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Menopause is a normal and expected part of a woman’s life. While it’s common, it’s not always very comfortable. You may find that the symptoms can even become significantly disruptive to your daily life.
Many women go through this transition without any help because they don’t mention it to their doctors. However, if you’re experiencing uncomfortable and disruptive symptoms, you can get support. Here, the providers at the Center for Women’s Health in Sugar Land and Richmond, Texas explain when you should seek help for your menopause symptoms.
What is menopause?
Menopause is technically defined as starting one year from the date of your last menstrual period. However, during the phase leading up to that final period–called perimenopause–and after your last period, you may experience some common but uncomfortable symptoms.
Perimenopause lasts about four years on average but can last as long as 10 years. It usually begins in your mid-40s but can begin earlier.
During the perimenopausal phase, you have declining estrogen levels and other key hormones necessary for sustaining a menstrual cycle.
The symptoms of menopause
Many of the symptoms you may attribute to “menopause” may actually be associated with perimenopause. Some of these symptoms may include:
- Hot flashes
- Irregular periods or skipped periods
- Mood changes, including irritability or depression
- Periods that are lighter or heavier than usual
- Vaginal dryness
- Insomnia
- Weight gain, especially around your middle
- A need to urinate more frequently
- Painful intercourse
- Breast tenderness
If these symptoms become unbearable, you should schedule an appointment with the providers at the Center for Women’s Health.
What you can do about menopause symptoms
Although many women suffer in silence from the discomforts of menopausal symptoms, it often isn’t necessary to do so.
You can consider hormone replacement therapy, which can relieve many of these uncomfortable symptoms. At the Center for Women’s Health, we provide bioidentical hormones. Bioidentical hormones are natural, plant-based, and are designed to work similarly to your own biological hormones.
They’re delivered by pellets just under your skin, providing a steady amount of hormones. This avoids the “rollercoaster” effect of other hormone replacement therapies that are given by pills or patches.
Not everyone is a good candidate
Most women are good candidates for bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. However, you’ll want to schedule a consultation to find out if you’re a good candidate.
You may not be a good candidate for hormone replacement therapy if you:
- Are at high risk of stroke or heart attack
- Have blood clots
- Have gallbladder disease
- Have had uterine cancer
If you’re not a good candidate for hormone replacement therapy, you can still get other means of relief for your menopausal symptoms.
How to manage menopausal symptoms
Women sometimes describe the discomfort associated with menopause as going through a “second puberty.” Fortunately, you can manage a lot of the symptoms on your own with lifestyle changes.
The ways to manage menopausal symptoms include:
- Eating a balanced diet with lots of fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and low-fat dairy products
- Getting regular exercise
- Doing weight-bearing exercises, such as resistance training
- Quitting smoking
- Losing weight, which can improve hot flashes
- Avoiding caffeine
- Maintaining good sleep hygiene
- Managing stress
If you are going through the menopause transition and you’re finding the symptoms uncomfortable, don't be afraid to speak up. Contact the providers at the Center for Women’s Health Richmond or request an appointment online.