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PROXIMATE CAUSES
Menopause is caused by the fall in the level of the hormone estrogen in a female. Estrogen is produced by the ovaries
during the puberty stage and helps develop the female reproductive system. Estrogen stimulates follicles (egg cells) which
break open to release and egg once a month to allow for reproduction. Menopause occurs within a few years of the age of 50,
on average. The ovaries contain a large number of these follicles and around this time they degenerate and release the eggs,
causing a lowered amount of estrogen hormone in the female body. As a result of the low production of estrogen, periods become
irregular and eventually stop (Diseases Explained 1999).
EVOLUTIONARY CAUSES
The suggested benefit of menopause to our evolution is to eliminate over-population and allow for mothers to pay more
attention to their current children by not being able to reproduce and having to care for more children than she can handle.
In 1957, Williams came up with a possible evolutionary cause for menopause. "A woman makes a substantial investment
in each child, and this investment will pay off genetically only if the child survives to healthy adulthood. If the mother
has more babies (with the associated dangers) even as the ravages of age become severe, she is having children she may not
be able to care for, and she is risking the future success of her existing children. If, instead, she stops having additional
children and devotes her effort to helping those she already has, she may have more total off-spring who grow up to reduce
themselves" (Nesse and Williams 1996). Women today menstruate 3 ½ times more than women 10,000 years ago (Smith 1996).
This evolutionary increase in estrogen may explain why menopause occurs due to its inconsistency. Menopause can be caused
simply by medical treatments, such as surgery to remove the ovaries, cancer treatments such as chemotherapy, or a person's
gene pool making them more susceptible to menopause at an early age (National Women's Health Information Center 2004). Premature
menopause, which occurs before the age of 40, can also be a result from all of the above.
TREATMENTS
The current treatment for menopause is hormone replacement therapy. However, many women are just as equally able to fight
off the symptoms of menopause overtime without using this treatment. In other cases, women will chose this treatment to prevent
bone loss, reduce mood swings, reduce hot flashes, and treat vaginal thinning. This treatment includes prescription drugs
which contain the types of hormones that are no longer produced by the ovaries during menopause (National Women's Health Information
Center 2004). This treatment should not be changed, however it should only be applied under stricter circumstances because
of its side effects. The side effects include increased chances of acquiring blood clots, heart attacks, strokes, breast
cancer, and gallbladder disease (National Women's Health Information Center 2004). Overall, the hormone replacement therapy
is well needed throughout menopause.
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