After hearing daunting reports from her slightly older coworkers and friends, a 44-year-old woman has a number of questions for her physician about what to expect during perimenopause and why. Which of the following teaching points is most accurate?
A) "The decrease in estrogen and most other hormones in your body do cause a lot of instability for most women around menopause."
B) "Hot flashes are a reality for most women in menopause, and the exact cause of them isn't known yet."
C) "The emotional swings that often accompany menopause result from changes to the limbic center in the brain, which governs emotion."
D) "There are a lot of changes to the gastrointestinal and respiratory systems that exist around menopause that ultimately result from estrogen deficiency."

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Hot flashes are a common accompaniment to menopause, and their exact etiology is not known. Menopause is caused by a gradual reduction in ovarian estrogen production, but decreases in other hormones do not commonly occur. Organic brain changes are not a noted component of menopause, and GI and respiratory symptoms are not prevalent.

After Hearing Daunting Reports from Her Slightly Older Coworkers and Friends