Libido

Birth Control

Vaginal Dryness

Irregular Periods

Diet

Managing Menopause

Talking to your Doctor

It is important to discuss all “natural” remedies that you are taking with your doctor. Some herbal products can be dangerous if they are taken with other drugs.

Medical Treatment

You can also choose to go to your doctor and discuss your symptoms. Once your doctor confirms you are in one of the stages of menopause she or he may discuss hormone therapy. A doctor can prescribe “natural” bioidentical hormones or “synthetic” hormones. The “natural” bioidenticals that need a prescription are products from pharmaceutical companies that received a patent on their product and have conducted studies. My doctor prescribed the Vivelle Dot, a bioidentical transdermal “patch”. I cannot buy this product without a prescription. As opposed to the “natural” bioidentical cream I got from a non-gynecologist.

Hormone therapy is used to supplement the body with estrogen and progesterone, or estrogen alone when the ovaries no longer produce adequate levels.

Studies have shown that estrogen can relieve hot flashes, vaginal dryness, itchy skin and night sweats. Also, hormone therapy can reduce the risk of osteoporosis, lower risk of colon cancer, improve your mood and reduce many menopausal symptoms.

Progesterone is prescribed for women who still have a uterus. Progesterone reduces the risk of endometrial cancer. If a woman has had a hysterectomy she does not need to take progesterone.

But before we go further, there is often confusion to the different types of hormone therapies. What are HRT, HT, ET, and EPT?

• HRT: "hormone replacement therapy” and is an older term
• HT: a general term for any combination of estrogen with progestin, estrogen alone, or progestin alone
• ET: estrogen therapy
• EPT: estrogen progestin therapy

Hormone therapy can reduce the risk of some diseases and increase the risk of others. If you are at risk of breast cancer, heart disease, blood clots or endometrial cancer discuss this with your doctor before starting hormone therapy.

Eight-five percent of menopausal women have hot flashes. Half of these women find them disturbing. Twenty percent of women will experience symptoms for less than one year, but approximately 50 percent of women may experience symptoms for five years or more. Estrogen therapy is effective in controlling symptoms in more than 90 percent of women.

Exercise & Diet

Studies have proved that a good diet and regular exercise can benefit your overall health. Being committed to good health will give you more energy and help you sleep better. Your mood and general outlook can improve. There have been no formal studies that confirm diet and exercise alleviate menopausal symptoms. But I can confirm that I felt better after I lost some weight and incorporated exercise into my daily routine. My high blood pressure went down and I enjoyed shopping for new clothes as a reward for my victories.

Remember:

I encourage you to discuss all symptoms with your doctor, and incorporate a good diet and daily exercise routine into your life. Be prepared to try a number of options before you have success. You may get lucky, slap on a bioidentical “patch” and return to your regular self. But if you are like me, you will need to practice patience and continue to search for an option, until one works for you.

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