A REVIEW ON BEYOND HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY (HRT): AYURVEDIC MANAGEMENT OF PERIMENOPAUSE.

Abstract

According to WHO statistics, 467 million women were projected to be in perimenopause state in the year 1990, and this number is expected to increase to 1200 million by 2030. It is defined as the transitional period of two to eight years, antecedent to menopause and one year following the last menstrual period when the endocrinological and biological changes occur. In today’s scenario, women have a multifaceted perspective and contribute to society by their preposterous physical and mental achievements in every domain. The menopausal transition is amalgamated by different vasomotor, mental, genital, locomotor and GIT-related manifestations and consequently requires treatment for the same. In Ayurvedic texts, perimenopause can be compared with Rajonivritti janya kaal. When estrogen production falls below a critical value, it no longer impedes the production of FSH and LH; instead, they are produced in large and continuous quantities around menopause, but as the remaining primordial follicles become atretic, the production of estrogen by the ovaries falls eventually. The following physiological changes are noticed due to the loss of estrogen in the female body: Hot flushes characterized by extreme flushing of the skin, psychic sensation of dyspnea, irritability, fatigue, anxiety, decreased strength and calcification of bones throughout the body. There is a need for multi-centred randomized trials and future research in this domain where the fundamentals of Ayurveda can be incorporated into menopause management.