Santé: la dépression, un mal à dévoiler

Mami Mbong, aged 70, is far into menopause. She is one of those women who never knew what was happening to her body when she got into her menopausal phase. In a conversation with Mami this is what she said; “my pikin I bi di feel plenty heat for inside my side even when place bi di cold and I bi di sweat over”. Besides hot flashes and sweating, Mami Mbong said she also experienced insomnia, depression, anxiety, memory problems, dry skin, less full breasts and painful joints amongst other things.

From casual communication with friends, Mami Mbong realized she was into her menopause. This did not pose a problem to her and her entourage because she was already 50 years, a period ripe for menopause which is defined as that time a woman stops having periods and is no longer able to get pregnant naturally. Health experts say menopause is a natural part of ageing that usually occurs between 45 and 55 years of age, as a woman's oestrogen levels decline. However, statistics around the world indicate that one in 100 women experience the menopause before 40 years of age.

This is known as premature menopause or premature ovarian insufficiency. At this point, menopause is considered a problem. Information culled from the streets of Yaounde show that most women will experience menopausal symptoms. Some of these can be quite severe and have a significant impact on your everyday activities. Health experts say the average age of onset for "natural" menopause is 51.

However, because of genetics, i...