Menopause is not the end; it’s a new beginning.
Menopause can take on so many form and elicit so many emotions in my patients. Some women are THRILLED to be done with their menstrual cycle, and some go into full grief over the loss of their “youth” and child-bearing years (from those who never had kids to those who had several).
There is no wrong response. There is only your response.
Technically menopause is achieved after 12 consecutive months with no menstrual cycle. Perimenopause is that super fun time leading up to menopause – erratic and wild in some women, and a little blip for others.
Some women suffer, turning visibly pink and sweaty in front of anyone paying attention, exploring insomnia after decades of effortless sleep, experiencing pain or discomfort from sex. Some women sail through and whisper in full confidentiality that they never had a hot flash but they don’t dare tell their red, glistening, self-fanning friends that.
The hormone changes that come with your ovaries going into retirement vary but can include:
- hot flashes and night sweats
- mood changes including anxiety, depression, or insomnia
- brain fog
- vaginal dryness
- urinary incontinence and/or increased frequency of bladder infections
- increased risk of cardiovascular disease
Treatments for the above joys of womanhood can range from diet and lifestyle modifications, herbal treatments that have served our female ancestry well, and now hormone therapy. Every woman has a unique blend of options that can help her sail through this second puberty as we shift from roses to rosehips.