Women's Reproductive Health/ Interview with Dr Kafui Bénédicta Améwoui, Obstetrician Gynaecologist

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Extract from the article: With more than 20 years of experience, obstetrician gynaecologist Dr Kafui Bénédicta Améwoui gives some tips to Santé-Education for the good health of women's reproductive system.

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« A good cycle is one where a woman gets her period every month. These periods are not painful and they flow between 4, 5 or 6 days, then they are fluid, made of red blood without clots »

With more than 20 years of experience, obstetrician gynaecologist Dr Kafui Bénédicta Améwoui gives some tips to Santé-Education for the good health of women's reproductive system.

Santé-Education: Can you explain how the female reproductive system works?

Dr Kafui Bénédicta Améwoui: The female genital organ was not created only by the author of life to make children. It is an organ that not only receives the seed of the man, but it eliminates all matter that has no business being in it. This is why, outside of menstruation, women have physiological leucorrhoea or white discharge.

Is it possible to delay the menopause?

When a woman reaches the menopause, the monthly flowing periods stop. This is different from the momentary cessation, often for a few months, of menstruation. A woman who does not see her period for six months is a period stopper. It is not a menopause. It is the definitive cessation of menstruation over a consecutive period of 12 months around the age of 50-55 with neuro-vegetative and emotional disorders that constitute the menopause. It often occurs around the age of 50-55 for most women.

The menopause cannot be postponed, since it is the exhaustion of a number of follicles existing in the girl from birth until the menopause. It is a natural phenomenon. However, it can happen earlier.

But there are women who can go through menopause before that age.

Yes, there are women who have a menopause at 35. It is an early menopause. And this is not normal. I have had women in my practice who were 35 years old who were in the menopause.

Why does this happen in some women?

You have to look at all the intersecting factors that have contributed to a woman being in this state. Certain cancer treatments, hormonal treatments, family factors, taking products without medical control in order to stimulate fertility can reduce the follicles and lead to an early menopause. The genitals in both men and women function on the basis of hormones. Some hormones are supplied exogenously and are obtained from a balanced, consistent, rational diet that is good for the body. Dietary factors are therefore very important in preventing early menopause.

Unfortunately, women are not taught how to get through this period. Because it is possible.   If Asian women have a better cycle than African women, it's because they eat vegetables, especially soya, every day. Studies have shown that soya contains natural oestrogens, which come from the plant and have an effect on the female genital glands. Therefore, a woman who consumes soymilk with a rational diet will have a better experience of menopausal problems.

How do you recognise a good cycle in a woman?

A good cycle is one in which a woman has her period every month. These periods are not painful and they flow between 4, 5 or 6 days, then they are fluid, made of red blood without clots. In addition, the red colour of the period further determines the quality of the cycle and, beyond that, the state of health of the woman.

What diet do you recommend to women?

 I advise all women to pay attention to what they eat. They should give priority to plant-based foods. Because eating healthily is good for you. In addition to the quality of the food, there are psychological, emotional, psychosocial and spiritual factors... When all these factors come together, they lead to illness. These factors affect the cycle and the health of women.

Interview by William O.