Stop Suffering From Menopause. Find Relief Now!

You may not even notice two important changes that happen with menopause.

* Loss of bone tissue can weaken your bones and cause osteoporosis.

* Heart disease risk may grow, due to age-related increases in weight, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels.

Osteoporosis. To maintain strong bones, the body is always breaking down old bone and replacing it with new healthy bone. For women, the loss of estrogen around the time of menopause causes more bone to be lost than is replaced. If too much bone is lost, bones become thin and weak and can break easily. Many people do not know they have weak bones until they break a wrist, hip, or spine bone (vertebrae). Doctors can test bone density (bone densitometry) to find out if you are at risk of osteoporosis. You can lower your risk of bone loss and osteoporosis by making changes to your lifestyle - regular weight-bearing exercise and getting plenty of calcium and vitamin D can help. There are also drugs available that prevent bone loss. Talk to your doctor to find out what is best for you.

Heart disease. Younger women have a lower risk of heart disease than do men of the same age. But after menopause, a woman’s risk of heart disease is almost the same as a man’s. In fact, heart disease is the major cause of death in women, killing more women than lung or breast cancer. It’s important to know your blood pressure, and levels of cholesterol, HDL, triglycerides, and fasting blood glucose. You can lower your chance of heart disease by eating a healthy diet, not smoking, losing weight, and exercising regularly. There are also drugs that can help. Talk to your doctor to be sure you are doing everything possible to protect your heart.

Tags: Menopause, Menopause Symptom, Menopause Treatment

Stop Suffering From Menopause. Find Relief Now!

Changing hormone levels can cause a variety of symptoms that may last from a few months to a few years or longer. Some women have slight discomfort or worse. Others have little or no trouble. If any of these changes bother you, check with your doctor. The most common symptoms are:

* Changes in periods. One of the first signs may be a change in a woman’s periods. Many women become less regular; some have a lighter flow than normal; others have a heavier flow and may bleed a lot for many days. Periods may come less than 3 weeks apart or last more than a week. There may be spotting between periods. Women who have had problems with heavy menstrual periods and cramps will find relief from these symptoms when menopause starts.

* Hot flashes. A hot flash is a sudden feeling of heat in the upper part or all of your body. Your face and neck become flushed. Red blotches may appear on your chest, back, and arms. Heavy sweating and cold shivering can follow. Flashes can be as mild as a light blush or severe enough to wake you from a sound sleep (called night sweats). Most flashes last between 30 seconds and 5 minutes.

* Problems with the vagina and bladder. The genital area can get drier and thinner as estrogen levels change. This dryness may make sexual intercourse painful. Vaginal infections can become more common. Some women have more urinary tract infections. Other problems can make it hard to hold urine long enough to get to the bathroom. Some women find that urine leaks during exercise, sneezing, coughing, laughing, or running.

* Sex. Some women find that their feelings about sex change with menopause. Some have changes to the vagina, such as dryness, that makes sexual intercourse painful. Others feel freer and sexier after menopause relieved that pregnancy is no longer a worry. Until you have had 1 full year without a period, you should still use birth control if you do not want to become pregnant. After menopause a woman can still get sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), such as HIV/AIDS or gonorrhea. If you are worried about STDs, make sure your partner uses a condom each time you have sex.

* Sleep problems. Some women find they have a hard time getting a good night’s sleep. They may not fall asleep easily or may wake too early. They may need to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night and then find they aren’t able to fall back to sleep. Hot flashes also may cause some women to wake up.

* Mood changes. There may be a relationship between changes in estrogen levels and a woman’s mood. Shifts in mood may also be caused by stress, family changes such as children leaving home, or feeling tired. Depression is NOT a symptom of menopause.

* Changes in your body. Some women find that their bodies change around the time of menopause. With age, waists thicken, muscle mass is lost, fat tissue may increase, skin may get thinner. Other women have memory problems, or joint and muscle stiffness and pain. With regular exercise and attention to diet, many of these changes may be eased or prevented.

Tags: Menopause, Menopause Symptom, Menopause Treatment

Stop Suffering From Menopause. Find Relief Now!

A woman’s body changes throughout her lifetime. Many of those changes are due to varying hormone levels that happen at different stages in life. Puberty often starts when a girl is about 12 years old. Her body changes, breasts and pubic hair develop, monthly periods begin.

Menopausal transition, commonly called perimenopause, is the time when a woman’s body is closer to menopause. At this time, a woman’s periods may become less regular, and she may start to feel menopause symptoms, such as hot flashes and night sweats. Perimenopause usually begins about 2 to 4 years before the last menstrual period. It lasts for about 1 year after your last period. Menopause is marked by a woman’s last menstrual period. You cannot know for sure what is your last period until you have been period free for 1 full year. Postmenopausal follows menopause and lasts the rest of your life. Pregnancy is no longer possible. There may be some symptoms, such as vaginal dryness, which may continue long after you have passed through menopause.

Tags: Menopause, Menopause Symptom, Menopause Treatment

Stop Suffering From Menopause. Find Relief Now!

Menopause is a normal part of life. It is one step in a long, slow process of reproductive aging. For most women this process begins silently somewhere around age 40 when periods may start to be less regular. Declining levels of the hormones estrogen and progesterone cause changes in your periods. These hormones are important for keeping the vagina and uterus healthy as well as for normal menstrual cycles and for successful pregnancy. Estrogen also helps to keep bones healthy. It helps women keep good cholesterol levels in their blood.

Some types of surgery can bring on menopause. For instance, removal of your uterus (hysterectomy) will make your periods stop. When both ovaries are removed (oophorectomy), menopause symptoms may start right away, no matter what your age.

Tags: Menopause, Menopause Symptom, Menopause Treatment

Stop Suffering From Menopause. Find Relief Now!

Although some women have few noticeable symptoms of menopause other than the ending of menstrual periods, most women will have some other symptoms. Symptoms may come and go, and more may develop, as the process of menopause progresses.

Symptoms that generally improve with time include:

* Menstrual period changes.

* Hot flashes.

* Emotional changes, such as mood swings or a change in sexual interest or response.

* Sleep disturbances (insomnia).

* Rapid, irregular heartbeat (heart palpitations).

* Generalized itching.

* Joint pain.

* Headaches.

* Problems with concentration and memory.

Symptoms of menopause that can be long-term and get worse with time include:

* Vaginal changes, such as:

* Vaginal dryness and itching.

* An increased risk of vaginal infections.

* Pain during sexual intercourse (dyspareunia).

Urinary tract problems, such as:

* An inability to control the leakage of urine (urinary incontinence).

* Urinary tract infections (UTIs).

* Changes in appearance.

Symptoms often end soon after menstrual periods stop. However, some women continue to have menopausal symptoms for several years after periods end. Many women report an increase in symptoms, such as hot flashes, following menopause caused by surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy, and these symptoms also seem to be more severe.1 Some conditions, such as depression, sleep problems, anxiety, and irritability, may be made worse by menopause.

Although menopause can cause a wide variety of symptoms in some women, other women do not experience any symptoms other than the end of menstrual periods. Many women feel positive about the changes that occur with menopause, such as freedom from menstruation and the risk of pregnancy.

Tags: Menopause, Menopause Symptom, Menopause Treatment

Stop Suffering From Menopause. Find Relief Now!

Surgery is not a treatment for menopause, but conditions requiring surgery become more common at the time of menopause.

Menopause Surgery Choices

Procedures that may be used to diagnose or treat problems, such as abnormal vaginal bleeding, that occur during or after menopause include:

* Dilation and curettage (D&C).

* Endometrial ablation.

* Endometrial biopsy.

* Hysteroscopy.

* Hysterectomy.

What to Think About When Deciding Menopause Surgery

Bothersome symptoms and abnormal bleeding often stop naturally after menopause is completed. If menopause is nearing completion, watchful waiting may be the best approach when uterine fibroids or endometriosis is present.

Some women may prefer the risks of surgery to the burden and inconvenience of their symptoms.

Surgery may be the most appropriate treatment for cancers of the reproductive organs.

Indications for Surgery During Menopause

Surgery to treat or prevent problems during menopause may be considered when:

* Vaginal bleeding is severe and interferes with your daily activities.

* Abnormal vaginal bleeding does not respond to other treatments and anemia develops because of blood loss.

* Other problems are found or suspected, including:

a) Endometrial hyperplasia.

b) Uterine fibroids.

c) Endometriosis.

d) Uterine prolapse.

e) Gynecological cancers, such as cancer of the cervix, the ovary, or the lining of the uterus (endometrial cancer).

Tags: Menopause, Menopause Treatment

Stop Suffering From Menopause. Find Relief Now!

Side effects that can occur with all forms of estrogen but are more frequent with oral estrogen include:

* Headaches.

* Nausea.

* Vaginal discharge.

* Fluid retention.

* Weight gain.

* Breast tenderness.

* Spotting or darkening of the skin, particularly on the face.

* Deep venous thrombosis.

* Pulmonary emboli.

* Rarely, an increased growth of preexisting uterine fibroids or a worsening of endometriosis.

Some of these side effects, such as headaches, nausea, fluid retention, weight gain, and breast tenderness, may go away after a few weeks of use. The estrogen patch (trans-dermal estrogen) may cause skin irritation.

An estrogen ring must be replaced every 3 months. If the ring falls out at any time during the 3-month treatment period, you may rinse it with lukewarm water and reinsert it.

Vaginal cream may be used by women with liver or gallbladder disease.

See Drug Reference for a full list of side effects. (Drug Reference is not available in all systems.)

What to Think About

Recent studies are recommending that hormone replacement therapy using estrogen and progestin (HRT) be used only for short-term treatment of menopausal symptoms. Studies involving women taking estrogen without progestin (ERT) are still in progress.

While ERT alone increases the risk of endometrial cancer, estrogen taken in combination with progestin (HRT) does not increase the risk. Women who have had a hysterectomy do not have an increased risk of uterine cancer.

A woman who has a uterus and is unable to tolerate the side effects of progestin in hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may consider estrogen-only replacement therapy (ERT) if testing shows no abnormalities of the endometrium. Close observation for precancerous changes of the endometrium is required, including an annual pelvic exam and an annual endometrial biopsy.

No studies have compared different types estrogens to see whether there is a difference in their effects. Some women prefer estrogens that do not come from animal products.

Tags: Hormone Replacement Therapy, HRT, Menopause, Menopause Symptom, Menopause Treatment

Stop Suffering From Menopause. Find Relief Now!

Ultrasound may tell how much time’s left on biological clock

The number of eggs left in a woman’s ovaries is like the grains of sand in an hourglass, ticking away the hours on her biological clock.

Researchers now say they may be able to predict when that clock will wind down.

And while doctors can’t actually count the number of eggs in an ovary, they can measure ovarian volume. British researchers say there’s a direct correlation between the two, and by measuring ovarian volume with trans-vaginal ultrasound, doctors should be able to predict when menopause will set in and how many fertile years a woman has left.

According to the study authors, this information will revolutionize the care of women looking for assisted reproductive technologies, including those who were treated for childhood cancers as well as women who want to put off starting a family for whatever reason.

Although information still needs to be validated in clinical studies, its benefit is most likely to start with women who are being treated for cancer and women attending fertility clinics, said Tom Kelsey, co-author of the study appearing June 17 in the journal Human Reproduction. (more…)

Tags: Menopause, Menopause Symptom, Menopause Treatment