What are the symptoms of menopause?

Menopause affects every woman differently. Your only symptom may be your period stopping. You may have other symptoms, too. Many symptoms at this time of life are because of you getting older. But some are due to menopause. Common symptoms of menopause include:

< •·         Change in pattern of periods (can be shorter or longer, lighter or heavier, more or less time between periods)

< •·         Hot flashes (sometimes called hot flushes), night sweats (sometimes followed by a chill)

< •·         Trouble sleeping through the night (with or without night sweats)

< •·         Vaginal dryness

< •·         Mood swings, feeling crabby, crying spells (probably because of lack of sleep)

< •·         Trouble focusing, feeling mixed-up or confused

< •·         Hair loss or thinning on your head, more hair growth on your face

Does menopause cause bone loss?

When a woman is young, estrogen helps to keep bone strong. When estrogen levels fall at menopause, bones weaken.  When bones weaken a lot, the condition is called osteoporosis. Weak bones can break more easily.

How do I manage menopause? What are my options?

Eating a healthy diet and exercising at menopause and beyond are important to feeling your best. Most women do not need any special treatment for menopause. But some women may have menopause symptoms that need treatment. Several treatments are available. It's a good idea to talk about the treatments with your doctor so you can choose what's best for you. There is no one treatment that is good for all women. Sometimes menopause symptoms go away over time without treatment, but there's no way to know when.

Hormone therapy (HT) -- If used properly, hormone therapy (once called hormone replacement therapy or HRT) is one way to deal with the more difficult symptoms of menopause. It's the only therapy that is approved by the government for treating more difficult hot flashes and vaginal dryness. Hormone therapy should NOT be used solely to prevent heart or bone disease, stroke, memory loss, or Alzheimer's disease. There are many kinds of hormone therapies so your doctor can suggest what's best for you. As with all treatments, HT has both possible benefits and possible risks; it is important to talk about these issues with your doctor. If you decide to use HT, use the lowest dose that helps and for the shortest time needed. Check with your doctor every 6 months to see if you still need HT.

HT can help with menopause by:

< •·         Reducing hot flashes

<•·         Treating vaginal dryness

<•·         Slowing bone loss

<•·         Improving sleep (and thus decrease mood swings)

For some women, HT may increase their chance of:

< •·         Blood clots

<•·         Heart attack

< •·         Stroke

< •·         Breast cancer

< •·         Gall bladder disease

Who should NOT take HT for menopause?

Women who . . .

< •·         Think they are pregnant

< •·         Have problems with vaginal bleeding

<•·         Have had certain kinds of cancers (such as breast and uterine cancer)

< •·         Have had a stroke or heart attack

< •·         Have had blood clots

< •·         Have liver disease

<•·         Have heart disease

HT can also cause these side effects:

< •·         Vaginal bleeding

< •·         Bloating

< •·         Breast tenderness or swelling

< •·         Headaches

< •·         Mood changes

<•·         Nausea

Be sure to see your doctor if you have any of these side effects while using HT.