CHAPTER 14 Women’s Health^511
WHAT WENT WRONG?
Natural progression of life
PROGNOSIS
The average age of menopause in the United States is 51. About 50 percent of
American women experience some symptoms of menopause.
HALLMARK SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
- Lack of menstrual cycle
- Breasts, vagina, and uterus shrink in response to decreased estrogen and
progesterone - Vasomotor flushing due to estrogen levels falling
- Moodiness due to changing hormone levels
- Cardiovascular risks increase due to less estrogen
- Osteoporosis is a risk factor due to less estrogen
- Vaginal mucous dryness from less hormones
INTERPRETING TEST RESULTS
- Increase in FSH during menopause.
- Decrease in LH during menopause.
- Estrogen levels decline.
TREATMENTS
Some women elect to begin hormone replacement therapy (HRT) (in women with
a uterus) or estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) (in women without a uterus), to
ameliorate the vasomotor flushing and menopausal signs and symptoms, and to de-
crease the risk of coronary artery disease.
NURSING DIAGNOSES
- Effective management of individual therapeutic regimen