the ages of 45 and 55 years of life. Menopause can be a natural
process of aging or it can be medically induced by surgery.
When a woman’s ovaries stop releasing eggs along with the
slowing down of producing estrogen, levels of progesterone
change making her period irregular.
When you have missed 12 periods in a row this is considered
menopause. Some women are greatly affected by menopause
symptoms and others do not seem to be bothered at all.
Some of the most common menopause symptoms are hot flashes
lasting 1 to 5 minutes, night sweats followed by chills, sleeping
disturbance, mood swings and anxiety, hair loss, thinning, dull dry
skin, vaginal dryness, and loss of sex drive.
Hot flashes can be triggered by hot beverages, spicy foods,
alcohol, caffeine, hot weather or stress. Women should keep track
of what triggers the hot flashes and avoid those things. Other
ways to control hot flashes is to get regular exercise, practice
relaxing techniques, dress in layers, and to keep a fan handy.
Sleeping is very important to most women. What you eat and drink
can influence your sleep. You should avoid caffeine, alcohol and
large meals within 4 hours of bedtime.
Regular exercise will help you sleep at night. However, it should be
avoided right before bedtime. Other helpful techniques are to drink
something warm before you go to bed and practice breathing and
relaxation techniques while keeping a regular bedtime schedule.
Hormone replacement can improve the previous symptoms and can
also improve on fibrocystic breasts, weight gain, depression,
headaches, irritability, fluid retention, fatigue, memory loss and
arthritis.
Synthetic hormones are not recommended because they can
increase ones risk of heart disease, cancer, and blood clots. Bio-
identical hormones that are made at a pharmacy and individualized
to meet each specific patients needs are recommended.
The benefit of bio-identical hormones is also an improvement in
cholesterol, sex drive, and hair/skin health. All hormones are not
recommended in patients with a history of vaginal bleeding, any
type of cancer, pregnancy, stroke or heart attack, blood clots, and
liver disease.
Alternatives to prescription hormones to help with menopausal
symptoms are low-dose antidepressants, gabapentin, clonidine,
and some herbs such as black cohosh and soy.