Menopause is a natural transition that all women experience as they age. The time leading up to menopause is called perimenopause and can begin 8-10 years before menopause itself. During perimenopause, hormone levels become erratic, leading to symptoms like hot flashes, trouble sleeping, vaginal dryness, and mood changes.
When a woman has gone 12 months without a period, she has officially reached menopause. The average age of menopause is 51, but it can occur anywhere from 40-55 years old. The years following menopause are called postmenopause.
While menopause marks the end of fertility, it opens the door to a new phase of life. With the right support, care, and treatment, women can manage symptoms and continue thriving through midlife and beyond.
Hormone changes are at the root of menopausal symptoms. As the ovaries stop producing estrogen and progesterone, these hormone levels decline rapidly. Meanwhile, testosterone and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) increase. These shifting hormones cause a cascade of effects throughout the body.
Some of the key facts about menopausal hormone changes:
Understanding the interplay between these hormones provides insight on managing symptoms. Replacing missing hormones through medication or supplements can provide relief when levels fall out of balance.
The spectrum of menopause symptoms varies widely between women. They range from mild to quite disruptive to everyday life. Being able to recognize common symptoms is key to deciding which ones require treatment.
Some of the most bothersome menopausal symptoms include:
- Hot flashes - Sudden sensation of intense warmth with flushing and sweating, lasting 2-30 minutes - Night sweats - Severe hot flashes at night leading to cold, damp skin and interrupted sleep
- Vaginal dryness - Thinning tissue and reduced elasticity - Pain with intercourse - Dryness and shrinking tissue causing discomfort - Increased infections - Changes in tissue and fluid pH levels
- Irritability - Heightened response to stress; less patience - Anxiety - Worrying, nervousness, feeling "on edge" - Depression - Persistent sadness, hopelessness, lack of motivation
- Memory lapses - Forgetting events, appointments, assignments, words - Concentration issues - Inability to focus or pay attention to tasks - "Brain fog" - Feeling spacey, detached, confused
- Insomnia - Difficulty falling or staying asleep - Nighttime awakenings - Waking up frequently at night - Unrefreshing sleep - Waking up tired despite long sleep
- Weight gain - Accumulation of belly fat as metabolism slows - Hair loss/thinning - Hormone shifts causing hair follicles to shrink - Low libido - Decrease in desire for sexual activity
Learning to identify personal symptoms empowers women to seek solutions. Rather than chalking up every annoyance to "getting older", women realize many symptoms can be alleviated through properly administered hormone therapy.
For most women, symptoms peak 1-2 years after final period. However, the physical effects of menopause last far longer. Declining estrogen speeds bone loss and heart disease risk. This jeopardizes health in later years if left unaddressed.
Some concerns to note include:
- Osteopenia - Early bone loss indicated by lower bone mineral density. - Osteoporosis - Accelerated, abnormal bone loss over time. Bones become brittle and prone to fractures. Wrist, hip, and spine fractures are common. - Bone loss begins accelerating in perimenopause. Women lose up to 20% of bone density in the first 5 years after menopause.
- 50% higher risk of cardiovascular disease after menopause. This equals the risk increase observed after smoking cigarettes. - Declining estrogen allows LDL cholesterol levels to rise. This fatty plaque sticks to artery walls. - Blood vessels stiffen faster, increasing blood pressure.
- Fat storage shifts from thighs/hips to abdomen after menopause. This type of belly fat elevates risks for metabolic syndrome, diabetes and certain cancers. - Muscle mass declines up to 15% due to lower estrogen and testosterone. This further slows metabolic rate.
- Digestive issues - Gum disease - Urinary incontinence - Autoimmune disease - Certain cancers
The good news? Many increased health risks can be prevented through healthy lifestyle choices and hormone therapy started before major disease progression occurs.
Women who prioritize fitness, nutrition, stress management, and proper sleep can counteract some effects of hormones changes. Combine healthy living with bioidentical hormone therapy for optimal aging.
Many women are unaware that certain lifestyle changes can ease menopausal symptoms without medication. Simply adding more plant-based foods, practicing stress-reducing activities like yoga, and getting adequate sleep and exercise can provide substantial relief during this transitional period.
Navigating menopause symptoms poses challenges for women. Yet avoiding treatment can be even more detrimental over time. Leaving key hormone levels unchecked sets off a cascade of systemic changes. It accelerates disease processes that lay the foundation for later issues.
This is why timely treatment matters.
Ideally, women start supplementation within the first five years after their final menstrual period. This helps counter the rapid bone loss that begins in perimenopause. It also provides protective effects for the heart and blood vessels.
Early treatment extends the window of opportunity for optimizing bone density and preventing cardiovascular disease progression. It can reduce risks of osteoporosis fractures and heart attacks in later years.
Women shouldn’t wait until after their final period to address symptoms. Perimenopause is the perfect time to assess hormone levels and correct imbalances.
Doing so helps ease the transition into menopause. It also limits the risks associated with untreated depression, anxiety, and sleep disruption. Supporting the body while it is still able to produce some hormones means less drastic treatment is necessary later.
Using combination hormone therapy that provides estrogen and progesterone offers advantages over estrogen alone. The Women's Health Initiative highlighted increased cancer and stroke risks in older women using solely estrogen.
In contrast, studies show adding bioidentical progesterone negates these extra health risks. Combination therapy also lowers the necessary estrogen dosage. It provides the best safety and efficacy profile.
The keys are properly dosed, bioidentical hormones started early enough to make a real difference in aging. Custom-tailored plans based on lab testing and symptom evaluation ensure safe, effective relief.
Finding knowledgeable, empowering care through midlife can be difficult. Yet with the Equilibrium Hormone Institute Menopause Center, Coram women never have to settle. Our functional medicine approach is the area’s leading solution for perimenopause, menopause, and beyond.
Our clinic stands apart with:
At Equilibrium Hormone Institute, certified menopause practitioners guide women to become experts on their own bodies and cycles. We seek true healing – not just temporary symptom relief.
This means listening closely to identify primary concerns and impacts to quality of life. It means digging deeper through advanced testing to map out deficiencies, chemical exposures, infections, and other correctable contributors to imbalance.
Armed with data and insight, our practitioners collaborate to develop precision treatment plans. These personalized protocols feature bioidentical hormone therapies to replenish depleted reservoirs. Plans also incorporate customized nutrition, supplements, and self-care practices. Together this optimizes foundational health from the inside out.
Ultimately we empower women with the tools and support needed to take charge of their menopausal transition. Customized solutions promote resilience and continued independence through midlife and beyond.
As menopause specialists, we receive many questions from women in Coram worried about what comes next after “the change”. They want to ease challenging symptoms affecting work performance, relationships, fitness goals, moods, sleep and more. But they face confusion choosing where to start.
Use the information below as a guide on the most important menopause care topics:
Bioidentical hormone replacement provides foundational treatment for menopausal transitions. These therapies replenish depleted hormones using customized preparations matching natural human formulas.
Bioidentical hormones are man-made formulations that are molecularly identical to endogenous human hormones. This allows precise dosing and superior safety profiles.
- Wide range of formulations and applications - Fully custom dosage, ratios, and delivery - Less risk of side effects - Doesn’t interfere with body’s own hormone production - Better tolerated since body recognizes molecular structure
Pellets, creams/gels, pills, patches, and injectables each suit different needs:
With so many options available, bioidenticals offer a perfect fit for each woman's physiology and lifestyle.
Thorough testing illuminates underlying issues perpetuating menopausal symptoms and health risks. This allows properly customized treatment plans.
These are the most insightful labs to assess in menopause:
Imbalanced estrogen, progesterone and testosterone levels commonly trigger systemic effects. Testing key reproductive and adrenal hormones using blood, saliva or urine samples indicates where deficiencies or excesses exist.
Low thyroid hormone hampers energy levels, metabolism, weight management and mood stability. Screening TSH, free T3 and T4, and antibodies exposes under- or overactivity.
Stress, medications and poor diet perpetuate shortfalls in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. We screen micronutrient status to optimize these vital cofactors.
Declining estrogen accelerates heart disease risk for women after menopause. Assessing cholesterol particles, triglycerides, blood sugar and inflammatory factors determines cardiovascular health.
Pinpointing problematic biomarkers and patterns makes hormone therapy safer and more successful. It also identifies additional areas needing support through nutrition plans, stress reduction techniques, fitness coaching, and sleep optimization.
We help decode complex laboratory reports to hone in on key opportunities for improvement. Compared to beginning blind, targeted diagnostics allow treatments to start working faster.
Exhaustion and unpredictable stamina plague many women in menopause. Hormonal shifts slow metabolic processes that produce daytime energy. Changes also fragment restorative nighttime sleep.
restoring balanced energy levels makes all other symptoms more manageable. Two therapeutic priorities here include:
1. Support mitochondrial function
Mitochondria act as the "powerhouses" inside all cells, converting nutrients from food into cellular fuel. Declines in mitochondrial function create cell starvation even amidst dietary adequacy.
Crashing energy levels often trace back to underperforming mitochondria. Certain nutrients play key roles optimizing mitochondrial efficiency:
Targeted nutraceuticals combined with exercise and stress reduction techniques recharge waning energy.
2. Optimize sleep quality
From hormone shifts to hot flashes that disrupt sleep cycles, menopause and poor rest have a bidirectional relationship. Restorative sleep helps stabilize hormones and reduce inflammation. Stabilizing hormones leads to less fitful sleep.
Here are tips for improving sleep quality:
Balancing hormones and micronutrients while supporting mitochondrial function and healthy sleep hygiene gives women the stamina to pursue life’s passions again.
For many women, hot flashes and vaginal dryness aren’t the worst part. Over 75% of menopausal women experience psychological symptoms from anxiety and depression to mood swings, anger, and lack of motivation.
Mental health strain affects family relationships, work performance, self-image, and overall wellbeing. Three key considerations for emotional support include:
1. Check thyroid hormone status
The thyroid gland controls metabolism as well as brain chemical balance and nerve conduction. Low thyroid function - indicated by high TSH and low free T3/T4 levels - reduces availability of stimulating neurotransmitters. This manifests as depression, brain fog and attention deficits.
Screening thyroid labs identifies imbalances perpetuating mood issues. Optimizing levels realigns mindset.
2. Ensure sufficient neurotransmitter precursors
Fluctuating reproductive hormones destabilize key neurotransmitters like serotonin, GABA and dopamine. This disrupts stable moods. Providing essential dietary precursors helps restore tone:
Targeted amino acids provide building blocks to synthesize balanced signaling chemicals.
3. Support stress resilience
Perimenopause and menopause act as biological stressors. Excess cortisol and catecholamines strains mental health over time. Adaptogenic herbs like ashwagandha, ginseng, rhodiola and holy basil buffer these effects. They improve stress resilience and energy levels.
Guiding women to reconnect with their sense of self-worth and purpose also lightens mood. Expressive therapies provide outlets for working through complex emotions. Joining support groups to share experience fosters validation.
With holistic, multi-modal therapies emphasizing self-care and emotional health alongside balancing hormones, we empower women to lift dark clouds of anxiety, grief or anger into positive perspective.
Despite playing tennis twice weekly and avoiding sweets, Susan still gained 18 stubborn pounds during perimenopause. She also noticed a growing belly despite a lean frame all her life.
Weight changes like Susan’s confuse and frustrate women during the menopausal transition. However, several factors make maintaining or losing weight much more difficult after “the change”. Understanding why resistance occurs makes this obstacle feel less personal.
Reasons for menopausal weight gain include:
Losing or maintaining weight often requires much stricter efforts compared to premenopause - up to 300 fewer daily calories and more physical activity. It also depends on identifying individual factors inhibiting effective fat loss.
We help women pinpoint multi-level contributors to resistance. Personalized plans feature strategic nutrition, movement, stress relief and hormone support. This finally allows shedding unwanted weight and belly fat despite menopause metabolism changes.
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