Menopause Doesn't Have to be Menacing

MENOPAUSE: It can be the best of times or it can be the worst of times. Much of the severity of symptoms is directly related to how you feel about aging .Menopause is one of the major natural life changes for women.The average age is about fifty, with a range from 45-55. Although nutrition and exercise have changed our lives so that we live longer, the age of onset for menopause has not changed much in millennia. The age in which you will begin appears to be genetically determined. If your mother was 50, you most likely will be about fifty.

Some women dread it's onset, while others look forward to it. Menopause is defined as the end of menstrual periods, which occurs because the ovaries decrease their production of estrogen. Symptoms,however, can begin a full five years or more before periods cease.

Symptoms can include:

• hot flashes
• inability to concentrate
• mood swings
• forgetfulness
• depression
• headaches
• difficulty sleeping
• night sweats
• early awakening
• skin changes
• more severe PMS
• decrease or increase in sexual desire
• sweating
• urinary frequency
• vaginal dryness
• discomfort with intercourse
• dizziness
• heart palpitations

While most women have only some of the symptoms and have no problems associated with menopause, there are problems.These include:

• osteoporosis: a decrease in the quality and quantity of bone mass making bones more fragile. This puts you at increased risk for fractures. Some women are more susceptible to osteoporosis than others. Poor diet, certain medications, heredity, lack of proper calcium, and lack of exercise increase your risk.
• increased risk of heart disease. This is the number one killer of women in the United States. Decreased estrogen can increase your risk of heart attack. Estrogen replacement therapy can decrease your risk by as much as 50%.

There are both traditional and alternative therapies that you can use during this time. The most common, of course, is estrogen replacement therapy or ERT. This can be in the form of pills, patches, and vaginal creams. These are the same hormones that your body used to produce. ERT reduces or eliminates the symptoms of menopause as well as decreasing your risk of heart disease and osteoporosis. There are a variety of ways to take ERT. If you have not had a hysterectomy, this is usually combined with progesterone to decrease your risk of developing uterine cancer that unopposed estrogen may cause. The effectiveness of ERT is dependent on the amount of time you take it.

Other methods to deal with menopause include: homeopathic medications; herbal medications such as Dong Quai and other that contain natural plant estrogens and progesterones; and Chinese medicine which may use a combination of herbal remedies and acupuncture.

An excellent resource for following the latest developments in the treatment of menopausal symptoms and for general knowledge is The North American Menopause Society.