There are a variety of symptoms that women deal with when they go through menopause. As a travel nurse, you can help your patients deal with these adjustments, which may be both medical and mental. Ensure the best for those you are treating by educating yourself on the symptoms that are associated with this life change.
The basics
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services defines menopause as the time when females stop experiencing their menstrual periods. This is the result of a lack of estrogen and progesterone being produced by the ovaries. In the time leading up to menopause, women go though perimenopause, which is when most of the difficult symptoms begin to show themselves. Once the transition is complete, a female is no longer able to get pregnant. This generally happens between the ages of 40 and 55, with an average age of 51.
Some symptoms
The hormonal changes women experience in the time prior to and during menopause lead to a great deal of side effects. While all females are likely to have unique reactions to the adjustment, there are some symptoms you may want to bring to the attention of patients you are working with on travel nursing jobs. Hot flashes are one of the most well-known issues women may deal with in perimenopause, so let's discuss a lesser-known factor.
As the female body begins producing less of the hormones necessary for pregnancy, she also experiences irregular uterine bleeding. A woman's menstrual cycle will become irregular, which can cause her period to stop and start, in addition to being heavier and possibly more frequent than usual. While all of these irregularities are normal, there are some changes that may be best to discuss with a doctor. For instance, women who:
- experience heavy monthly bleeding on a regular basis
- have menstrual cycles lasting less than 21 days
- have infrequent periods lasting three days longer than normal
- bleed following intercourse
- experience frequent spotting between periods
While not necessarily the case, these issues may be signs of benign gynecologic problems or uterine cancer, according to Harvard Health.
It's important to discuss the need for women to stay healthy once they have gone through menopause. When talking with patients on travel nurse jobs, you may want to provide a few tips for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. For instance, females in menopause should eat diets low in fat but high in fiber. Additionally, it's important that they are getting enough calcium and vitamin D, which can be accomplished with foods or supplements.