CLIMACTERIC IS THE PHASE OF WANING OVARIAN ACTIVITY AND MAY BEGIN 2-3 YEARS BEFORE MENOPAUSE AND CONTINUE FOR 2-5 YEARS AFTER IT. THUS, THE CLIMACTERIC IS THE PHASE OF ADJUSTMENT BETWEEN ACTIVE AND INACTIVE OVARIAN FUNCTION AND IT INVOLVES PHYSICAL, SEXUAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL ADJUSTMENTS.

MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS INCLUDE HOT FLASHES CHARACTERIZED BY SUDDEN FEELING OF HEAT FOLLOWED BY PROFUSE SWEATING WHICH IS THE DOMINANT AND CLASSICAL SYMPTOM. OTHER SYMPTOMS ARE INCONTINENCE, URGENCY OF URINE, VAGINAL DRYNESS, PAINFUL INTERCOURSE, DECREASE LIBIDO, SKIN DRYNESS AND WRINKLING, JOINT STIFFNESS & SORENESS, OSTEOPOROSIS. PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS INCLUDE DEPRESSION, HEADACHE, INSOMNIA, ANXIETY, MENTAL CONFUSION, IRRITABILITY, CAN ALSO OCCUR IN POST-MENOPAUSAL WOMEN. IN ADDITION TO THESE, FEMALES ARE AT HIGH RISK OF DEVELOPING ISCHEMIC HEART DISEASES, CORONARY ARTERY DISEASES, BREAST CANCER, OSTEOPOROSIS AND FRACTURE IN FUTURE.

IT IS A MAJOR PROBLEM OF ELDERLY WOMEN POSSESSING BOTH PSYCHIC & SOMATIC SYMPTOMS, WHICH CREATE TROUBLES IN DAILY BEHAVIOR & MAINTAINING THE HEALTHY LIFE. NUMBER OF MENOPAUSAL WOMEN IN INDIA IS 43 MILLION. IT IS PREDICTED THAT THE TOTAL NUMBER OF POST- MENOPAUSAL WOMEN IN 2030 WILL BE APPROXIMATELY 1200 MILLION & THE PROPORTION OF THOSE LIVING IN THE DEVELOPING COUNTRIES WILL BE NEARLY 76% .

FOLLOWING MENOPAUSE THERE IS A SHARP FALL IN ESTROGEN (66%) AND ANDROGEN (50%) CAUSING REBOUND INCREASE IN FOLLICLE STIMULATING HORMONE AND LUTEINIZING HORMONE, HENCE THERE IS DISTURBANCES IN THE PHYSIOLOGICAL AND METABOLIC FUNCTIONS OF BODY.

UNANI SYSTEM OF MEDICINE IS ENRICHED WITH THE CONCEPT OF EHTIBAS-E-HAIZ (AMENORRHOEA) BUT THERE IS NO EXACT DESCRIPTION OF MENOPAUSE, NEVERTHELESS IT MAY REVEALED UNDER EHTIBAS-E-TAMS AND CAN BE CORRELATED WITH SIN-E-YAAS (AGE OF NATURAL TERMINATION OF MENSTRUATION).

ESTROGEN LEVEL FALLS OVER THE 5 YEARS PRECEDING OVARIAN FAILURE, WHICH OCCURS USUALLY BETWEEN 45 AND 55 YEARS OF AGE, WITH AN AVERAGE OF AROUND 50 YEARS. THE ABOVE MENTIONED AGE GROUP IN UNANI LITERATURE IS DESCRIBED AS SIN-E-KAHOOLAT WHICH STARTS AT AROUND 35-40 YEARS OF AGE AND LASTS ABOUT 60 YEARS OF AGE. ACCORDING TO ZAKARIA RAZI, PHYSIOLOGICAL AMENORRHEA MAY TAKE PLACE BETWEEN 40 TO 60 YEARS OF AGE. HE FURTHER MENTIONED IN HIS BOOK THAT SUCH CONDITION COMES INTO EXISTENCE DUE TO SU-E-MIZAJ BARID (COLD TEMPERAMENT) OR KHILT-E-BARID (COLD HUMOUR).

RECENT SCIENTIFIC STUDIES REVEALED THAT MANY SINGLE HERBAL DRUGS LIKE ASGANDH (Withania somnifera) AND TUKHM E KATAN (Linum usitatissimum) CONTAIN PHYTOESTROGENS WHICH HAS SHOWN THE GOOD RESULTS BY DECREASING THE SYMPTOMS OF POST-MENOPAUSAL SYNDROME.

A UNANI DRUG SATAVAR (Asparagus racemosus) IS SELECTED FOR STUDY IN PATIENTS OF POST MENOPAUSAL SYNDROME WHICH CONTAINS PHYTOESTROGENIC PROPERTIES ALONG WITH MUQAWWI-E-QALB (CARDIAC TONIC), MUHALLIL-E-WARM (ANTI-INFLAMMATORY), EMOLLIENT, COOLING, NERVINE TONIC, ANTI-DEPRESSANT, DIURETIC, REJUVENATING, CARMINATIVE, STOMACHIC, ANTISPASMODIC, ANTISEPTIC, ANTIOXIDANT AND HEPATOPROTECTIVE ACTIVITY.