasticity.

After 6 months of supplementation, their hot flash symptoms decreased significantly. Both have regular check-ups, maintain hormones for a long time, have health checks, prevent the risk of cardiovascular disease, breast disease, prevent osteoporosis and bone fractures.

Doctors recommend that women with signs such as difficulty sleeping, hot flashes, sweating, decreased libido, emotional changes, irritability… should see an obstetrician and gynecologist for examination. Detecting and treating signs of premenopause and menopause helps women live healthier lives.