What is menopause?
Menopause is the biological period during which your menstrual cycles, as well as your fertility, stop due to lower estrogen production. While some women go through early menopause in their 40s — a select few in their 20s and 30s — the average age for a woman in the United States to start menopause is 51.
The team at Hawaii Women’s Healthcare will be able to determine if you are going through menopause once you stop having periods for 12 months or more.
What are the symptoms of menopause?
Some women make it through menopause with very few disruptive changes, but the most common symptoms of this time in your life include:
- Hot flashes
- Sleep disruptions and poor sleep quality
- Weight gain
- Osteoporosis and bone loss
- Fatigue
- Mood changes
- Irregular periods
- Vaginal dryness
- Pain during sexual intercourse
- Low libido
- Chills
- Night sweats
- Thinning hair
For some women, the symptoms of menopause can last up to 12 years, but most experience the effects of menopause for about four years after their last period.
When should I see a doctor?
You may experience some symptoms of menopause before the transition begins. This is referred to as perimenopause and should be monitored by your doctor as early as possible.
Early intervention is key to preventing and reducing symptoms of menopause, such as weight gain, vaginal dryness, low libido, and sleep disruptions.
Talk to your doctor if you are experiencing changes in your menstrual cycle, including:
- Irregular bleeding or spotting between periods
- Your periods start lasting longer than usual
- Very heavy bleeding during your period
- Spotting after sex
While rare, these may be signs of an abnormal condition like uterine fibroids, blood clotting problems, or even cancer in rare cases.
What are my treatment options?
While you can’t stop menopause altogether, there are plenty of ways to alleviate some of the symptoms of this transition.
Hormone therapy
Because menopause is caused by low levels of estrogen, boosting your body’s estrogen levels through hormone therapy can help relieve:
- Hot flashes
- Vaginal dryness or atrophy
- Osteoporosis and bone loss
- Night sweats
Before choosing a treatment plan, it’s important to talk to your doctor and find out if hormone therapy is right for you.
MonaLisa Touch®
A nonhormonal treatment for vaginal dryness and atrophy, MonaLisa Touch increases collagen production in your vaginal walls to stimulate lubrication and make sexual intercourse less painful during your menopausal years.
Call Hawaii Women’s Healthcare or book an appointment online today to learn more.
