Ukuzuza Ukuqonda Okungcono
“BENGINGENAKUTHI kuyinkathi ejabulisayo ekuphileni kowesifazane,” kuvuma owesifazane othile odlule ekunqamukeni kokuya esikhathini, “kodwa ngicabanga ukuthi ungafunda kukho. Ngiye ngafunda indlela yokuhlonipha ukulinganiselwa kwami. Uma umzimba wami udinga ukunakekelwa noma ukuphumula okwengeziwe, ngiyalalela futhi ngiwunikeze inhlonipho ewufanele.”
Ukuhlolwa kwabesifazane okwabikwa kumagazini i-Canadian Family Physician kwembula ukuthi into embi kakhulu ngokunqamuka kokuya esikhathini “ukungazi ukuthi ulindeleni.” Nokho, abesifazane abaye baqonda ukuthi lenkathi iwushintsho olungokwemvelo “abazange bakhathazeke, bacindezeleke, futhi baphatheke kabi kangako futhi baye baba nethemba ngokuphila kwabo.”
Lokho Okuyikho
I-Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary ichaza lenkathi ngalendlela: “Inkathi yokunqamuka okungokwemvelo kokuya esikhathini ngokuvamile okwenzeka phakathi neminyaka engu-45 nengu-50.” Lenkathi uma ihlukaniswa nezinye iye yachazwa njengokunqamuka kokugcina kokuya esikhathini.
Kwabanye besifazane, ukunqamuka kokuya esikhathini kwenzeka ngokungazelele; kuphela inkathi yokuya esikhathini futhi enye ingabe isafika. Kwabanye, ukuya esikhathini kuyashintshashintsha, kweqise amasonto amathathu kuya ezinyangeni eziningana. Lapho kudlula unyaka ogcwele owesifazane engayi esikhathini, angaphetha ngokunengqondo ngokuthi ukunqamuka kokuya esikhathini kuqale lapho egcina ukuya esikhathini.
Isikhathi Sakho Nesizathu Sokuba Kwenzeke
Ufuzo, ukugula, ukucindezeleka, imithi, nokuhlinzwa kungasithonya isikhathi okufika ngaso. Ngokwesilinganiso eNyakatho Melika lenkathi ifika kwabaneminyaka engu-51 ubudala. Ngokuvamile isikhathi efika ngaso siyahlukahluka kusukela eminyakeni engu-40 kuya maphakathi neminyaka yawo-50 futhi akuvamile ukwenzeka ngaphambi kwalokho noma kamuva. Izibalo zibonisa ukuthi abesifazane ababhemayo bavame ukuba kulenkathi yokunqamuka kokuya esikhathini ngaphambi kwesikhathi nokuthi abesifazane abanesisindo esiphakeme bavame ukuba kuyo sekwephuzile.
Lapho owesifazane ezalwa izindlala zakhe ezikhiqiza amaqanda ziqukethe wonke amaqanda ayoke abe nawo, angamakhulu ezinkulungwane eziningana. Phakathi nomjikelezo ngamunye wokuya esikhathini, kuvuthwa amaqanda asukela kwangu-20 kuya kwangu-1 000. Khona-ke elilodwa, noma ngezinye izikhathi angaphezu kwelilodwa, liyaphuma edlaleni elikhiqizayo futhi lilungele ukuvundiswa. Lawa amanye amaqanda avuthiwe ayafa. Futhi, ngokuvumelana nenqubo yokuvuthwa kwamaqanda, amazinga ama-hormone i-estrogen ne-progesterone njalo ayenyuka abuye ehle.
Njengoba owesifazane efinyelela ngasekupheleni kweminyaka yakhe yawo-30, amazinga e-estrogen ne-progesterone aqala ukwehla, kancane kancane noma ashintshashintshe, futhi amaqanda angase angabe esadedelwa emjikelezweni ngamunye. Akabe esaya esikhathini njalo, ngokuvamile kube nezikhawu ezinde; ukopha kuyashintsha, kube kuncane noma kube kukhulu. Ekugcineni akube kusaphuma maqanda, futhi ukuya esikhathini kuyanqamuka.
Ukuya esikhathini okokugcina kuyiqophelo eliphezulu lenqubo yezinguquko zamazinga ama-hormone nokusebenza kwezindlala ezikhiqiza amaqanda okungenzeka kuye kwathatha iminyaka engafinyelela kweyishumi. Nokho, izindlala ezikhiqiza amaqanda ziyaqhubeka zikhiqiza i-estrogen encane iminyaka eyishumi kuya kwengu-20 ngemva kokunqamuka kokuya esikhathini. Ama-adrenal gland namangqamuzana amafutha nawo akhiqiza i-estrogen.
Izinguquko Eziphawulekayo Ekuphileni
Izicubu ezisheshe zizwele i-estrogen noma ezincike kuyo ziyathinteka njengoba izinga le-estrogen lincipha. Kucatshangwa ukuthi isifuthefuthe sibangelwa imiphumela yama-hormone engxenyeni yobuchopho elawula izinga lokushisa komzimba. Indlela okwenzeka ngayo ayaziwa kahle, kodwa kubonakala sengathi isikali sokushisa komzimba siyehla senze ukuba amazinga okushisa ayezwakala ekahle ngaphambili ngokuphazima kweso azwakale eseshisa ngokweqile, futhi umzimba uba nesifuthefuthe bese uyajuluka ukuze uzipholise.
Encwadini yakhe ethi The Silent Passage—Menopause, uGail Sheehy uyaphawula: “Ingxenye yabo bonke abesifazane abanesifuthefuthe isuke iqale ukuba naso lapho isaya kahle esikhathini, kusukela lapho ineminyaka engamashumi amane. Ukuhlola kubonisa ukuthi abesifazane abaningi baba nesifuthefuthe iminyaka emibili. Ingxenye yesine yabesifazane iba naso iminyaka emihlanu. Futhi amaphesenti ayishumi aba naso ukuphila kwawo konke.”
Kulesisikhathi sokuphila kowesifazane, izicubu zembotshana engenela esizalweni ziyazaca futhi ziphelelwe umswakama njengoba amazinga e-estrogen encipha. UGail Sheehy uthi ezinye izimpawu abesifazane ababa nazo zingahlanganisa “nokujuluka ebusuku, ukuqwasha, ukuhluleka ukubamba umchamo, ukuvuvukala kokhalo okungalindelekile, ukushaya ngamandla kwenhliziyo, ukukhala kungenasizathu, ulaka, ikhanda elinkenkethayo, ukuluma kwesikhumba, [kanye] nokukhohlwa ngezikhathi ezithile.”
Izikhathi Zokucindezeleka
Ingabe ukuncipha kwe-estrogen kubangela ukucindezeleka? Kuye kwaba nempikiswano enkulu ngalombuzo. Kubonakala sengathi impendulo iwukuthi kuyakubangela kwabanye besifazane, njengalabo ababenemizwa eguquguqukayo ngaphambi kokuya esikhathini nalabo abangalali ngenxa yokujuluka ebusuku. Abesifazane abakuleliqembu kubonakala beshesha ukuthintwa imiphumela engokomzwelo yokushintshashintsha kwama-hormone. NgokukaGail Sheehy, laba besifazane ngokuvamile “bathola impumuzo enkulu lapho sebedlulile ekunqamukeni kokuya esikhathini” futhi amazinga ama-hormone ezinza.
Abesifazane ababhekana nalenkathi ngokuzumayo bangase babe nezimpawu ezibuhlungu kakhudlwana ngenxa yokwelashwa ngemisebe, ngamakhemikhali, noma ngenxa yokuhlinzwa kususwa zombili izindlala ezikhiqiza amaqanda. Lezizinqubo zingabangela ukwehla ngokushesha kwamazinga e-estrogen futhi ngaleyondlela kuqale izimpawu zokunqamuka kokuya esikhathini. Kulezizimo kungase kutuswe imithi yokubuyisela i-estrogen, kuye ngempilo yowesifazane.
Izinga nohlobo lwezimpawu eziba khona kuhluka ngokuphawulekayo kowesifazane ngamunye, ngisho nakwabesifazane abahlobene. Lokhu kungenxa yokuthi amazinga ama-hormone ayahlukahluka kowesifazane ngamunye futhi ancipha ngamazinga angafani. Ngaphezu kwalokho, abesifazane banemizwelo, ukucindezeleka, amakhono okubhekana nezimo, namathemba okuhlukahlukene njengoba besondela ekunqamukeni kokuya esikhathini.
Lenkathi ivame ukuqondana nezinye izimo ezicindezelayo ekuphileni kowesifazane, njengokunakekela abazali asebekhulile, ukuqala emsebenzini, ukubona izingane zikhula futhi zihamba ekhaya, nokunye ukuzivumelanisa nezimo eminyakeni yokuqina. Lokhu kucindezeleka kungase kuveze izimpawu ezingokomzimba nezingokomzwelo, kuhlanganise nokukhohlwa, ukuhluleka ukugxilisa ingqondo, ukukhathazeka, ukucunuka, nokucindezeleka, okungase ngephutha kuthiwe kubangelwa ukunqamuka kokuya esikhathini.
Ibanga Lokuphila
Ukunqamuka kokuya esikhathini akukhona ukuphela kokuphila okuzuzisayo kowesifazane—kumane kuwukuphela kwesikhathi sakhe sokuzala. Ngemva kokuba owesifazane eye esikhathini okokugcina, ngokuvamile imizwa yakhe iyazinza, ingashintshashintshi nemijikelezo yama-hormone yanyanga zonke.
Nakuba siye sagxila ekunqamukeni kokuya esikhathini ngoba kuwushintsho olusobala, lokho kumane kuwukubonakaliswa kwenqubo yoshintsho njengoba owesifazane edlula esikhathini sokuzala ekuphileni kwakhe. Ukuthomba, ukukhulelwa, nokubeletha nakho kuyizikhathi zoshintsho ezihambisana nezinguquko zama-hormone, zomzimba, nezingokomzwelo. Khona-ke, ukunqamuka kokuya esikhathini kuyisikhathi sokugcina, kodwa hhayi okuwukuphela kwaso, sezinguquko ezibangelwa ama-hormone ekuphileni kowesifazane.
Ngakho, lenkathi iyibanga lokuphila. Owayengumhleli oyinhloko we-Journal of the American Medical Women’s Association wabhala: “Mhlawumbe abantu bazoyeka ukubheka ukunqamuka kokuya esikhathini njengenhlekelele, noma ngisho ‘nanjengoshintsho oluyisimanga,’ kodwa bakubheke ngokufanelekile ‘njengoshintsho oluvamile.’”
Iqinisekisa, incwadi ethi Women Coming of Age ithi ukuphela kwenkathi yowesifazane yokuzala “kungokwemvelo futhi akunakugwenywa njengoba kwakunjalo ngokuqala kwayo okwakumiswe kusengaphambili. Eqinisweni ukufinyelela enkathini yokunqamuka kokuya esikhathini kuwuphawu lwempilo engokomzimba—uphawu lokuthi iwashi lomzimba [wakhe] lisebenza kahle.”
Nokho, yini engenziwa ukuze lolushintsho lushelele ngangokunokwenzeka? Futhi umngane womshado namalungu omkhaya bangasekela kanjani phakathi nalolushintsho ekuphileni? Isihloko esilandelayo sizocabangela lezizindaba.
[Isithombe ekhasini 6]
Ukunqamuka kokuya esikhathini kuvame ukuqondana nezinye izimo ezicindezelayo, kuhlanganise nokunakekela abazali asebekhulile