Most of the symptoms of menopause are associated with a lack of hormones that produce ovaries - estrogens and progesterone. In the normal course of menopause, hormone levels decrease gradually, and the woman's body adapts to changes.
Advantages of non-hormonal treatment for menopause
Sometimes a severe course of menopause with severe symptoms and a number of complications causes resort to hormone therapy with estrogens or combined preparations of estrogens and progestins.
But hormonal drugs have a number of contraindications to the appointment (thrombosis and thrombophlebitis of the veins, cancer, diabetes mellitus, bleeding of unclear etiology, renal or hepatic insufficiency, pregnancy). Also, hormonal drugs in menopause have not only contraindications, but a number of unwanted side effects for women (weight gain, headaches, swelling, increased propensity to thrombosis, disruption of the digestive tract).
A number of plants and preparations prepared from them have substances similar in their effect to female sex hormones. They allow to receive from the treatment of climax nonhormonal drugs the same effect as hormones, while avoiding the undesirable consequences of hormone therapy. But even non-hormonal means in case of menopause is prescribed by a doctor, taking into account indications and contraindications, and one can not just go to the pharmacy and buy a remedy for menopause only because it's not hormones and the girlfriend drinks the similar ones. Even herbal preparations have a number of side effects and contraindications, and their uncontrolled use can do more harm than good to the health.
Non-hormonal drugs in menopause: an overview
When climacteric appoint phytopreparations, which have an effect similar to the sex hormones of women, as well as restorative drugs that improve the well-being of women. We can distinguish such groups of drugs:
- phytoestrogens (containing a vegetative analogue of estrogens), most often these are preparations based on red clover (Feminal, Estrovel);
- selective modulators of estrogen receptors (Raloxifene, Tamoxicene) and hemopathic preparations based on tsimitsifugi - Remens , Tsi-klim, Klimadinon;
- preparations containing multivitamins and microelements, such as magnesium, calcium.
It is worth remembering that it is impossible to stimulate the production of hormones by dying ovaries anyway, and various nonhormonal tablets with menopause should not replace hormones of the ovaries, but only improve the woman's well-being and make the period of hormonal changes in the body easier and painless. Preparations containing phytoestrogens can have the same contraindications as hormone drugs with estrogens: they can not be administered with estrogen-dependent tumors and before taking, it is worth a complete examination with a gynecologist.
If phytoestrogens have an effect similar to hormones, homeopathic preparations contain such strong dilutions of the drug that they are not capable of producing an effect on their own, act like stimulants of the organism in one direction or another and have practically no contraindications.
Multivitamins and microelements in menopause are prescribed not only to improve the overall well-being of women: calcium is necessary during the menopause for the prevention of osteoporosis.
In addition to substitution therapy, symptomatic is also used: antidepressants, sedatives and hypnotics, drugs for lowering blood pressure. To reduce the dryness of the vaginal mucosa with climax, special candles (Climactol) can be used. Non-hormonal replacement and symptomatic drugs can not be used without a full examination of a woman to exclude all contraindications for their use.