Menopause is defined as having no bleeding for one full year and can occur anytime in a women’s 40s-50s. The average age of menopause is 51years old. Menopause is a naturally occurring phase at the cessation of a woman’s reproductive years.
Peri-menopause can start as early as 10 years prior to menopause occurring. It is during this time that most women experience undesirable symptoms and seek medical advice to address their concerns. Peri-menopausal symptoms can include the notorious hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, mood changes, and depression.
There are many ways to combat these symptoms. Each female will experience different symptoms as well as different degree of severity. An individualized approach to symptom relief, risk assessment, and general health is the recommended therapy. There is no cookie-cutter treatment for peri- and post-menopausal females; therefore what works for your friend may not be the best approach for you.
Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) is the most known approach to treating menopausal symptoms. As many are aware, they also come with risks of heart disease, stroke, breast cancer, dementia and death. The goal of HRT is to be on the lowest dose possible, for the shortest period of time to make the symptoms tolerable and to not exceed 5 years of therapy. As mentioned before, individualized management is important and therefore the time frame may be different among each woman.
When it comes to discontinuing HRT many women are reluctant due to fear of the return of the same symptoms. It is important to remember that HRT is intended to help transition through the most severe symptoms, not to prevent completely for a lifetime. The providers at Women’s Care Specialist also appreciate quality of life as well as quantity of years so we are willing to re-evaluate your risk each year to determine safety and need for continuation of HRT.
Many studies are inconclusive when it comes to the best way to discontinue HRT. However, the one consistent finding is that there is very little difference between stopping abruptly verses weaning quickly verses weaning over a longer period of time. This again is a personal preference discussed between a healthcare provider and a patient.
Some non-hormonal approaches to peri- and post-menopausal symptoms include:
- Exercise to help with insomnia, mood changes and hot flashes
- Soy products to help reduce hot flashes and insomnia
- Sleep aids if insomnia is one of your main concerns
- Counseling and Anti-depressants for mood changes
- Anti-depressants are also helpful for hot flashes in low doses
- Vaginal dryness and painful intercourse can be treated with using Olive Oil or Crisco in the vagina on a daily basis as well as with intercourse. Keep in mind that if you are using condoms to reduce your risk of sexually transmitted infections that oil based lubricants will decrease the integrity of the condom.
- An FDA approved non-estrogen tablet taken by mouth daily may also be an option for treatment for vaginal dryness and painful intercourse.
If you are experiencing any undesirable symptoms that you are not able to tolerate related to peri- and post-menopause please call our office to schedule an appointment to determine the most appropriate and safest method of treatment for you.
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