Understanding and Dealing with Your Menopause Symptoms

Every woman must endure menopause during her lifetime. Menopause is the natural process that occurs when a woman loses her menstrual cycle and ability to conceive children. Even though this is a completely normal and natural process, many women find menopause symptoms to be uncomfortable and, at times, embarrassing. Hot flashes, mood swings, and depression are all common during menopause. Understanding these problems and learning how to find menopause relief can make this natural change far easier to endure.

What Causes Menopause Symptoms

Menopause symptoms are caused by the change in hormones that happens during this time. As the body transitions out of the childbearing years, it needs fewer of certain hormones, such as estrogen and progesterone. A reduction in these hormones causes changes that bring on the symptoms that most women experience.

Some women experience emotional symptoms during menopause on top of their physical symptoms. These emotional symptoms are often due to misunderstanding the process. Some women feel that menopause will cause them to be less feminine. However, this is untrue, and the only real change that occurs during menopause is the inability to have children. Women can continue to live normal, healthy lives and enjoy their sexuality after menopause.

The Two Phases of Menopause

enopause is known as perimenopause. This is when menopause symptoms first appear. Hot flashes, irregular periods, problems with sleep, and increased fat in the abdomen are all common during perimenopause. For people who are trying to lose weight, menopause can be frustrating, as the hormonal changes do cause weight to gather in the middle areas.

Most women seek menopause remedies during perimenopause, as this is when the symptoms are the most intense. After several years, women enter postmenopause. Clinically speaking, postmenopause occurs after a woman has had no menstrual periods for 12 months. Women in postmenopause sometimes experience some menopause relief, as the symptoms of the change drift away as the hormones balance out after the process is complete. In postmenopause, women are no longer able to get pregnant.

Common Treatments for Menopause Symptoms

Women who cannot manage their menopause symptoms often go to their doctors to seek menopause treatment. The most common type of therapy is estrogen therapy. This involves taking low doses of the hormone to relieve symptoms. Estrogen creams can also be used vaginally to relieve some of the vaginal menopause symptoms, such as vaginal dryness. Many women are looking for different treatments, however, because of some concern over a possible connection between this menopause treatment and breast cancer.

Many women would like to find menopause relief without relying on hormone replacement therapy. There are several medications currently being used in this manner. Selective estrogen receptor modulators, like Evista, mimic the estrogen replacement drugs without actually containing the hormone.

Some antidepressants also reduce the symptoms of menopause. SSRIs given in low doses can reduce hot flashes. Even though these drugs are commonly known as antidepressants, women who are not depressed but are looking for menopause relief can benefit from this type of medication.

Getting Medical Advice

Women who are entering menopause should get the advice of a doctor as to how to best manage their menopause symptoms. Women who regularly go to their annual exams will cover this information with their practitioner when they visit each year. Women who are nearing menopause should see a doctor if they miss a menstrual period. This is a time when many women assume they are infertile, yet they are, in fact, able to get pregnant. The doctor should do an exam to determine whether the missed period is due to pregnancy or perimenopause.

Things You Can Do at Home

If you are starting to experience the symptoms of menopause, you do need to talk to your doctor about menopause treatment. However, there are many things you can do at home as well to help relieve your symptoms.

One of the best ways to deal with menopause is to get exercise on a regular basis. This helps reduce hot flashes and cuts back on the amount of bone that is lost during menopause. Try to discover the things that cause you to have hot flashes, and avoid them if possible.

Get enough sleep at night, and avoid caffeine if possible. Do pelvic floor exercises, and stay sexually active. You can use lubricants to help relieve any vaginal dryness.

Keep your diet balanced, whether or not you are looking to lose weight. Menopause will make weight loss more difficult, so your diet is going to be key to losing weight or keeping your existing figure. Focus on getting enough calcium, usually around 1,500 milligrams a day, so that your bone density will stay high. You can manage your menopause symptoms and find menopause relief best by keeping your lifestyle as healthy as possible. Remember, you may be in menopause, but you have a whole lot of living left to do, so embrace life and enjoy it!