Importance of Psychosomatic Aspect in the Treatment of Menopausal Transition

Abstract

Menopausal symptoms are unexplained complaints among women around menopause. The main cause of these symptoms is deterioration of ovarian function, but many other factors including aging and socio-cultural and environmental effects are thought to contribute to make up the symptoms. Although hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is effective to the symptoms derived from estrogen deficiency, the psychosomatic aspect of menopausal transition may be useful in some cases where HRT is ineffective. During the perimenopausal period, women have to begin searching the different life-style from reproductive age, through experience of several losses, feeling of impending aging and death. The psychological conflict of women around menopause is very similar to, or almost coincident with the concept of midlife crisis. A part of menopausal symptoms is derived from difficulties of acceptance of transitional changes, and for patients with such symptoms, a psychosomatic approach is useful to help them accept these changes and adapt to the next stage of their lifecycle.