Menopause & Hormone Replacement Therapy

What is Menopause?

As you grow older, you will begin to experience changes in your body. One day you may wake up to find more gray in your hair or a wrinkle you hadn’t noticed before. Inside, too, you experience changes that affect your menstrual period and the way your body naturally produces hormones. As women experience menopause, they may suffer various discomforts due to decline in hormones. These changes can begin just before or after you stop menstruating. Your ovaries have stopped releasing eggs and producing most of their estrogen, and this marks the end of your reproductive abilities. Menopause is a normal condition that all women experience.

What is Peri-Menopause?

Peri-Menopause is the natural transition period preceding menopause that is often symptomatic of hormonal imbalance and fluctuations. In many ways it is the flip side of puberty. It’s a progression than a series of specific events. Are you experiencing symptoms that may be affecting your life, but in a way you can manage? Then you may well be experiencing peri-menopause.

Menopause Symptoms:

As your estrogen hormone levels fluctuate and continue to get lower, you may begin experiencing menopause symptoms. One of the most talked about is Hot Flashes. With hormone imbalance, you may experience symptoms, such as:

• Common Symptoms: Hot Flashes, Night Sweats, Irregular Periods, Loss of Libido, Vaginal Dryness and Mood Swings.
• Changes: Fatigue, Hair Loss, Sleep Disorders, Difficulty Concentrating, Memory Lapses, Dizziness, Weight Gain, Incontinence, Bloating, Allergies, Brittle Nails, Changes in Odor, Irregular Heartbeat, Depression, Anxiety, Irritability and Panic Disorder.
• Pains: Breast Pain, Headaches, Joint Pain, Burning Tongue, Electric Shocks, Digestive Problems, Gum Problems, Muscle Tension, Itchy Skin and Tingling Extremities.
• Other Symptoms: Osteoporosis

Treatment for Menopause: Hormone replacement therapy (HRP)

Your body needs a balance of hormones to function, so it is important to talk with your doctor about the treatments available and what will work best for you. Hormone replacement therapy (HRP) is used to supplement your body with either estrogen alone or estrogen and progesterone together. This can help relieve some of your menopause symptoms and help prevent osteoporosis.
The Group for Women can help you face these natural changes with grace and strength. When you consult with any of our doctors, we will provide thorough information on hormone replacement therapies available to you, and determine the best course of action for your continued health. Hormone replacement treatments are designed to help you overcome issues associated with aging and menopause, recovery from illness, and problems with sexual drive.

Please visit http://menopause.acog.org/ for the latest medical findings on Menopause.

Please contact The Group for Women today at 757-466-6350 to learn more about menopause and hormone replacement therapies for women and to schedule your appointment.