Living With Healthy Hunger Health Blog
Menopause is a natural process that all women undergo at a certain age in their lives. When you hear menopause, you think of uncomfortable and annoying symptoms, hot flashes, weight gain, and moodiness. Experts say about 75% of women get those kinds of symptoms, and about 25% get treatment. However, most women do not realize the symptoms and health risks associated with menopause; therefore, it is important to understand the facts about menopause to make the right choices to manage your menopause. Chicago Center for Women’s Health is a facility specialized in treating the symptoms of menopause in Oak Lawn.
What do women have to expect when going through menopause?
Basically, menopause is that point in a woman’s life where her periods permanently stop; in the United States, the average age of women beginning menopause is between 45 and 55 years old. As women go through menopause, it is not just an abrupt stop in their periods; they usually have many symptoms leading to menopause. Menopausal women may notice their periods are changing. The interval between periods may be longer or shorter. The flow could be heavier or lighter – generally very unpredictable, which can be very frustrating and annoying for women. Some women can expect to have some hot flashes, which is a feeling of warmth starting from their chest area. And going up to your face giving you a flushing, uncomfortable feeling, especially if it is happening in the workplace or out in public. Other women may have trouble sleeping at night where they are waking up with night sweats.
What can women do to help themselves?
A lot of just healthy lifestyle choices can make a difference. Women must be physically active. They should be getting about 150 minutes of exercise a week. By doing that, it is also going to help avoid the weight gain that is associated with menopause. As they approach menopause, many women notice their pants are getting a little tight in some places or that their waistline is expanding, and that is just because with the estrogen levels dropping, their metabolism slows down, and they put on weight. As a woman going through menopause, you really have to make an effort to exercise more, eat well, make sure you are getting a diet rich in calcium, a very well-balanced diet, and getting enough sleep at night, which is very important.
A lot of menopausal symptoms are managed with lifestyle changes. Only about 25% of women really experience very horrible hot flashes, night sweats, depression and mood changes, where they may need pharmacologic intervention. There are different options for how to treat menopausal symptoms. You can discuss with your doctor whether you are a good candidate to go on hormone replacement therapy. If you are not a good candidate or are worried about the risks associated with going on hormones, there are non-hormonal medications that may help, such as Gabapentin, an anti-seizure medication; antidepressants can sometimes help with hot flashes and night sweats.
Contact Chicago Center for Women’s Health to learn more about the menopausal treatment options available and which ones are suitable for you.
